Nelson artist Ross Whitlock has spent a lifetime searching. Searching through colour and brushstroke, through the quiet of landscapes and the noise of doubt. His new exhibition, Landscape Painting and the Sublime, opening 11 June at the Suter’s McKee Gallery, is a deeply personal reflection on the mystery of beauty, belief, and the long road back to God.

For Ross, art and faith have always been interwoven—even when faith felt distant. “I was brought up Methodist,” he recalls, “and I was waiting for this moment of transformation, of my heart being strangely warmed. But it never seemed to come.” As a young man in the 1960s, he found himself pulled into a secular world where belief became more abstract. “I thought maybe God was just the clockmaker—set it all going and stepped back. I believed, but I didn’t think God had anything to say to me personally.”

That sense of divine silence lingered for years, even as Ross poured himself into his work as a secondary school art teacher. “I could marvel at the handiwork of the Lord, but I didn’t feel part of it. I didn’t think I was being spoken to.”

But something began to change. Looking back, Ross sees that his spiritual journey was not absent of God, but quietly guided by the Spirit. “It’s like that poem with the footprints in the sand—when there was only one set, that’s when I was being carried. I didn’t realise it then, but now I see the Spirit was always there.”

One of those moments came alone on a mountaintop, gazing over the Kaimanawa Ranges. “It was so beautiful, I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to shout or dance—but I was an artist, so I knew I had to paint.” Years later, after retiring in Nelson, painting became his way of processing not just landscapes, but his longing for something greater. “Eventually, I realised the Lord hadn’t finished with me—he’d barely begun.”

That realisation led Ross to Nelson Cathedral—first just seeking a quiet place to sit and say thank you, but eventually finding a spiritual home. “Evening prayer drew me in. I ended up in the Cathedral not by plan, but providence. It pulled my life into focus.”

The 40 paintings in Landscape Painting and the Sublime trace Ross’s journey through creation, solitude, struggle, and gratitude. Many are based on local landscapes, like the Rainbow Tarn and Maitai Valley, but layered with biblical references—Genesis, the Psalms, and especially Psalm 23. His large canvas The Good Shepherd, inspired by a photo his wife took, took six months to complete. “It’s like building a boat—you get to 80% done and still have 80% left. That painting holds everything for me—beauty, peace, danger, and trust.”

Ross doesn’t shy away from the spiritual weight of his work. “This isn’t about pretty pictures. It’s about inspiration as encounter. When you’re inspired, it opens a door to something bigger than yourself. That’s the sublime. That’s the Holy Spirit.”

All proceeds from the exhibition will be donated to the Suter Gallery and the Nelson Cathedral. “This show is my testimony. Painting is how I say thank you.”

Ross’s hope is that visitors won’t just admire the landscapes, but encounter something deeper. “We know God is real because we know what beauty is. To see beauty, to create something beautiful—those are acts of faith. That’s where faith and art meet.”

Exhibition details:

Landscape Painting and the Sublime – Forty Paintings by Ross Whitlock
11–29 June 2025 | McKee Gallery, Suter Art Gallery
Opening night: Wednesday 11 June, 5:00–7:30pm
Proceeds go to the Nelson Cathedral and the Suter Gallery