grahamesydney-editor 
Essay on ‘Dog Champs at Charlie’s Bar’. Egg Tempera on Board. 620 x 630mm. 1982 – 2001. Private Collection. Extract from Bowerbank Ninow Auction Catalogue 2016. Essay by Andrew Clark. PDF version available at bottom of page. It’s easy to see why Grahame Sydney’s work has such long standing acclaim, both from the general public … Read more
Artist’s Comment on ‘Simpson Desert’ (also known as ‘The Edge of the Simpson Desert’.) Oil on Linen. 1010 x 1520 mm. 1991. Private Collection. Extract from International Art Centre Auction Catalogue 2025. In 1990 I was invited to join the Headmaster and a party of senior teachers from Melbourne Grammar School on their annual four-wheel … Read more
Catalogue Description for ‘Brass Monkey Hill. Oil on Linen. 710 x 1010 mm. 2003. Private Collection. Extract from International Art Centre Auction Catalogue 2025. Download PDF at bottom of this page. Dunedin born Grahame Sydney is acknowledged as one of New Zealand’s leading artists. In 1969 Sydney graduated Bachelor of Arts from the University of … Read more
Greetings everyone from Cambrian Valley where a very settled, warm and dry summer is slipping into autumn. My last Newsletter, I see, was Spring 2023. Embarrassing. Must do better. That’s roughly 18 months to review and a great deal has happened. Aside from unwelcome visits from Covid for both Fi and I, which left us … Read more
Article in Generus Living’s ‘Living Magazine’ (published 2024). Words by Cameron Officer. Photographs by Vinesh Kumaran. In creating the actual from the imagined, Sir Grahame Sydney’s singular aesthetic is astonishing in its detail. Yet such awe inspiring power and quiet drama on the canvas is hard fought and won in the studio. “Every time I get something … Read more
Essay on ‘Road to Onslow 1’ . Oil on Linen. 710 x 1915 mm. 1997. Private Collection. Extract from Webbs Auction Catalogue 2024. Essay by Emil McAvoy. Download PDF at bottom of page. “Just as film makers are now making the trek into Central Otago looking for the ideal scenery for the perfect opening shot, … Read more
A long overdue report on life and work in Cambrian Valley. I see the last Newsletter from us was Spring 2021 — the time is sliding by too quickly! Contained in this edition: Download to read the full newsletter
The man synonymous with the spare, wide open landscapes of Central Otago is fighting to stop them being erased. An article in the Listener, March 2023. Written by Sharon Stephenson. There are two ways to think about Central Otago’s Cambrian Valley – a place you sweep through on the way to somewhere else, or a … Read more
One of our greatest living artists on the importance of work, the beauty of the South Island and why he has his ‘foot to the floor’ in driving his legacy. From the article published in the New Zealand Herald’s ‘The Great NZ Road Trip’ by Shayne Currie. 02 November 2023 [Abridged]. Photo Credit Nathan Secker. … Read more
New Zealand’s Greatest Living Artist on his legacy, his inspiration and saying no to Elton John. An extract [abridged] from the article published in the New Zealand Herald March 2023 by Kurt Bayer, Senior Journalist. Download PDF at bottom of this page. Sir Grahame Sydney is perhaps New Zealand’s greatest living artist: his work can … Read more