
Since then, he has thrown away, given away and left outside op shops in the middle of the night, 10 times as many paintings as he has kept or sold.
But now, drawing inspiration, motivation and courage from the environment, Willcock is bringing it all together in his first solo exhibition, "Living with Nature", which opens at Artsenta Pop-Up Gallery on Monday.
Focused on nature and the beauty of the world around us, Willcock’s subjects range from landscapes, to seascapes, wild animals to portraits.
According to him, the "best thing of all" is to escape into those places and let all your worries disappear.
"That is the real magic and that is what I love about painting; escaping into that world with nature, the skies, the seas, the land and the trees.
"That’s where I need to be, free from the crazy world around us," he said.
While Willcock loves getting lost in his nature paintings, he knows his limits.
After three hours of painting he has to stop to avoid mistakes creeping in.
"Five days is all I want to spend on each work.
"By 12 to 15 hours I know I have to let go and move on."
Finishing a painting is one thing, feeling happy with the result is something else.
While he is proud of his work he admits he will probably never be satisfied with the result.
"Every painting is a battle.
"I’m forever trying to find what looks right but that’s life and I know I need to let go because I always start to think about the next one."
Willcock said his solo show would be a great opportunity to bring lots of artwork together and share it with the Artsenta community and the wider public.
He is not holding his breath, but he would not mind selling a few pieces in the process.
"It’s a nice feeling to sell a work once in a while, just to know someone else likes it, too."
Artsenta is an art studio for tangata whaiora — people seeking wellbeing, which has operated in Dunedin for 38 years. For more information www.artsenta.org
• "Living with Nature" solo exhibition by Rob Willcock runs from July 15-26, at Artsenta Pop-Up Gallery, 462 Princes St. Opening celebration, July 15, at 3pm.