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Dr John Gillies has had a life long love of Skippers Canyon, and his new book showcases his paintings of the iconic gorge in Otago.
He was born in 1945, and discovered his love of art at St Andrew's College, while studying figure drawing under sculptor Tom Taylor. But it wasn't art that became his first career. Instead he attended Otago University medical school, graduating in 1972 after a short stint in Vietnam with the New Zealand Combined Services Medical Team.
He went on to become the clinical director of respiratory medicine for the Canterbury District Health Board, before retiring in 2006.
Throughout his time as a medical professional he regularly created and exhibited new paintings, and also founded the New Zealand Association of Artist Doctors.
