If you head north from Ballarat, Mount Tarrengower near Maldon is the last hill of any size for miles. Views like this are common in Victoria, where mountains rise out of the plains with no real foothills to soften the change and the plains seem to stretch away forever into the desert. I’m guessing the … More North from Tarrengower
All around this region of Victoria are the remains of dams, water races and mine shafts. You can see the spoil heaps with new-growth gum trees growing out of them in this painting. Five years ago, hiking through the Victorian bush was hot thirsty business as we were well into a seven-year drought and the … More Water or Gold?
Another painting of the Rock of Ages near Maldon. In this one I was dealing with full mid-day sun and looking at the light and colour in the shadows.
For me, walking is a means of transport as much as anything. I prefer to live at walking speed and look at stuff as I stroll along. Maybe this is more of a European thing as the pavements are pretty much deserted here, while the traffic buzzes and toots and roars beside me. Or maybe … More Flâneur I
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
One of the first paintings I made in Australia. This was a result of my first visit to the Grampians. Now, there are Grampians back home in Scotland, but they’re nothing like these ones, despite Major Mitchell’s contention when he named them during one of his surveying expeditions for the British Empire. I was used to … More Grampians (Gariwerd) V
