Rocks! Bedrock, earth, stones, dirt, sand, cliffs. All part of our landscape.

These three paintings speak about our land, our landscape and our reactions to it.

The first two are paintings of and near Ormiston Gorge in the MacDonnell Ranges in Central Australia. I have visited that part of Australia several times, mostly in my youth. On the most recent trip I was walking in grass near Heavitree Gap in Alice Springs and felt almost overwhelmed by the hum of the land and the red rocks of the mountains rising up near me. I had camera in hand and was about to take a photograph when I tentatively looked over my shoulder. About 200 metres away I saw an indigenous man slowly stand up from the grass. I was an interloper. A photograph felt like a theft so I put the camera in its bag. Another look back and the man had vanished. The hum has meaning and power. Don’t doubt it!

The third painting is closer to Adelaide, on the road towards Sellicks Hill from Myponga. The cliff cuttings for the road are awe-inspiring, the sheep tracks on the hills wind way up high. The scale of the place is breath-taking. This painting is cropped a little heavily at the base, but you can just make out a blue wagon on the left side. That gives you the idea. Around that corner and you face the sea. From high up, that is another thrill, but imagination is better than painting for now.

These three paintings are all in private collections, but they will be part of my new Landscapes book, under production! Out soon.