In some parts of the bush, even in the heat of summer, there is cool shade. This is a painting of Wombat Creek which flows through Wombat State Forest near Daylesford. I was going all-out for a tonal study here in just burnt umber and ultramarine, but a little extra colour crept in at the last … More Wombat Creek
Another wee gouache sketch from down on the coast. A rock arch, the surviving part of a formation known as London Bridge until it, um, fell down. Just like in the song. Give a rock formation a bad name, eh? Coincidentally this arch features in a recent piece by an artist and blogging mate Dan … More Arch
Brrr. It was a chilly hike through the low-growing and twisted snow gums on the east slopes of Mt Buller. The skiing season had yet to get properly underway so we had the place to ourselves. A wonderful new range of colours and sensory experiences to be had from the environment here. This is a … More Snow on Mt Buller
For my 50th birthday last year I was given the chance to hike and sketch in the Flinders Ranges in South Australia. This is somewhere I have wanted to visit since I arrived in Australia, so it was a real treat. There was some fantastic walking and a great camping ground at Wilpena Pound. Sadly, … More Mt Ohlssen Bagge
“Even the rude Rocks, the mossy Caverns, the irregular unwrought Grottos and unbroken Falls of waters, with all the horrid Graces of the Wilderness itself, as representing Nature more, will be the more engaging, and appear with a Magnificence beyond the formal Mockery of Princely Gardens.” Anthony Ashley Cooper, earl of Shaftsbury. 1709 Boronia Peak … More Horrid Graces
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