Penny Otto

A blog by artist Penny Otto

Churchill Park is a 40-hectare park in the Auckland suburb of Glendowie, Auckland. It is situated on the eastern side of the Auckland isthmus towards the Tamaki River. As you may have guessed it was named after Winston Churchill upon the park’s creation in 1945.

Above is my illustration of “Churchill Park from the Top” , done on site in the wind and long grasses. You can glimpse Taurere (Mt. Taylor) and Maungarei (Mt.Wellington) in the distance.

I wanted to provide some wider context. Because for me Churchill park is like my backyard. I go there so frequently to draw or simply walk, it is an integral piece of fabric in my life. I have to make an effort to zoom out when it comes to this treasure-trove of rural life, in order to view it as others might, something new. I hope my drawings afford you a glimpse into the uniqueness of a “park” in the centre of the city. While it might be called a park, it is part working farm, part bush, part wilderness.

Churchill Park pines – charcoal on paper

Churchill Park pines – charcoal on paper

Cattle – pen paper

Cattle – ink on handmade Japanese paper

Visiting Tui and Eels – mixed media on paper

The park is home to up to grazing cattle, native trees, birds and tuna kuwharuwharu (longfin eels). Sometimes it is hard to know who is visiting who.

Whakatomemehia – acrylic on loose canvas 158cm x 320cm

Between the Trees – acrylic on canvas – an early work