Travelling through central Tasmania in the gentle Autumn light I stopped at the many lookouts to take in the views. As the day waned and the rolling forms of the mountain chains began to recede into the distance it was easy to feel the ancient and yet timeless quality of the Tasmanian landscape. Immersing myself in the moment I began to understand what John Glover had experienced in the 1830s trekking the mountain passes around Ben Lomond and Mount Olympus sketching from the scenic vantage points as he went. Each day as I travelled the winding roads of the Tamar Valley, and the sun started to set, the evening vistas spread out before me down disappearing valleys and I watched as the fading evening light held onto the misty purples and blues until the last colours vanished from the landscape. At this time of day the lack of foreground light often threw into silhouette the angular pine trees, contrasting with the soft forms in the distance. Inspired by what I saw I realised that after twenty years of painting the Australian landscape I was only now beginning to perceive the unique quality of light and colour of nature in Tasmania. Being English by birth, I brought with me the European tradition of landscape painting and the challenge for me since that May trip has been to render in oil on canvas what I had felt when captivated by these moments on the road in the Tamar Valley.