Dunedin artist Ivan Hill has packed away his brushes.
The 78-year-old is one of New Zealand's leading naive painters, but says his forthcoming exhibition, "The Wonderful World of Ivan Hill", will be one of his last.
Hill moved to the Woodhaugh Rest Home in December and said he would not paint his trademark, thickly applied oil on primed canvas works again.
"I can't paint oils any more, because it makes lines on the carpet when it's drying. It takes up to a fortnight for them to dry," he said recently.
"Besides, I'm running out of ideas. I'm past all the good stuff now and I'm unwinding, because I'm getting on a bit. Although, I'll probably do a show for my 80th."
Hill believes there is a simple reason for the broad appeal of his paintings.
"I've got powerful emotions. People tell me they're buying them [his works] for their children, but they're really buying them for themselves. That's what I reckon."
His previous exhibitions have been themed on Edgar Allan Poe horror stories and Brothers Grimm fairy tales, but he rejects suggestions his art is based in imaginary worlds.
"If you want to see a fairy in real life, look at a 7 or 8-year-old girl with her parents in town. You'll see them dancing and spinning around, just like a fairy."
He is also known for characterising friends, such as Dunedin artists Ralph Hotere and Jeffery Harris, in his works.
"The Wonderful World of Ivan Hill" opens at Gallery De Novo at 5.30pm on Friday, March 16, and runs until March 29.
