I am intrigued by the effect light has on the landscape, especially early in the morning or late afternoon. It is the awe I experience when there is a mood added to the landscape, bringing in focus certain elements, colours and hiding others.
I like to capture and share the mystique and magic and use painting to share the story of these experiences with the viewer: late low light in which trees elusively disappear, tops of grasses that look like fairy lights in the dusk, shafts of early spotlights through tree branches, mist making landscape partially disappear and float, unbleached colours in the shadow area, brooding thunder clouds.
Other times I want to communicate the unspoiled, immense, wide, expansive vistas and amazing skies or unspoiled nature areas, which make me feel like I am the first explorer to see the beautiful earth we live on.
Sun-Stroked
This painting won 1st prize at the Pastel Society of Australia Annual Awards 2023
“Sun-stroked” depicts a breathtaking scene of a tranquil park at dusk. The artist has captured the moment when the last rays of the sun reach over the hill and stroke the lush greenery and distant trees, illuminating the tips of the long grasses in the stretched out meadow.
The artist has depicted the interplay of soft afternoon light and deepening shadow, creating a sense of depth and dimension in the painting.
If you stand very still, would a small animal reveal itself?
The painting invites the viewer to pause, reflect, and immerse themselves in the peaceful serenity of the scene.
Roosting
This landscape focuses on the idea that light highlights beauty. It depicts the last rays of the sun peeking over the hill, throwing a blinding glow on the distant trees, reducing them to golden shadows. In this last light, birds come home to roost.
‘Roosting’ showcases a black-necked stork whose tail feathers are illuminated by the sun’s rays as it returns to its mate. The light filters through the trees, creating a sparkling waterfall of light that touches the grasses.
The warm, dark shadows surround the scene, emphasising the glowing highlights of the painting. This painting reminds that light accentuates the world around us. Even in our darkest moments, a bit of light shines through.
This work was an entry in the Doyles Art Awards where it was sold.
Mist-Kissed
Light changes quickly when the morning sun is rising. The scene is enveloped in darkness when you arrive in anticipation of the changes coming to the landscape. In the shadowy foreground, cold grasses, dew sparkling on their tips, come into focus and reveal colours of viridian and blue.
A lemon yellow sun rises low against a silhouetted horizon. A shaft of light warms some of the top layer of the cold and dewy mist that had settled that night over the landscape. Everything seems to float in the mystery of mist. Except for a single tree, its trunk still held hostage by the ghostly dew, pushes itself free, waiting for the warmth of morning’s light.
Light changes quickly when the morning sun is rising. The scene is enveloped in darkness when you arrive in anticipation of the changes coming to the landscape. In the shadowy foreground, cold grasses, dew sparkling on their tips, come into focus and reveal colours of viridian and blue.
A lemon yellow sun rises low against a silhouetted horizon. A shaft of light warms some of the top layer of the cold and dewy mist that had settled that night over the landscape. Everything seems to float in the mystery of mist. Except for a single tree, its trunk still held hostage by the ghostly dew, pushes itself free, waiting for the warmth of morning’s light.
The artist has used texture in the foreground to give a sculptural feel to the highlights, drawing the viewer’s attention to the interplay of light and shadow.
As the sun sets in the background, the distant trees almost disappear, as the low light shines through them. The painting is rendered in warm tones of earthy reds and yellows, inviting the viewer to bask in the warm glow of the setting sun.
The artist’s motivation is to share the magical moment as dusk descends on the landscape, creating a beautiful and otherworldly atmosphere: a fleeting glimpse of beauty for the viewer to appreciate and contemplate.