Philip Trusttum

It’s impossible to think of dear Phil without seeing him in his studio, a whirlwind of colour and energy, paint splattered on his boots and a grin that crinkled the corners of his eyes. He didn’t just paint pictures; he launched them into the world with a joyful, physical roar. To watch him work was to witness pure, unbridled creation—a large, unstretched canvas on the floor, him circling it with brushes, rags, and sometimes his own hands, coaxing out those massive, vibrant figures that pulsed with life. His art wasn’t quiet; it sang, it danced, it told stories of the people and the land he loved with a boldness that took your breath away. We all knew Phil as the force of nature he was, but his roots were in a quieter place—Raetihi, born to William and Katherine. That early move to Christchurch, leaving behind his father’s Methodist pulpit, shaped him. It gave him that independent streak, that desire to find his own truth. He found it not in a church, but in the raw, honest language of paint. His family—his wife, his children, his grandchildren—were his anchor and his greatest inspiration. The pride in his voice when he’d talk about a grandchild’s drawing, seeing the same spark he lived by, was a special kind of love. Our home was always filled with the warmth of his laughter and the comfort of his presence, a steady, loving rock even as his own spirit was so gloriously untamed. What brought him pure joy was the act of making. It was in the smell of oil paint, the feel of canvas underfoot, the challenge of a new scale. He found it in the simple pleasures too: a long walk with his dog, a perfect flat white, a fierce debate about rugby or art over a pub table. But his greatest joy came from sharing his vision. He had a magical way of making you see the extraordinary in the ordinary, to find the hero in the everyday person. His impact was in the way his paintings made you *feel*—alive, connected, a little braver. He leaves behind a stunning legacy on walls across Aotearoa and beyond, but his true legacy is in the hearts