Saturday, 10 December 2016

Mary Kathleen



Sunday 11 December 2016, 4.30pm

A few paintings inspired by my visit to the now defunct Mary Kathleen uranium mine, near Mt. Isa. I used a smaller brush than usual and tried to push the anarchy a bit further. Some radioactive decay may be evident.

The mine is just one of the many thousands of unrehabilitated mine sites in Australia that continue to produce and leach toxic chemicals. It was supposedly rehabilitated in 1985, but the locals think otherwise.

The hole –


“MK-Uranium Aquarium”
900x600          11/12/2016

The view from the crater floor –


“MK-Herbarium”
900x600          11/12/2016

And the ghosts of a pop-up town –


“MK-Linoleum”
900x600          5/12/2016

By way of information, a bit of signage. From Mary Kathleen –

And meanwhile, in Karumba –

Saturday, 26 November 2016

A Touch of Chaos



Sunday 27 November 2016. 3.30pm

Some more flirtations with a chaotic palette and scrappy resolution.

A sleeper-cutter’s Cat in the Maquarie Marshes, originally drawn over a year ago.


“A-62”
900x600          20/11/2016

And a distant view of the Acland coal mine itself –


“No Hope Stage 2”
900x600          21/11/2016

Friday, 11 November 2016

Western Wanderings



Friday 11 November 2016, 5pm

I’ve finally got around to photographing the charcoals I did out west.

My first drawing was the historic Noccundra Pub, beyond Thargo on the Wilson River. It’s hopefully the first in a series of outback pubs.


"Noccundra Pub, Est. 1882”
600x450          21/8/16

After retreating from the rain at the Dig Tree and a flooding Cooper, I drew this after things dried out a bit –

“North of Augathella”
900x600          25/8/16

And eventually found my way to Muttaburra. Thought I owed it to Tom Spence to check out his birthplace. Predawn light -

“The Long Lagoon, Muttaburra”
900x600          27/8/16

A few hundred k’s further on, drew the view from the “Age of the Dinosaurs’ jumpup. Winton was about 20k away near the horizon.

“Towards Winton”
900x600          28/8/16

Drew one of the local Theropods while I was up there. Banjo’s bones are the only evidence so far of carnivorous dinosaurs in Australia. This is probably a Stumkat creation, most of the sculptures out this way seem to be his work.

“Banjo”
600x450          28/8/16

A couple of days later on the way to Lark’s Quarry saw some more appealing jumpups.

“Jumpup Southbound”
900x600          30/8/16

And a couple of drawings at Lark’s Quarry, site of the awesome dinosaur stampede.

“Spinifex Country”
600x450          30/8/16


“Dinosaur Jumpup”
600x450          30/8/16

Meanwhile in Winton, some more archaeology (back to the 50’s) inside Searle’s Gentleman’s Outfitters 


“Searles of Winton”
600x900          30/8/16

Then back on the road again –


“Approaching Middleton”
900x600          1/9/16

And another historic pub, this one being one of the Cobb and Co. stops between Winton and Boulia – the middle town

“Middleton Pub, Est 1876”
600x450          1/9/16

And some more fossils at Boulia

“Boulia Fish-Lizard”
600x450          3/9/16

Had to head north from Boulia, the road west was washed out again. Dajarra had a lot to offer

“Predawn, Dajarra Dam”
900x600          4/9/16


“Dajarra Rocks 1”
600x900          4/9/16

"Dajarra Rocks 2”
900x600          4/9/16

Through Mt Isa to the sanctuary of Lawn Hill Gorge and another predawn. The start of croc country –

“Adels Grove, Lawn Hill”
900x600          8/9/16

Then another predawn across the bottom of the Gulf. I was getting up early to avoid the heat –

“Leichardt River – no sign of Leichardt”
900x600          9/9/16

After a couple of days around the Gulf I started heading south and spent a night at Porcupine Gorge near Hughenden. One early morning drawing, followed by a rather warmer one near noon.

“Porcupine Gorge”
900x600          14/9/16


“The Pyramid, Porcupine Gorge”
600x900          14/9/16

Some more fossils at Hughenden, this one the plant-eating Muttaburrasaurus. Missed the centenary of Duchamp’s Fountain by one year –


“R. Mutt, 2016”
450x600          14/9/16

Finished off with a nocturne and yet more rain on a side road south of Emerald. Named this one in honour of the hordes of mozzies.

“Mosquito Creek Nocturne”
900x600          17/9/16

Wednesday, 9 November 2016

Restorer’s Dream



Thursday 10 November 2016, 4pm

This painting was started at Acland on the morning following the census. An old miner’s cottage still standing in the centre of town, surrounded by cyclone fencing. Why it survives is anyone’s guess.

I resisted the impulse to calm it down.


“Restorer’s Dream”
900x600          8/11/2016

Wednesday, 26 October 2016

Poisoned Waters



Wednesday October 26, 2016

Finished this off a couple of days ago. Another large one. Standing on the road near the Acland Mine, looking south east towards Oakey in the distance.

