With a career spanning nearly fifty years Wellington artist Richard Ponder has created several notable art series, including, most famously, Wellington at Night. A well-respected artist, his discipline and eye for detail began back in the 1960’s as a geologist.
Richard’s love of roaming the New Zealand backcountry with his family led him to concentrate on landscape painting in the late 1970’s and early ‘80’s. During this period, the images in his paintings were based on early morning observations, with the excitement of dawn with its variety of light and colour.
Richard visited art galleries all around the world to gain a deeper understanding of the greats. He fell in love with the strength of Van Gogh, the impressions of Monet, the colour of Perceval, and the exhilaration of Pollock. In the 1990’s the dramatic change in his art came about after a trip to Bali where he fell in love with the work of Affandi and Sumadiyasa.

Richard now works more freely, playing with the light and colour, so that his stunning art now takes centre stage wherever it is. Known for his impasto technique, Richard Ponder loves using palette knives to create a three dimensional aspect to his paintings, that has to be seen to be believed.