Auckland Art Gallery

Last month I was fortunate enough to visit the Auckland Art Gallery, which houses a surprisingly impressive array of fine art in the museum’s painting and sculpture collection, which is the most extensive in New Zealand. Admission is free, and there a many incredibly beautiful paintings in this gem of a museum which is small enough to prevent being lost in but large enough to stand in a wing of in solitaire observance of the paintings.  The below slideshow features some of the pieces that I found most moving.  When I see a painting that blows me away, I usually stand back and look at it for a moment and then shake my head from side to side, thinking: This is absolutely amazing, how in the world did they do this?  I sometimes wonder if I could ever paint a nice painting like those I’ve seen on the walls of the Auckland Art Gallery, and I am not bothered by the fact that the answer is no.  One of the tricks in life is to do what you’re good at and love to do.  The fact that you should pursue your passions shouldn’t dissuade you from trying your hand at something different, like paintings, but you should never feel bad about not being a virtuoso in every field that you respect, admire, and appreciate. I’m still learning this lesson.