Sunny Veranda
The wide, sunny, Queensland veranda is one of the treasures of living in this state. The sunny verandas make a perfect with our warm winters. A cane chair, a cushion and a book complete the scene!
Painting Nasturtiums
A series of photographs reveal the stages of a nasturtium painting on its journey to completion.
Ekka
The Brisbane agricultural show is an old and well loved Queensland institution known locally as the Ekka. The quieter parts of the show provide good material for paintings.
Wattle
The green and gold of the wattle is Australia’s national flower. The glorious blaze of the yellow wattle blooms are a great subject for still life painting.
Reading by the Fence
In this Covid-infected time we have rediscovered what a backyard is for. We can reverse the effects of severe lockdown with a spot of reading by the fence.
Still Life Ignition
Bright mandarins smoulder against a deep blue background. This deep tonal contrast is a feature often seen in my still life paintings.
Papaw
Many old Queensland gardens grew sweet-tasting papaw. The best plants were nursed into extreme old age with much care and love because the sweet fruit they produced were worth the effort.
Nasturtiums
Nasturtiums are a joy to paint. Their happiness brightens up everyone’s mood. However the long, sinuous tendrils give an indication that there is a darker side to this innocent plant. These contradictions make for an interesting still life painting.
Enamelware
Colourful enamelware makes a great painting subject. First it has to be thoughtfully arranged and lit with a spotlight. Then comes the challenge of depicting the hard, bright, coloured surface of the metal.
More Backyards
More paintings from the Brisbane suburbs as they were decades ago. More overgrown gardens, stove recesses, gates and fences. Paintings from a time when Brisbane was just a big country town.