Beyond the Dam

Classic Australian landscape. This painting is about capturing the essence, mood, atmosphere and memory of place – not the exact place. I travel a lot as an artist. I am continually refilling the creative well. I knew this spot just beyond the dam. Walking up into the hills, red dirt under my feet, the dry gums, the recent fire. I aimed to represent the smell and energy of the landscape through the use of texture (thick oil paint & palette knife) and using natural found objects. This gives so much grit and ruggedness to an already robust subject matter. There is a lot of movement created by the lines and shadows of the native grasses, grass trees and the Australian gums.