Waikato Hospital from the lake

This hospital, constrained by it's tiny footprint in the city, is bursting at the seams with development. You know how a popcorn kernel , with a little heat,transforms from a tight, glossy kernel to a an engorged, asymmetrical puffiness....same with this hospital. It has had to change and grow to adapt to a growing population with changing needs, but it is never going to be pretty. If you wander through the campus you can see buildings of various eras, tumbled together and connected by afterthought paths and covers. For a few years, the skyline of the hospital has remained the same but the Smith building is about to be demolished and that will change to look again. My son and I spent a considerable time in that grotty building last year and I am glad that it is being replaced with something ,hopefully, better.

I painted this for Heather, who has spent a lifetime of service in healthcare, and who worked here for many years.

The hospital overlooks the lake and many patients, visitors and staff use the path round the lake to add some balance back into their day. Water, albeit full of duck shit, is very meditative and the 4.8km path just long enough to trot round in a lunchtime, amble with a pram or a gentle walk.

Waikato hospital from the lake
27 x 35 cm
oil on canvas