PROVENANCE Private Collection, Auckland

At just 20 years of age Trusttum was accepted into the University of Canterbury School of Fine Arts, where he was taught by Rudolf Gopas (among others), who was to prove a strong influence on the young artist. He was also invited to exhibit with The Group, a circle of well-known Canterbury artists whose members included Colin McCahon, Toss Woollaston and Doris Lusk.

The first of Trusttum's Garden paintings to be seen in Auckland were in a three-person show with the works by Don Driver and Brian Reid, at the New Vision Gallery in October 1973. They were very popular at the time and helped to cement the artist's reputation. These works were painted over a short period and were diverse in appearance, from open and relatively naturalistic garden views to intense close-ups of trees and plants. The works received a hugely enthusiastic review from Hamish Keith who wrote in the Auckland Star: On this small showing, Philip Trusttum must surely be counted among the country's best, most exciting and most individual painters. It is certainly one of the year's most important shows.

Keith's review highlighted the key elements of Trusttum's work: the association with Vincent van Gogh, the handling of paint, the vivid, expressive and even aggressive colour. Keith went on to say: the van Gogh reference is reasonable in some respects, such as the firm, painted outlines of forms including the larger plants and tree trunks and the roofs and chimneys, particularly when the buildings presented are referenced similarly as van Gogh's rustic, thatched houses. In July 1974 Philip Trusttum was once again in an important group show; he was one of the six New Zealand artists in the exhibition The Artist's Garden at New Vision Gallery and had four Garden paintings in the show.