I love Australia, but falling asleep in paddocks of long grass is not a recommended pastime here. Most folks around the world associate Australia with a wide range of exotic animals that will kill you as soon as look at you. It’s a reputation many Aussies are keen to foster from the comfort of their urban pavement latte MacBooks, … More Meadows and picnics
For a few busy years I divided my time between Cornwall and Australia. Arriving in either the ubiquitous green of Cornwall or the “sunburnt country” of Australia always caused a sensory overload until my eyes reset to the prevailing palette. This painting, one of the largest I had made at the time, is typical of the Cornwall paintings of … More Tomperrow
I grew up in Fife in Scotland. It’s a region of two halves: in the north, arable farming, golf and a university made famous by recent royals; in the south, the ghosts of coal mining, fishing and ship building. Methil no more, as the Proclaimers remind us. In Margaret Thatcher’s 80’s I worked with kids … More Fife
Sketches from a hike around Cwmorthin slate mine near Blaenau Ffestiniog in north Wales. Quarrying on the site started in 1810 and finally ended in 1997. During the late 1800’s conditions in the mine were so bad that the place gained its nickname “the slaughterhouse”. When the sun’s out, it’s a pleasant enough valley but … More The Slaughterhouse
The miners who made their fortune during the gold rush in Victoria were rare. Fortunes were made, right enough, but they were made by mine consortia, general goods suppliers, transport and post companies and, last but not least, saloon owners. When I’m bushwalking and painting out in the Goldfields I think about those miners, mostly … More Gold
Although I went through art school between 1981 and 1985, I don’t consider anything I made before this painting to be really “me”. Art school was great, don’t get me wrong. It was four years of hanging out with other folks and making art. And drinking beer. What’s not to like? The thing is, the … More The first painting
art about place 