Work in progress

The process of painting for me is a bit like an exploration. I have an idea in mind and often use reference photos, but sometimes the painting just takes charge and I finish up with something a little bit different or a lot different! It’s often not all smooth sailing but there are times that I just have to walk away and get control of those negative inner voices that are always ready to pounce. “I can’t paint!” “Why am I doing this?!!” But sometimes it is pure bliss with the music playing, the painting flowing and the hours just slipping by.

The inspiration for this painting

I live on five acres in the Ferguson Valley.  Just up the road is a conservation park where we walk our dog. Red Tail Cockatoos glide amongst the sprawling marri trees, wild-flowers surprise you behind fallen logs and grass trees proliferate across this unspoilt patch of Australian bush. Then one day the fire came.

The warning sign had been up for a few months. Suddenly, there’s the smell of smoke in the air, warning tape stretched across the track and massive logs are smouldering. The prescribed burn has come and gone. What’s left is the inspiration for the work I’m submitting.  Burnt. Fire strips everything and leaves only blackened remains.