Creative accounting takes on a whole new meaning with Andrew Ross Chartered Accountant displaying his creative side with landscape paintings. He paints in oils on linen.

Although Andrew sketched and drew as a child it was not until 2003 that he completed his first painting – using paints his wife had purchased while in London. Today Andrew still practices a painting precept that probably relates to his accounting background: Use the best available paints, the best substrate (linen canvas) and the best quality stretcher frames to ensure that the work will last. The quality of his painted surfaces will most certainly outlast him; he hopes that the praise for his efforts on canvas will as well!

Andrew’s style would be described as realism with an eye to capture the scene at its best. The process of painting is addictive but takes time with many layers being used to slowly build up the effects. As a part timer many weeks go by before a work is finished. Energy is focussed on conveying the feeling of a "great view” and to create the impression that the viewer could actually be standing in the scene.

"As a part timer I do a lot of painting in my mind before getting to the easel. I can still be surprised once the process begins however with the different turns that can eventuate, once the paint hits the canvas,” he says.

"I enjoy portraying a scene at its best. Some of this is what I see on the day and some of it is how I imagine it under a given circumstance. I like to create depth in a picture so that you can look into it, not just at it with different detail becoming apparent as you move closer to the work.”

Andrew is a self-taught artist who benefits from continual observation and inspection of the work of artists of many eras, genres and styles. He also benefited more directly from having some of his earlier work critiqued by eminent New Zealand landscape artist Tim Wilson artist who continues to have a major impact on the art scene both within New Zealand and internationally.

Andrew is married with two children and lives in Palmerston North.