Happy birthday Norm! Taupō veteran turns 100 today
3 Mar, 2021 08:34 PM
8 minutes to read
Returned serviceman and former art teacher Norm Fraser, who turns 100 on March 4, 2021, pictured at St John s Wood in Taupō with some of his artworks. Photo / Laurilee McMichael
Returned serviceman and former art teacher Norm Fraser, who turns 100 on March 4, 2021, pictured at St John s Wood in Taupō with some of his artworks. Photo / Laurilee McMichael
Laurilee McMichael is editor of the Taupo & Turangi Weekenderlaurilee.mcmichael@nzme.co.nzTaupoWeekender
He s never drunk and he s never smoked. He s always kept mind and body active. He survived three years service in World War II and untold classrooms of rowdy students. And today, Norm Fraser is 100.
Maughan has made a life for himself and his family from painting gardens. The 55-year-old has been creating large-scale yet intricate gardenscapes for more than three decades. Paintings by Maughan hang in many hotel lobbies and wealthy collectors’ homes –his prices can soar –
Marigolds & Sweet Corn, for instance, which sold for US$64,825 (NZ$91,825) last year. If critics have accused him of repetition, the book is a printed timescape of his career, showing his works have changed like the seasons over time, along with his practice. Throughout, though, flowers have been his language. “My main objective is to astound people. I like them to look at something and it takes their breath away,’’ he says.