Landscape Gallery

Gallery List

I hope that viewers will enjoy looking at the various works on this page. They are a mix taken from short holidays around Victoria (Australia), inspiration from old family photographs and scenes from photos taken by colleagues who have kindly given permission for them to be used. In the case of Firestorm on Ash Wednesday, this was a work inspired by historic events but not taken from any particular scene.

Bright River An early morning view of the lovely the Ovens River runs through the valley that the township of Bright is set in. The township of Bright is in the beautiful mountain district of Victoria, Australia. There are several bridges and trails on both sides that allow beautiful views up and down the river. This scene was photographed and sketched later.
Charlie This painting was inspired by an old photograph of a relative taken as a young boy on the family farm. It is set during the early 1960s in the Pearcedale area in Victoria. The photo was so much like the themes of artists of the Heidelberg School that I was moved to try my hand at it.
Cloud Cloud is based on a photograph by Stephen Welker taken of some of the beautiful cloud formations that occur in the Autumn in Pearcedale, Victoria, Australia. Whilst in the middle of the exacting work of a commission to paint Diamond Jim I was worried that I was getting a little too "tight". To help keep my painting style loose I decided to do something a little different just for myself.
Favourite Hill Road This sketch proves that you can find great subject matter in your own neighbourhood. There are many beautiful tracks and country lanes like this scattered throughout the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia. All it took was a leisurely afternoon stroll with a camera to get a roll of great material for future sketches.
Firestorm on Ash Wednesday This painting started its life as an ordinary landscape but I was discovering that it had no "drama" to it. It took a drastic turn a few days after the horrific bush fires of Ash Wednesday (Australia) in 1983. Moved by the events of the time I painted until 6AM to complete this work in one session.
Grazing The subject of this painting was initially the mountains and clouds in the background. I was motivated by the Dandenongs (Victoria, Australia) in a similar state as seen from the car one evening. The rest of the painting grew out of my imagination from there. My intent was to keep the painting simple and "immediate" in its look which is what helped it win in a local competition.
Gums on the Ovens River Taken from the same roll as the Bright River drawing, this was a great view across the river as the morning sun shone across it. The contrast of the light coloured trunks on the trees to the foliage was what initially attracted me to this scene and made it so enjoyable to draw.
Gundillion Every now and then I like to have a look around for a place I would like move to to get away from it all. When we are driving to or from a holiday, or just going for a day trip, we often stop to look at properties for sale. Not only does this give us ideas for future living arrangements but if the area is very nice, it gives me subjects for artworks.
Heart Of Fire Heart of Fire came about whilst painting a commission for a local stud. I was trying to think of a way to keep my style "loose" so that I would not get too tight whilst doing the commission which was fairly exacting work. Suddenly one day an entire painting popped into my head. It was too enticing an idea to let go, so I rushed to my supplier to pick a up a suitable canvas.
Kakadu Dreaming Kakadu Dreaming is another painting taken from the photographs kindly offered for my use by Stephanie Cox. It is from the Kakadu National Park in Northern Queensland, Australia. The vivid colours are an instant attraction to the scene. Underlying this, however and probably more importantly, comes the serenity of the scene. There is an air of calm coming from this painting similar to my other painting, Kakadu Wetlands.
Kakadu Wetlands Sometimes you see a scene or a photograph that "sticks" in your mind. The original photo for this scene is such a case. A photographer friend has generously allowed me to reproduce her work from travels around the country. The scene has been simplified but the general brightness and mood have been retained. I really wanted this picture to "pop" and feel I have achieved it.
Mills Bridge Along the road from Bright to Wandilligong (Victoria, Australia) is Mills Bridge. It is named after my family who settled in the area in the 1850s. To make the picture more interesting I have changed the road back to a dirt road and reduced the amount of signs.
Misty Morning My love of William Turner and Australian Impressionism comes through here. I wanted to "play" with lighting and the way the sun filters through cloud and misty rain. I wanted to have a hint of what the landscape was through these effects and see what I could come up with.
Roman Ruins I have a lot of books about archaeology and history. It has been an interest all my life. This picture stems from that passion. Having a sketch book and pens, pencils or pastels handy has meant that when I felt moved to draw something, I could do so.
Roos at Wattle Point During August (2008) I spent a wonderful week relaxing in the holiday resort at Wattle Point, Victoria, Australia. It was an opportunity to do some valuable research for future artistic efforts. The scenery is so beautiful in this part of the state and there is no shortage of subjects to sketch or photograph so each day I chose some different subjects to record.
Rye Backbeach Early Walk As a child my father took us fishing along this part of the Victorian coastline. The early morning light can be quite intense and the weather blowing in from Bass Strait can create striking effects. Such was the case for this early morning walker.
Sunset Pearcedale From Spring to Autumn the sunsets over the Mornington Peninsula (Australia) can be very striking. This view was literally form our back door over the neighbouring properties. The trees had become silhouettes under the clouds which were picking up the various colours from the setting sun.
View from Ubir Rock Kakadu Stephanie Cox supplied the original photo from which this pastel has been derived. Many distracting items (mostly in the form of bushes and trees) have been deleted so that to piece is less cluttered.