Farming first, painting second

Cave family members gather at Mangatoitoi Station homestead on Christmas Eve, 2017. They are (from left): Chris, Andrew, Annabel, Kathy, Philip, Mary and Adrian.

OBITUARY Adrian Cave

Admirers of Adrian Cave’s watercolours might be surprised to learn that the artist was more proud of his farming than his painting.

And while exhibitions of his work doubled as events on the Gisborne social calendar, the star of the show preferred to avoid the limelight.

Adrian Michael Cave died in Gisborne on September 14, aged 88.

He and his wife Mary, who died on February 12 last year, travelled widely together, especially in retirement. Adrian would take his paintbox and easel, and Mary would be his chief critic and adviser. Eldest son Philip said in his eulogy they were “very much a team”.

The bad back that caused Adrian to retire from the physical side of farming when he was around 60 produced an artistic bonanza. Free to pursue his lifelong hobby, Adrian turned out a productive finishing spurt spanning nearly three decades.

The one occasion on which Mary didn’t accompany Adrian was a 1995 trip to Antarctica on a chartered Russian research ship. With temperatures of minus 20 degrees Celsius expected, Adrian left his paintbox behind and instead took pastels to record scenes for later watercolour painting when he got home.

Adrian was born on November 1, 1934, the eldest of three children of Hugh and Joan Cave. Adrian was a year and a half older than brother Simon and 15 years older than sister Anne.

The family lived on Mangatuna, on Cave Road off Riverside Road. Hugh Cave broke the farm in, clearing the scrub and running sheep and cattle.

Adrian went to Waikereru Primary School in Riverside Road, and recalled riding horses to school and racing home on them afterwards.

Hugh Cave was in the navy during World War 2 and the family lived in Auckland and Wellington for periods at this time.

It was hard to farm Mangatuna profitably, so Hugh and Joan Cave sold it and in 1946 bought Sunworth Station at Ngatapa. Sunworth wasn’t on the market, but Joan knew the woman who owned it. She agreed to sell, and the scene was set for Adrian’s future happiness . . . Andy and Eve Russell lived on nearby Mangatoitoi Station, and their daughter Mary was to marry Adrian.

In the meantime, Adrian continued his schooling, first at Hereworth, in Hawke’s Bay, and then at Wanganui Collegiate.

He and a cousin — accomplished East Coast-raised equine artist Peter Williams — were schoolmates at Wanganui Collegiate, and both pursued their interest in art while there. Years later, Peter Williams gave his cousin’s art career a boost by lending him an easel – an act of kindness he later said was a big mistake, such was Adrian’s burgeoning talent.

At 15, Adrian developed pneumonia. He was put in hospital, and the memory of the big needle that drew fluid off his lungs stayed with him. He was brought back to Gisborne in what would have been his fifth-form year. His mother home-schooled him and he gained School Certificate on the back of a strong showing in art.

Adrian worked on Sunworth before heading to Southland in his British racing green MG TF  convertible, his saddle on the passenger seat and a heading dog curled up in the footwell.

That car was Adrian’s pride and joy, Philip said.

He’d had it shipped out from the UK and raced it at weekends.

“It was also useful for attracting girls,” Philip said.

“However, once he had permission to marry Mary he promptly sold it and bought a Land Rover. Maybe it had served its purpose.”

Adrian was in the South Island for two years, doing farm work and a spell of compulsory military training. He returned home, having acquired a love for Southland, Otago and the people of both provinces. He often talked of how friendly and welcoming they were.

On his return, Adrian worked with his father and brother at Wickham Hill Station, pastoral land that Douglas Cook had separated from his arboretum at Eastwoodhill and sold to Hugh and Joan Cave.

The Caves were close friends of Andy and Eve Russell, who farmed “next door”. Adrian’s first date with the Russells’ daughter Mary was at a young farmers’ dance in the local hall, where the floor was awash with beer — an eye-opener for Mary, who had just returned from finishing school.

Adrian was quiet, but he wasn’t slow. He soon decided Mary was the woman for him and — while his father and mother were in England — he asked Mary to marry him and, after she said yes, gained her father’s blessing. Back at Sunworth the next morning, he said to Simon, “Big deal done last night,” and disappeared out the door to milk the cow.

