The train ride from the Wairarapa to Wellington is a regular commute for many. The train offers a kind of inverted experience of the landscape: we the travellers sit still while hills, trees, buildings, rivers, ranges and landforms rush, slide and creep in and out of view. When the train is especially close to banks and trees the scene is impossible to track – the view rushes, merges and blurs like an abstract painting.
During these journeys, Simon has been making paintings of the landscapes he sees out the window and discreet observational sketches of fellow commuters. Most travellers are resting, reading, working or watching as the landscape rushes by and this congregation of sketched travellers accompanies the landscape paintings and animation.
Simon Ray is an artist and animator who has worked as a designer and animator producing and directing digital content for over 20 years. Simon has helped establish successful creative media studios in Australia and the UK and has contributed to exhibitions and film festivals around the world.
He currently lectures in Animation and Design at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington.