You can take the Boy out of Invercargill ... but you can't take Invercargill out of the boy.

Expat Southland Music Hall of Fame member Bruce Aitken is making a kind of homecoming.
These days an artist based in Central Otago, Bruce was inducted in the Southland Musicians Club Hall of Fame in 2009.
His illustrious musical journey started as a kid in Invercargill group Roger’s Dodger with the late Roger McLachlan, and traversed continents.
For many years in his former homeland of Canada he was a respected session drummer and music teacher, he founded and operated the annual Cape Breton International Drum Festival and has recorded and released his own singer/songwriter material.
His reputation led to him becoming a prolific drum equipment endorsement artist, with his signature appearing on three series of Pro-Mark sticks, and companies including Sonor, Remo and Zildjian supplying him with gear to endorse.
These days he has swapped drum sticks for paint brushes, and returned to a quieter life in Central Otago.
He’s exhibiting some of his work in the Arts Murihiku exhibition No Strings Attached, which is running at Whare Taupua this month.
We caught up with Bruce to ask a few questions.
Q: Where do you get your love of art from?
I’ve always come to the conclusion that I was born with the ability to do artwork and perform and write music, poems and lyrics.
On one hand you may think this would be amazing, but on the other it’s often been like a curse. I’ve always considered being fortunate enough to be able to do one thing reasonably well is amazing, but two things, well at times rather trying. I can only speak for myself on this subject, everyone has a different view.
I can’t remember when I started doodling with art but I was very young, before the age of 5, and the same with drumming and the love of music, and then add writing poetry and lyrics to the equation and look what you have. I always tried to create original concepts, to the best of my ability.
Music had always been my main priority in the creative aspect, to some degree, but digging away silently under the radar, the art was always there, or thereabouts. I just thought as a young boy this was my life, it just happened, as I never recall others in our family that did these things in the way I approached them. I had an aunty, Alma Douglas, who could draw virtually anything, and of course my father WW Aitken was an incredible photographer, but as for the musical ability I don’t remember there being anyone in the immediate family.
I did art at St George Primary, Tweedsmuir Intermediate , and finally at Southland Boys’ High, where I “took” art as my main subject under the wise eyes and tutelage of Mrs Patricia Wilson, whom I really looked up to. Her attitude to art as I recall was to encourage the students to be themselves.
I don’t ever recall her telling me, you must do this or that, it was more like, here’s an idea, go for it! Then she would come along and talk about the work in progress, and make suggestions regarding its subject matter, and other arty things. I really liked this approach, as it made me think about what I was doing, and it made me much more aware of my creative input and output.
Through my early history of the Invercargill music scene I had the good fortune to meet John Husband, and the impact he had on my art (and drumming) was immeasurable, to say the least. Visiting the Art Galleries in the Invercargill region many many times was always a great influence on my love of art.
Q: You are known around the world for your music and specifically drumming prowess. How did art end up on your radar?
Well, it’s fair to say most of the time art took second place to music. I’d be in the middle of doing something, the phone would ring, a tour was offered, a recording session somewhere, gigs, filling in …all those “distractions”… and off I’d go.
Then I’d return home and I always went back to painting watercolours and fine art drawing, portraits etc. I actually wrote a book (by hand) and painted the pictures when I was 9 or 10. It was about the American Civil War – strange huh? – once again art, creative thought, and adventure.
The first painting I ever sold was when as a student at SBHS in 1969. We did work that was sold to help raise funds for the new gymnasium at the school. This was photographed and an article produced in The Southland Times on 15 April 1969 (Copy on my website www.dbaart.com).
During the 1980s I spent quite a bit of time in Central Otago, especially Cromwell, where I sold several works – watercolour and fine art drawings – and some commissions. This was a great period of productivity, which has built a solid reputation for me that stands well to this very day.
So I guess the artistic flame shone sometimes brighter than others at times. I did several watercolours while living in Canada between 1999 and 2010, and sold several between tours, teaching drums and all other things associated with a very busy music period for me.
Back to the (almost) future … when things got dicey in 2020 I started dabbling with experimental works in acrylic. All those months locked up, so I created a recording studio and an art studio and got to work. I did a couple of exhibitions and sold several new approach works.
Then in very early 2024 I visited New Zealand again and headed straight for Cromwell, took over 2000 photographs, which was amazing, and when several folks on some of the biggest stations heard I was there they invited me to visit and take photos, and more interestingly they took me to see ruins from the gold rush days. Some virtually have never been seen by anyone other than the owners – what an honour! The biggest surprise came when I decided to try oil painting again, the first time since 1986 or thereabouts. Lots of funny stories about my distant works sold in Cromwell in the 80s came to the fore.
One of these paintings is in the exhibition at present in Invercargill. I flew back to Australia, and started on the eight paintings in oils I worked on for the rest of that year until 11 November when I flew back to New Zealand and settled in Cromwell.
Side story, I’d finished an oil painting of the Tor Rock in Nevis. I sat back and looked at it for ages, then I said to myself aloud, “Myself, gee I wish I could paint like that guy”…Not a brag, just astounded that I’d painted it. On a brighter side, when I first showed these particular paintings to friends in Sydney some said, “that’s great, that’s this that’s that etc”, then one said, “I don’t really like that one.” I replied: “I’m not asking you to like it, I’m asking you to buy it.“Seems I still had my Southland Scottish sense of humour.
Q: Future plans for your art? / Where do you currently exhibit?
My future, well, as a wise man once said, “It’s not easy being me, and I should know, I’ve tried it once or twice.”My plans for now are in the now, painting as much as I can, creating, and hopefully bringing joy to those who see my work.
I’m also working on recording four albums at present. This is what I do while waiting for the oil paints to dry. At the end of the day I’m absolutely thrilled to exhibit my art in Invercargill, my home town, and am looking forward to another exhibition in the early new year.
I have some exhibitions coming up in Central Otago later this year, and that’s keeping me very focused and full of ideas.
A huge thanks to Belinda Anderson and Arts Murihiku Southland for their support.
The Arts Murihiku No Strings Attached exhibition is on at Whare Taupua, 34 Forth Street Invercargill, until 12 July