christmas tree 2010 oil on panel

I didn't think I would paint today, and practiced the fiddle and went for a swim in the dam instead. Then as I was sitting under the plum trees munching away, I saw this old wizened pine and decided it would be my christmas tree.

the blackberry bush 2010 oil on panel

I had seen this bush the other day when I was out here painting 'up and over the hill'. A couple of small birds landed on the tips of the branches and I thought it was a marvelous idea for a composition. No birds dropped by when I painted this, so I'll have to keep my eyes open and sketch something to put in later.

hawthorne path 2010 oil on linen

I am in deep admiration of the gum tree in the background. It has made it into at least three paintings so far. The hawthornes have been amazing as well, with the acidic yellow lichens growing on the branches.

up up up

up and around the bend 2010 oil on linen 120x120cm


This is a view I pass every time I head in to Goulburn, and I've been wanting to do something big - so here it is! I started it about a week ago and finished it up yesterday. The winds have been pretty wild recently, so I tried to get a feeling of that in the grass and the clouds.

tis the season

the view out the back 2010 oil on linen


I normally wouldn't attempt such a cliche, dramatic view of a landscape. Being the view out the back of my house, I decided to give it a go, if only as a reminder of this beautiful place that I currently call home.









the boxthorns 2010 charcoal on hahnemuhle paper


I did this sketch to try to compose something a little more dramatic for one of my big canvases. A husband and wife's gravestones side by side, her's has fallen over and lays face-up on the broken, checkered tile vault. Boxthorns have been growing out of the vault for what looks to be quite a long time.

grave with wildflowers 2010 oil on panel


I did this one last week before leaving for Sydney. Just a simple composition consisting of a marker stone, rusted iron fence, and the beautiful orange wildflowers I have fallen in love with.

break in the weather

Broken stones 2010 oil on panel


On Thursday I beat it back to the graveyard and painted this 'mouse view' of some broken tombstones. I love the orange wild flowers of the present moment and have been looking to get as many in as possible. The recent rains have flooded Goulburn and when evening came on, Shaun and I drove down to the weir to help some locals evacuate their possessions out of their flooded houses.




The road up the hill 2010 oil on panel


The weather broke, and Friday and Saturday were sunny and bright. I started a large painting on Saturday, but couldn't continue today on account of the strong winds. I did some work around the property and then painted this scene which is what I'm always looking at from my front door.

the quick and the dead 2010 oil on panel


Today I woke up to the first sunshine in weeks! I quickly headed off at 8am towards some hay bails I have been checking out, but the composition wasn't right so I went back to the graveyard. I had noticed this scene on a previous visit and jumped right to it. Each step of the painting came together with ease and when I finished I vowed to come back and paint a bigger one.










lipstick plant 2010 oil on panel


I'm not sure what kind of plant this is, so I'm calling it 'lipstick plant' as it reminds me of a plant my father had when I was young. They look nothing alike, but it was the first thing to pop into my head. I'm hoping someone will tell me what the name of this beautiful flower is...

angel in the graveyard 2010 oil on panel


Today I went back to the old graveyard north of Goulburn and painted this view of a stone angel and headstone. They were both contained within a twisted rusty fence and the orange wildflowers popping up added the colour and dynamism that I needed against such a steely sky.













first plum 2010 oil on panel

It has been raining day after day, so I planted myself beneath this plum tree and painted this composition. Most of the plums have split open from all of the rain, such a shame...

Roos in the graveyard 2010 oil on panel


I had passed this old cemetary on the outskirts of Goulburn last week, and came back today to paint it. As I was walking around reading the tombstones, I got rather near a pack of kangaroos that were hanging about. We both had a start and then they backed off a bit, but not too far. I grabbed my gear and sat on the grass to capture this scene. Can you spot the roo? I'll be back to do a larger one on a similar theme.





Cherry interior 2010 oil on linen


Today I woke up to non-stop rain, so I headed in to the manor house to do some inside work. This is the library and the reflection of a print by Cherry Hood on the table caught my attention. As I was painting the light coming through the curtains, I realized they are portraits of David Gulpilil by Martin Sharp. I was glad to be able to appropriate these well-known pieces of Australian art in my own little painting. If you look close, you'll notice there's an extra chair leg in there, I wasn't about to sacrifice rhythm for realism...

