Observations
Mitchell’s Cottage, Central Otago
Graphite pencil on 100% cotton paper
The story
Handcrafted over 24 gruelling years starting in 1880, Mitchell's Cottage is one of Central Otago's finest examples of traditional dry-stone masonry. Built near Roxburgh by miner Andrew Mitchell using hand-hewn schist gathered from the surrounding hills, this modest-looking dwelling remarkably housed a family with 10 children across five small bedrooms. This piece records its rugged facade: a quiet, tactile testament to patience, self-reliance, and the raw landscape of the Otago goldfields.
The series: Observations
A study of light and shadow, aged brickwork, and timber joinery. Recording the texture and craftsmanship of the structures still standing in our everyday landscape.
The drawing
Drawn in graphite on 100% cotton paper.