Southern Lights

'Southern Lights' is a 12” x 12” oil painting on canvas, part of my Australian Sky series—a body of work exploring the vast and expressive character of the sky above Australia.

This piece captures the extraordinary glow and shifting movement of the southern aurora, which has graced the skies multiple times this year. Painted from memory, it’s an impression of light, atmosphere, and awe. The broad, energetic brushwork brings life to the sky, while the land is reduced to a dark, minimal silhouette along the bottom eighth of the canvas—a recurring feature in the series. Like a child’s drawing, where a single line marks the ground, this visual shorthand serves to heighten the drama above.

Painterly and expressive, Southern Lights is less about description and more about sensation—capturing the wonder of looking up and being momentarily stilled by the sky.

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David Isbester is an Australian artist known for his evocative plein air paintings and impressionistic depictions of rural landscapes. With a career spanning decades, David’s work is inspired by the early Australian impressionists and tonal painters, with a focus on capturing light, atmosphere, and the transient beauty of the Australian bush.

David began his artistic journey at 21, studying drawing and tonal painting under David Bryan Wilson, a teacher from the Julian Ashton School. His love for plein air painting has since taken him across the country, from the rugged Flinders Ranges to Tasmania’s wilderness and the rolling hills of the Central West of NSW.

In his paintings, David aims to convey more than just a scene—he seeks to evoke a feeling. Whether it’s the blinding brilliance of late afternoon sun filtering through a clump of trees or the quiet companionship of a kelpie resting on a ute , David’s work is characterised by loose, expressive brushstrokes, minimal detail, and an emphasis on light and tonal values.

David has exhibited extensively, including solo exhibitions at the David Isbester Gallery and Rosnay Organic Wines. His work has been recognized in major art prizes, including as a finalist in the Calleen Art Awards and Highly Commended at the Victorian Artists Society’s 9x5 exhibition.

Based in Canowindra, NSW, David continues to paint and exhibit, sharing his unique perspective on the Australian landscape. His original paintings and limited-edition prints on Bluethumb offer collectors a chance to own works that celebrate the raw beauty and impermanence of nature.