Michael Moore was born in the Wairarapa, where he grew up looking at the land — and never stopped. He has an innate understanding of his surroundings; it is the land that defines his work as an artist — his strokes articulating a reverence for it; his depictions offering a subliminal nod to its vitality and vulnerability.
“The first four years of my life were spent at Te Wharau, in a little valley east of Masterton surrounded by hills. I still have a conscious memory of those first years, and they continue to inform my perception,” Michael tells us.
Tī kōuka, the cabbage tree, has been a longstanding focus of his art. “In the Wairarapa, they’re everywhere. I feel there is nothing more nostalgic or ‘New Zealand’ than the cabbage tree.”
One particular cabbage tree, in the flood-plain just outside of Greymouth, first caught Michael’s attention nearly a quarter of a century ago. “I was introduced to it by botanist Philip Simpson, who wrote Dancing Leaves: The story of New Zealand’s cabbage tree, tī kōuka. [He] dedicated a chapter to how the cabbage tree had been portrayed in art, which I found myself featured in.
“I have been going back to that tree ever since, to sit and commune with it. I’ve painted it from every angle; that tree is like a personal talisman, my symbol for being in the world.”
While Michael’s work spans a diverse range of New Zealand landscapes and native trees, it is tī kōuka to which he always reverts.
“It’s something I naturally find myself going back to. What I really like about them is that, from a botanical point of view, although they all sort of look the same, throughout New Zealand there are about five subtle DNA variants depending on where they grow, with noticeable differences such as the width of the fronds. They’re a bit like people in the land; they take their shape depending on what is happening to them.
“The cabbage tree is one of those things that, in a way, is very ordinary. It’s naturally occurring in the land, people plant them, you see them everywhere, people curse them because they get stuck in the lawn-mower. It’s something we can truly call our own.”
Michael’s latest series, Ti Kouka Tree of Life, features only the cabbage tree; it is a visual depiction of the inherent symbolism of the tree, examining themes of strength and continuity, while portraying quintessential New Zealand landscapes and the trees that embody the spirit of those lands. Each piece is a detailed exploration of texture, colour, and form, beautifully capturing the essence of tī kōuka and its place within our rich natural heritage.
This new series stands as a testament to Michael’s ability to merge traditional and modern artistic practices, offering a fresh perspective on the enduring relevance of natural elements in contemporary art.
Since the late 1980s, Michael has painted prolifically. As he describes it, painting to him is as “natural as breathing air” — a sentiment that seems to sit perfectly with his preferred subject matter: the ubiquitous, yet perhaps understated, natural symbol of New Zealand.
Michael Moore is represented by Artbay Gallery, Queenstown.
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Ti Kouka Tree of Life Circle 2024 by Michael Moore, valued at $6000!
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