Both Mary and Adrian had travel plans, Mary for Europe, and Adrian for an overland passage through Asia to Europe, so they decided to have their wedding in London. A good turnout of family and friends included two relatives who were priests — one Catholic, one Anglican — and who conducted the service.

From there, Adrian and Mary bought a campervan and travelled around Europe, eventually returning to New Zealand by sea.

Once home, they moved to Mangatoitoi and Adrian farmed that, initially with his father-in-law. When Adrian gave up the physical side of farming, eldest son Philip took over, and 10 years ago Philip and younger brother Chris formed a partnership and now run the farm together.

Sunworth Station was farmed by Simon and Caroline Cave, and Wickham Hill has been sold by the family in the past few years.

Adrian and Mary had a big family — six children—– although that was tinged with sadness when their third child, Christine, died at the age of 10 months.

Youngest son Chris described his father as a “passionate sheep and beef farmer” who did very well and grew the size of the farm significantly.

“That was his No.1 focus when he was younger,” Chris said.

“His father and uncle and brother were all farming. It was a big part of his life. He was a lifelong member of Federated Farmers.”

In his eulogy, Philip said his father often used to say that while he was proud of his painting he was more proud of what he had achieved as a farmer.

In his time at Mangatoitoi he had doubled the size of the farm, and was also chairman for Mount View Farms in Wanganui for many years.

Adrian hated droughts.

“I think they had a profound effect on him and made him very anxious,” Philip said.

“We were often lectured about moving quickly and aggressively.”

Alongside his family life, work on the farm and leisure pursuits such as fly fishing, sailing with the Gisborne Yacht Club,  and tramping, Adrian developed his abilities as a painter.

A profile on the website of Watercolour New Zealand, a society dedicated to the appreciation and promotion of watercolour painting, said that Adrian had been a member of the Gisborne Art Society since the 1960s, exhibiting and tutoring regularly.

Having painted in oils for 10 years, he experimented with watercolour. Becoming frustrated, he joined Australian artist David Taylor for a week’s tuition, starting from scratch.

He and Mary went on painting trips with artists/teachers Taylor, Alvaro Castagnet. Ross Patterson and Charles Sluga.

European countries visited included France, Spain, Italy, Croatia and the Czech Republic. He found the Italian city of Venice fabulous to paint . . . it offered views everywhere. In the Far East, Vietnam was a favourite country, the friendliness of the people cementing its appeal.

The Watercolour New Zealand profile outlined Adrian’s method: he preferred to paint on-site, and always aimed to make a “proper painting”, rather than a sketch. He gave himself three hours to complete the work. He chose his subjects for the light — something boring could become magic in the right light, he would say. He framed his own work.

His painting drew a strong following among the members of Watercolour New Zealand. He won the society’s supreme award in 2015, and the people’s choice award in 2014.

Eldest son Philip said that exhibitions were “incredibly hard” for Adrian, who found it daunting to put his work on public display and likened it to baring his soul. He disliked being in the limelight.

Adrian and Mary made many friends on their travels and welcomed some of them to their farm over the years. Adrian enjoyed a good yarn and considered painting holidays to be a great source of stories. Philip recalled two.

Adrian was painting at Lake Waikaremoana when two men walked out of the bush and watched him for a bit. Eventually, one of them asked, “Hey, does Dumpy still do yous fullas’ shearing?”

The other related to a visit to Venice, when he was painting on the promenade. A man watched over his shoulder in silence for some time and then walked off, saying to his companion, “That’s a retired farmer from New Zealand”. Adrian had no idea how he knew.

Philip ended his eulogy with one of his father’s favourite stories.

Adrian was sitting in a car with two mates talking about what they would do with their lives. One was Mark Irwin, who said he would be an All Black and a doctor . . . which he did. The second friend, David Nolan, said he would join the navy . . . which he did. They then turned to Adrian and said, “What about you, Adrian? You’ll just marry the girl next door.”

Adrian replied that if he did marry, it would be only to the best . . . and he did.

Adrian and Mary Cave are survived by their children Philip, Kathy, Annabel, Andrew and Chris, and 16 grandchildren.