Art Leaves A Lasting Legacy in Lindisfarne 

At Respect, it’s the wonderful people who make up our communities that make them feel so unique and special. And that’s why we love sharing their stories.

In 2019, Rod and his wife, Jenine, were part of the maiden group of residents to excitedly move into our newly constructed retirement living village, The Anchorage, in Lindisfarne, Tasmania. And having seen the community grow “from the dirt up”, they are proud to contribute to the sense of belonging felt amongst fellow residents – not just through their friendly and welcoming nature but a more creative avenue too.

Rod says he has always been interested in art, however, like so many bourgeoning pastimes and hobbies, “sometimes life gets in the way a bit”. 

“I loved painting from a young age and did art all through high school. But after you finish school, you start work and it’s a whole new world and you have to settle into that. Then Jenine and I got married and we had children. Fast forward a bit, and you find yourself spending every weekend at the hockey ground and soccer field, or at music concerts for the kids,” Rod says. 

“So, you definitely tend to put stuff on the backburner. But when I was coming up to retirement, I told Jenine I was going to get back to art.” 

Interested in learning more about oil painting techniques, Rod enrolled in some art courses at the local night school. This led him to also join the Bellerive Art Community and connect with other like-minded local artists. Fifteen years later, and Rod’s initial interest has well and truly blossomed into a full-blown passion. 

“I like to paint a bit of everything, it just depends on what takes my fancy, but I do a lot of landscapes,” Rod says. “Jenine is a great photographer and we’ve done a lot of travel, both locally and across the world, so she photographs things for me. If there is something I think would work well, we’ll print it off and I’ll get painting.”

While Rod has created countless pieces which wonderfully detail the couple’s memorable travels and experiences, he says there are two landscapes that hold a very special place in his heart. “I did one of Friendly Beach on the east coast of Tasmania. It’s a national park and when I was a kid, we used to go there every Boxing Day and camp for two weeks,” Rod says. “I have a special connection with that place. It’s beautiful… the sand is pure white, and the water is emerald green.

“The other is Cinque Terre in Italy. We had a lovely time there, so I painted one of the towns for Jenine. She previously worked as a schoolteacher, and I hung it up in her home office so when she was working away in the evenings, planning for the next day at school, she could look up and remember our trip.”

Rod continues to receive outstanding feedback about his art, particularly with so many of his pieces displayed, and in ongoing rotation, in the village’s Community Centre for all residents to enjoy. Maya Cuatt is Respect’s Retirement Living Manager in Southern Tasmania, and she pays tribute to Rod for so generously sharing his wide range of artwork with the whole village community.

“Both Rod and Jenine are such a big part of our fantastic community, and it’s so generous of Rod to have given us some of his beautiful paintings to brighten up our village. They bring so much joy to everyone who sees them and are excellent conversation starters too. It really adds to the amazing sense of community across the village,” Maya says.

For Rod, he says it’s the sense of achievement and personal satisfaction that he derives from painting that keeps him engaged and so enthusiastic about his art. 

“Artists don’t fully finish a piece until they sign it. As you paint, you’re always looking at the painting and touching things up here or there… but we often say in my art group that you can overdo it and muck it up. So the minute you sign it, you don’t get to change it anymore. That’s when it’s done,” Rod says.

“When I finally sign a painting, it’s a great feeling to take a moment to look at it and be proud of my work. Whether nobody else likes it or not, I do. And if I really love it, I’ll get it framed to keep or share with others.”