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Story: Nelson region

Nelson landscapes: Colin McCahon

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Nelson landscapes: Colin McCahon

‘Spring, Ruby Bay’ was painted in 1945. Colin McCahon lived in the Nelson region on and off from 1939 until 1948. Like Doris Lusk and Toss Woollaston, he painted landscapes of the Motueka River valley and Tākaka hill. Unlike them, McCahon sometimes included Christian symbolism and text.

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Auckland Art Gallery – Toi o Tāmaki

Reference: 1986/11

by Colin McCahon

Courtesy of the Colin McCahon Research and Publication Trust

Permission of Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Carl Walrond, Nelson region – Arts, culture and science, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/28975/nelson-landscapes-colin-mccahon (accessed 5 June 2026).

Story by Carl Walrond, published 3 September 2010, updated 1 August 2015.