Linda and Leo lived at Huia Bay at the head of Manukau Harbour in West Auckland and in this large double portrait Alan Pearson has responded both to their lifestyle and to the semi-tropical character of the region’s landscape.

The portrait is typical of Pearson’s vibrant and expressive style. He celebrates the exuberant fertility of the vegetation, echoed in Linda’s pregnancy, through his rich use of green.

Pearson was born in Liverpool and came to New Zealand in 1954. He graduated from the University of Canterbury in 1961 and went on to study at the Royal Academy Schools, London, during 1965 and 1966, following the award of an Arts Council Scholarship. Pearson is represented in most New Zealand public collections.