Queenstown artist Ivan Clarke opened his first gallery in the resort 30 years ago and this year marks the 20^th anniversary of his prominent Camp Street gallery which houses an extensive collection of his powerful New Zealand landscapes, impressionist florals and rural panoramas displayed alongside his legendary whimsical Lonely Dog art works.

“The gallery showcases exclusively what Ivan produces,” says gallery director Florence Paterson. “We meet people from all over the world visiting and discovering his unique works.”

“There is a selection of limited edition of Giclee prints on art canvas of Ivan’s masterworks available to buy along with a collection of new vintage Lonely Dog posters which are popular.”

Landscapes form a large part of what Ivan paints today with his distinctive style appealing to a broad cross section.

“I’ve been incorporating 24-carat gold leaf recently and have had wonderful results – the paintings shimmer,” he says. “The use of gold localises the work to the area and adds something special to the artwork.”

“For private commissions I provide a photoshop presentation to show how the finished work will look on the wall showing size and scale. We recently undertook a project for Australian clients who commissioned three large-scale paintings, all with gold. They were thrilled with the result and I enjoyed visiting to see them hanging.”

“Art is of course subjective so it’s always nice to meet people who appreciate my artwork and who genuinely want to own it. It’s taken me years to fully accept the idea that my art gives back to people.”

Ivan works from his rural studio close to Bob’s Cove on the Glenorchy Road and Lake Whakatipu. He has spent the last two years completing extensions to the private gallery which is open by appointment.

“The home gallery is probably the best place to view my originals along with new works in progress. It’s a space to be inspired and perfect for people who are considering commissioning their own piece to relax and chat and let’s see what we can create together.”

Hollywood Influence

When Queenstown artist Ivan Clarke created the whimsical world of Lonely Dog set in the fantasy town of Port Alveridge little did he know Hollywood would come calling.

Ivan has produced over 200 works of art based around his Lonely Dog character with an established worldwide following for his giclee prints, drawings, sculptures and books.

When Warner Bros Studios acquired the movie rights for Lonely Dog in 2009 it was a significant coup for Ivan.

“It was very much small town Kiwi artist hits big time back then, or so it seemed, but the project went into development wilderness for a long time. “It has been picked up several times since the Warner’s option lapsed and there have been treatments written since.”

Ivan says despite the time that has elapsed interest in the project has never died. Last year he was invited to Los Angeles to meet a group of film makers including an A-list screen writer.

“They mooted an ambitious long running television series adaption of Lonely Dog targeting a general Harry Potter style audience,” says Ivan.

“It seems we have a perfect fit with the team, who are veteran film makers with a lot of sway, and we share a common interest in music which is central to the Lonely Dog story.”

“The group has presented a sensational treatment that has received a lot of attention and earned the project a green light to write the first full season screenplay. This includes eight 40-minute episodes to be completed by April 2025. If the studio likes them it will most likely then go into production.

He says the new series is all about conflict and resolution between  hounds and felines who share a small town in a fantasy world where they live in segregated districts.

“It includes corruption, politics, blackmail and crooked hound cops with the central character Lonely Dog being the unifier between the two groups. Lonely Dog has his own struggles as a down-trodden musician amongst it all. The producers have pitched the treatment ultimately as a six-season TV series which is expected to become an eight-year project if it goes ahead. AI is now the big game changer.”

“We’ve recently released a music album on Spotify from the immersive project called Five Strings and One Broken Heart with lyrics by Stu Duval who was my Lonely Dog Kiwi co-writer which is pretty cool.”