Grey River; Toss WOOLLASTON; 1967; 477
Grey River
About this objectA view of the Grey River, on the West Coast of the South Island, with a hilly range in the background.
Maker Date Made1967
Medium and MaterialsWatercolour on paper
Place Made Subject and Association KeywordsLandscapes/Regional landscapes
Subject and Association Keywords Subject and Association KeywordsNew Zealand/South Island/West Coast/Greymouth
Subject and Association Description
Toss Woollaston spent the 1950s and most of the 1960s living in Greymouth. He moved to the West Coast to take up a position as the Rawleigh's salesman and this is what dominated his life while there. He found the landscapes of the West Coast very different to work with in comparison to Riwaka. He approached the task with optimism, saying, "The bush landscape mops up pure colours almost without any white - it's like a deep-toned bell, you strike it and there are endless vibrations without a sharp - but that is the poetry of it" (Letter to Edith, 13 December 1949, in Barnett, 1991; p.59).
1967 was the last year that Toss Woollaston lived in Greymouth. In 1966 he signed Peter McLeavey as his dealer and was finally able to concentrate on producing artworks while bring in a comfortable income. By 1968 the Woollastons had enough money set aside that they moved back to Riwaka and the landscapes that Woollaston found so stimulating. Although Woollaston struggled with the dark and brooding West Coast scenery, and preferred the Tasman area, there is a substantial body of West Coast works.
Woollaston Davies Collection
Credit LineGifted by the artist in 1979
Object Type Object number477
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