In this watercolour painting. Crooks brings a joyous vibrancy to a scene from limaru's iconic Caroline Bay Carnival. People watch brightly-coloured rides whirring through cheerfully coloured skies, capturing the special role that the Carnival played, and continues to play, in South Canterbury.
The Carnival has been an annual Christmas event since 1911, and is the longest running event of its kind in New Zealand.
It was established as part of plans to develop Timaru in the style of a European beachfront resort. Along with tearooms. swimming pools, tennis courts and the Soundshell, the Carnival was a major attraction, offering visitors to South Canterbury countless thrills every summer.
Lindsay Crooks was born in Timaru in 1957 and attended Timaru Boy's High School before moving to Dunedin to study fine arts at Otago Polytechnic. Upon graduating, Crooks pursued a career as a professional artist and exhibited widely around New Zealand throughout his life.