Acland’s got a mine stuffing up the aquifers, while Oakey’s got an army base with its associated toxins.


“Poisoned Waters”
1200x900        23/10/2016


Wednesday, 12 October 2016

Where Shit Happens



Thursday October 13 2016, 3.30pm

Spent a couple of weeks on this painting of Brisbane, based loosely on a pic I took a couple of months ago. Six layers of paint on an unusually large panel (for me).

Most people love cities, judging by how many live in them. I don’t.


“Where Shit Happens”
900x 1200       10/10/2016

Monday, 1 August 2016

Yet More Studio Time



Tuesday August 21 2016, 1pm

I finished these paintings off over the last couple of  weeks. Three from Acland and one from Rocky Creek, near Bingara. The main challenge I seem to be dealing with lately is balancing the unifying harmonies with the fragmentation of the contrasts. The contrasts seem to be winning.

This nocturne started off as an ink painting at our last Acland gathering, which all present agreed I was not allowed to pollute with paint, and if I wished to do so I should simply make another. This is the result – one coat of India ink, one of acrylic and four of oils. Luna, Mars and Antares together over Acland. Scorpio again.


" New Red Conjunction”
900x600          21/7/2016

I was going to leave the next two from Acland in a relatively rough and unfinished state, but a chat with Ali convinced me that a bit more tonal and colour contrast would be good. They were a bit flat. I managed to preserve most of the roughness in spite of the extra working. Also preserving even more of the gesso ground.


“White Picket Fence”
900x600          26/7/2016


“Depeopled”
900x600          28/7/2016

This last one started as a charcoal drawing from my Bingara trip over a year ago.


“Cypress at 6am”
600x450          28/7/2016


Thursday, 14 July 2016

More Studio Time



Friday July 15 2016, 4pm

Three more finished off in the studio. Two from Acland, the first showing the camp where the refugee houses had been banished to keep them out of public view –


“Acland Parking Lot”
900x600          14/7/2016

And a landscape dominated by the radar for Oakey Army Base, yet another source of local underground degradation –


“Under the Radar”
900x600          12/7/2016

And finally, a bent and fanciful portrait of my sister’s log cabin. Doesn’t bear much resemblance to the original underpainting, which was, quite frankly, uninteresting.


“Roons”
600x450          14/7/2016

Monday, 11 July 2016

Studio Time



Monday 11 July 2016, 5.30pm

Making some inroads into the unfinished artworks accumulating in my studio, completing three Acland paintings and two from last Xmas at Roon’s near Lawrence.

Dawn in Allen St, Acland –


“Acland Pole Dance”
900x600          7/7/16


“Tree Pear Trees”
600x450          5/7/16


“Food Bowl”
450x600          6/7/16

And from Lawrence –


“Digger’s Camp”
600x450          9/7/16


“Spotties”
600x450          5/7/16

Wednesday, 29 June 2016

Two Oils



Sunday 26 June 2016, 3pm

A few days in the studio last week and a few layers of oil. Think I’m starting to get the hang of this photo-realism thing.


“Fractured Dry Horizontal”
900x600          23/6/2016


“The Dark Side”
900x600          23/6/2016

Monday, 23 May 2016

Piano Mill Paintings



Tuesday 24 May 2016, 10am

I finished the Piano Mill paintings off last week. Rephotographed the Mill painting several times, this was the closest I could get to capturing the depth of the glazes.


“The Christening”
900x600          16/5/2017        acrylic, oil and charcoal


“Talisker”
600x450          16/5/2016        acrylic, oil and charcoal

A Gathering in Acland



Tuesday 24 May 2016, 9am

David LeMay, Chris Fletcher and I spent last weekend in Acland with our curator Beth Jackson, doing some work for our Tainted Landscapes exhibition next January. Much fun was had by all.


Beth, Glen Beutel, Dave, Chris and I.


I’m taking a photo of Fletcher drawing me painting.


Halo around the full moon probably caused by mine dust. Glen complained about the noise on Friday night and things were a lot quieter on Saturday.

One of Dave’s paintings from the weekend –


Most of my work from the weekend is preliminary underpainting and drawing. I was taken by the proximity of the moon to Mars and Antares (‘Rival of Mars’ – so called because it’s the second reddest object in the night sky) on Friday night. Might leave this one as is. An ant’s eye view of Acland.


“Red Conjunction”
900x600          20/5/2016        India Ink


“Dry Horizontal”
900x600          21/5/2016        acrylic underpainting


“Abandoned”
900x600          21/5/2016        charcoal

Another inky nocturne. The shop next to the phone booth was gone –


“Stop”
600x450          21/5/2016        India Ink


“Tree Pear Trees”
600x450          22/5/2016        acrylic underpainting


“Nap”
450x600          22/5/2016        charcoal


“Jim’s”
900x600          22/5/2016        charcoal


“Glen’s Memories”
450x600          22/5/2016        India ink