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

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

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

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

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

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

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