Candyss has always felt a deep connection with the area of Kangaroo Valley in NSW’s southern highlands.
Kangaroo Valley is still a favourite place of hers where her family had a farm for many years. DOWN BY THE RIVER series was created after spending a lot of time literally down by the Kangaroo river. The oil paintings explore the intense shadows and light, the large river stones and boulders, the fluid movement and light on the flowing water, and the texture of the riverbank. These artworks are more representational and focus on the meditative quiet nature of the Kangaroo River. Read More…
“I watched the children grow up here during school holidays running around the farm playing hide and seek, playing chasings and riding billy carts down the hill and swimming and collecting tadpoles in the Kangaroo river which is just a two minute walk from the farm. We would always head off down the hill and walk along the riverbank skipping across large riverstones, hopping across the water where we could; it was always flowing and beautiful – rocks, trees and reeds all along the natural watercourse.
I usually sketched my thoughts and inspirations while visiting the land and then returned to the studio where I then allowed each painting to evolve spontaneously. I find I can relax and make a lot of mess on the concrete floor of the large warehouse space. In these earlier landscapes from past series I have painted the land in a more representational approach. I will always hold a special place in my heart for Kangaroo Valley.”
