Ormiston Gorge Reflections

Ormiston Gorge is a very textured oil painting depicting the ochre and orange escarpments, large white gum trees.

Textured Escarpments and large rocks painted with a pallet knife.
The water is thin transparent layers of paint over many dried layers of paint, creating depth and luminosity. This layering process builds up colour intensity and allows the under painting to subtly influence the final colour.

The lovely big gum who has lost a big limb. I suspect the Rangers have cut it down rather than let it fall on some unsuspecting tourist.

The black cockatoos flying up over the escarpments after feeding on the tourists left overs during the day.

The churned sand and clear still water reflection evidence a lovely calm has once again settled over the Gorge.

This painting was many many months in the making and a treasure to develop and paint.

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Kit McNeill is an Australia’s landscape artists, recognised for her evocative paintings of the Australian landscape and her ability to capture the distinctive light, colour and atmosphere of the places she paints.

McNeil’s artistic journey has been shaped by a lifelong appreciation of the Australian environment and a commitment to developing her own distinctive visual language. An important influence on her development as an artist was her time studying under renowned Australian Artist John Wilson, whose guidance and tutelage provided McNeill with valuable foundations in observation, technique and the discipline of landscape painting.

Through her work, McNeil seeks to communicate more than a literal representation of scenery. Her paintings capture the mood and character of the landscape—the changing light across the land, the atmosphere of the sky, the colours of the Australian bush and the timeless beauty of the coast and countryside.

Australia’s diverse natural environment remains McNeil’s greatest source of inspiration. From sweeping coastal vistas and golden beaches to native bushland and expansive horizons, she finds endless opportunities to explore the relationship between light, colour and atmosphere.

Her paintings are characterised by a strong sense of place and an appreciation for the fleeting moments that can transform an ordinary landscape into something extraordinary. McNeil’s approach reflects both careful observation and an emotional response to her surroundings, allowing her works to retain a sense of authenticity while expressing his individual artistic vision.

The influence of John Wilson remains an important part of McNeil’s artistic story, while her continued practice has allowed her to develop a style and identity distinctly her own. Her work demonstrates a deep respect for the Australian landscape and a desire to share its beauty with a wider audience. Sadly freind and tutor John Wilson passed away March 2025 R.I.P my freind.

Today, Kit McNeil continues to paint and explore the Australian landscape, building on years of experience, observation and artistic development. Her work stands as a celebration of Australia’s natural beauty and of the enduring relationship between artist, landscape and place.