Another sketch from hiking in the Grampians. At the top of the hill behind us is the Pinnacles viewpoint, which provides a spectacular view of the Fyan’s Valley and Hall’s Gap. The rocky outcrop is fortified with a splendid set of steel railings to save folks from themselves, so we’ll turn our backs on that and … More Sketch: Grampians Wonderland Range II
Last week I was surprised and delighted to find one of my paintings sitting in the basement store of the Art Gallery of Ballarat. Acquired by the gallery through a benefactor’s donation it now awaits “accessioning”, that arcane process of numbering and cataloging that museums do in order to keep track of our history and … More Tipperary Track
Back to the 1980’s. A still life set up in my studio in the Meadow Mill building in Dundee, part of the WASPS network of studios throughout Scotland. It was a great working atmosphere and I have very fond memories of that time and those folks… although it was possibly the coldest non-refrigerated building in … More From the Vaults V
I had the sudden urge to draw really big drawings of picture hooks. On old packing cases. Some might say this is the result of spending too much time in windowless galleries “handling” art. I say you could be very close to the truth. With most of my work, I’m a stickler for cripplingly expensive … More The Middle-Class Hero and the Diaspora
Still life. Nature Morte. My dad used to paint still lives because they were good for you. Like barley malt or Lane’s Emulsion, a ghastly fish-tasting concoction from New Zealand that was forced down my throat as a child. Ah, happy days. So, stuck in the house still suffering from the lung ailments the emulsion failed to cure and … More Apple Blossom
Uh oh, more 80’s stuff. This one was kicked of by a Vladimir Nabokov short story about fear and how we deal with it. From memory the narrator doesn’t deal with it too well. The piece is once again a slightly surreal mixture of still-life elements in an imagined environment. Imagery here includes chattering clockwork teeth … More From the Vaults IV