The view from Shangri-la 2010 oil on panel

Today I woke up to the drizzle of rain on my tin roof. I decided to paint the view from my front door to show where I'm staying. My room is an old horse tack room with rods coming out of the walls to hold saddles (not shown).

The rope swing 2010 oil on panel

Yesterday I got up and running at 7am, eager to find my next spot to paint. I walked down to the dam, back up the hill through the 2m thistles, and then it really started to heat up. I came back down to the studio and had a drink of water and saw what I had been looking for the whole time. Using this discarded rope swing and gum tree as a window to view the rolling landscape beyond worked well for me.

rollin' rollin' rollin'

'The Thistle' 2010 oil on linen


Yesterday I started a medium-sized work on linen, a giant thistle in a paddock full of wheat and Patterson's curse. I liked the idea that the plant's entire structure is built to repel. The plant being coloured a lackluster, washed-out green, with sharp, nasty little barbs that tear at my jeans as I walk around the propery, made me think them quite the nuisance. As I got closer however, I noticed the lovely, bright purple sex-organ on top of the thistle and decided to make a composition. As I painted, bees and butterflies landed on top and fed, and I thought about how this plant has truly evolved to survive.





'wild foxglove' 2010 oil on panel


This morning I finished the painting of the thistle and then Koolie and I headed down to the dam for a poke around. I found this little guy standing tall under stormy skies and sat down to paint. I wasn't sure what kind of plant is was, so I showed it to Zuza and she said it reminded her of a foxglove, so 'wild foxglove' it is. I'm enjoying focussing in on the wild flora around the place, and I hope to learn a bit about the names and charachteristics of all these wonderful plants.

back in the saddle

Yesterday I moved to Goulburn, NSW to paint my next solo exhibition scheduled for March 2011. Today was a very productive day, and I think my first paintings hint at some very interesting things to come.

Young plums 2010





















The sentinel 2010

Town and Country solo show in Goulburn

'town too' 2010
oil on linen
61x45



















'town' 2010
oil on linen
50x61cm
















'the inner garden' 2010
oil on panel
30x14cm



















'the tall poppy' 2010
oil on panel (triptych)
21x41cm











'all the pretty little flowers' 2010
oil on panel
30x30cm



















'rosemary' 2010
oil on panel (triptych)
30x36















'down the rabbit hole' 2010
oil on linen
50x50cm



















'Zuza and coolie' 2010
oil on linen
51x41cm



















'the fox and the train' 2010
oil on linen
45x55cm
















'the house on the hill' 2010
oil on linen
45x50cm

















'the house on the far hill' 2010
oil on linen
50x71cm














'Pete's palace' 2010
oil on linen
55x46cm



















'Pete's prison' 2010
Oil on linen
66x56cm



















'Front paddock (the tempest)' 2010
oil on linen
60x66cm

















'Crabbie' 2010
oil on linen
40x46cm

















'Under the crabapple' 2010
Oil on panel
30x30cm

makin a comeback

I just got back from catching a mid-arvo matinee of 'The social network' and found myself sitting in my studio wondering about all kinds of internet-themed concerns. Out of some random bubble burst in my head I decided to check on this blog and noticed that it has been one year to the day that I last blogged. I guess it goes to show how Facebook has changed my life and the way I post my artwork online. I was finding that the feedback I was getting on my work was more visible, more frequent, and more interactive on Facebook.
I started thinking about how unfair that is to the people who follow me on the blog, but don't participate in Facebook. I have basically stopped updating my website, as they have started charging me a lot of money for basic mantainence. This blog is free and I love the idea of having it to showcase my freshest work, I guess I just need to devote the time to it's upkeep. I'd like to promise to start updating my blog at the beginning of every week, let's see what happens next week.
Thanks to anyone and everyone who have thought to stop by this blog and check out my work. I will try harder to share what I am creating.