B.

Peter Mardon painted numerous views of street scenes in Christchurch during the early 1960s. This view looks north into Cathedral Square from Hereford Street and was exhibited at the third Hay's Ltd Art Competition, in Christchurch, in 1963. Open to amateur and professional artists, one of the competition’s aims was to promote contemporary developments in New Zealand art. Nevertheless, Mardon’s work is very much in the traditional landscape manner. He has used a fairly dry watercolour technique but has worked rapidly, giving the composition a lively, vibrant sense of the busy central city street. Born in Christchurch, Mardon has lived and painted in the city all his life. He is self-taught and has worked at various part-time jobs to support his activity as a artist. During the 1960s he exhibited regularly with the Canterbury Society of Arts and the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts in Wellington. Mardon was awarded the Kelliher Art Prize in 1966. Although he still paints, he has not exhibited for a number of years.