Dennis Lattimer
Dennis Lattimer | |
|---|---|
 Lattimer in May 2025 | |
| Born | Dennis Arthur Lattimer 28 April 1946 |
| Died | 1 July 2025 (aged 79) Coopers Beach, New Zealand |
| Known for | Large-scale community murals |
| Notable work |
|
| Style | Public art |
| Relatives |
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| Awards | Resene Mural Masterpieces – best community mural (2012) |
Dennis Arthur Lattimer (28 April 1946 – 1 July 2025) was a New Zealand mural artist and illustrator. Active during the 1990s through to the mid-2010s, he completed more than 30 permanent outdoor murals, most notably the series that gave the Taranaki town of Ōpunake its reputation as "Mural Town of the West".[1]
Life and career
Lattimer was born on 28 April 1946, the son of Nancy Pearl and Kenneth George Lattimer.[2] He trained as a commercial signwriter before turning to large-scale mural work in the late 1990s.[3]
In 1998, Lattimer completed Life Savers, a 35 × 8 m depiction of Opunake's surf-lifesaving culture painted on concrete block in the central business district.[3] Between 1998 and 2002, he produced the ten-panel Reflections of Ōpunake cycle, charting Ōpunake's history from 1900 to 2000.[4] His 2012 mural, Pharmacies Thru the Ages, portrays Ōpunake's three long-serving chemists and was unveiled on Tasman Street after 19 working days of painting.[1] In the same year, Lattimer was commissioned by the Paihia Phantom Placemakers to create a jigsaw-style mural narrating the history of Paihia, Bay of Islands.[5]
The Paihia project and the Ōpunake pharmacy mural jointly earned Lattimer the Resene Mural Masterpieces national award for best community mural in 2012.[6]
Lattimer died at his home in Coopers Beach, on 1 July 2025, at the age of 79.[7]
Selected murals
| Year | Title | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Life Savers | CBD, Ōpunake | 35 m × 8 m acrylic wall mural.[3] |
| 2000-02 | Reflections of Ōpunake | Egmont St, Ōpunake | Ten-panel historical sequence commissioned by Egmont Community Arts Council.[3] |
| 2012 | Pharmacies Thru the Ages | Tasman St, Ōpunake | Portrait triptych of Feaver and Cavaney family chemists.[1] |
| 2012 | Paihia History Mural | Village Green, Paihia | Multi-panel jigsaw mural tracing Bay of Islands history.[5] |
Publications
References
- 1 2 3 Smith, Jared (15 May 2012). "Opunake furthers 'mural' name". Taranaki Daily News. Stuff. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
- ↑ "Birth search: registration number 1946/71105". Births, deaths & marriages online. Department of Internal Affairs. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Mural Masterpieces – Dennis Lattimer". Resene. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
- ↑ "Opunake Wall Murals H9522". Geoff Cloake Photography. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
- 1 2 de Graaf, Peter (7 September 2012). "Writing's on the wall for local history". Northern Advocate. NZ Herald. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
- ↑ "Kids' mural tells perfect story". Northern Advocate. NZ Herald. 16 January 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
- ↑ "Dennis Lattimer obituary". The New Zealand Herald. 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
- ↑ "A Day at the Races". Smiths Bookshop. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
External links
- Ron Lambert, "Taranaki places – Cape Egmont," Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
- Resene Mural Masterpieces gallery – Dennis Lattimer
- Ōpunake mural trail map – Egmont Community Arts Council