Light at Valentine

' Light at Valentine ' was created in mid 2022 from en plein air sketches done on the edges of Lake Macquarie called Awaba in the language of the Awabakal First Nations People. The shapes and colours split the work in two. The palette is comprised of rich contrasting and complimentary colours evident in the Australian bush which become heightened with shifting light. In the top half of the canvas the colours have washed to lemon, pale mauve, grey and pinks as the sunlight bleaches them to white. Flashes of sunlight and wind are presented by gestural marks with a palette knife evoking the movement in this type of coastal bush. The shadowed area portrayed in the bottom of the canvas represents the land falling away on the lakes edge and is presented with looser gestural marks in purple, crimson, indigo, greens and sienna. A shroud or tapestry like effect is enhanced by the scrapings and scratches of knife and brush work. Glazing was the last step used to build textural statements in this part of the work.

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I am an oil painter in love with Australian light and landscapes. Living on Awabakal land, I respect and acknowledge the Traditional Owners of this land. I exhibit in Newcastle, Sydney and regional NSW. The work is gestural and executed with a range of mark making tools to create impasto techniques of the shapes, tones and colours unique to Australia. Often sought for their rich texture and patterned surfaces, many of the works present a rich, varied and bold colour scheme that punch well above their weight.