Fishing on Paroo River

Fishing on Paroo River
By Little Heath
November 2025

This painting was inspired by three youths I met fishing on the Paroo River in the far west of New South Wales. These young fishermen were intent on catching dinner, and I had the pleasure of witnessing their success as they reeled in their catch.

For bait, they used blue-colored berries that they had picked from a nearby Quandong bush. I learned that these berries are a favorite among fish, who also enjoy the petals of the Waterlily flowers that flourish in the river.

This painting captures the vibrant colors and serene atmosphere of that peaceful day by the river. It tells a story of youthful enthusiasm and the simple joys of nature.
This story explaining the painting will be attached to the back of canvas.

Poem:

Red dust turned to muddy ground,
Rain fell hard, all around.
The Outback drank, a thirsty land,
Rivers flowed, held in hand.

Billabongs, once dry and bare,
Now shimmered, cool and fair.
Little feet, on banks so wide,
Fishing lines, they cast with pride.

A splash, a pull, a happy shout,
A Murray Cod, brought wriggling out!
Silver scales, in sunlit gleam,
A fisherman's fulfilled dream.

Follow

G'day ,

Autumn in 2026 has begun with quite a lot of rain out here . In fact in some areas of Central Australia it is the most rain ever fallen since 1940 causing floods . And old dry creeks & rivers are flowing and billabongs are filling. Which is perfect for birds and wildlife . The landscape will become very lush .

ARTIST STATEMENT
Many years ago I had a chance meeting with one of the famous " Brushmen of the Bush " artists from Broken Hill . He was out in the middle of nowhere, parked on the side of a lonely dirt road painting a landscape .I pulled over to have a chat . He was very talkative & began explaining the basics of his oil painting. The whole thing intrigued me. A month later I bought some art materials , made a studio in the corner of the old wool shed & began painting .

SUBJECT MATTER :

My oil paintings are about the people and the wildlife who live in the remote Outback of Australia .
I often drive off the beaten track and experience the beauty and harshness of the Outback with its floods, droughts and bush fires . Spectacular thunder storm clouds grab my attention , towering high in the sky marking the horizon with deep contrasting greys and mauves , highlighted by flashes of lightening.

Flocks of colourful parrots , bilbys , numbats , emus & groups of kangaroos roam free . Graceful Gum trees and large ancient rock formations with their stark , majestic appearance .

The billabong is also a favourite subject of my landscape paintings because they attract thirsty animals and people fishing and swimming . Sometimes a rare platypus can be seen & they are a haven for water birds such as Spoonbills & brolgas .
Watching people do all soughts of unique and wonderfull things as they go about their daily lives. All of which are subject matter for my paintings .

ART STYLE :

My Art style is known as " Naive " as I was not formally trained in Art School &
" Colourist" because I prefer using pure bright colours
To apply the oil paint to canvas , I mostly use brushes , sometimes a bird feather , occasionally a palette knife or my fingers , to achieve the desired effect .
The canvas edges are painted , so it is ready to hang without a frame.

Feel free to ask questions or make comments via Bluethumb.

Let me know if there are any paintings you would prefer on a larger or smaller canvas or you would like a specific scene done from your description.

Every oil painting is original and authentic , signed and dated on the front . A printed explanation of the influence behind the painting is attached to the back of canvas.

So there you have it.
Thanks for reading my profile.

And have a healthy and happy 2026.
Regards,

Little Heath.