Moments in Time (Portrait of a Bush-fire)

During 2020 a fascination with the majesty of the life cycle of the Australian bush, led me to think about how bush-fires might see and portray themselves.
I imagine bush-fires would say of themselves that they are treacherous, capricious, angry and unashamedly resplendent. They are unpredictable, agile and self-indulgent.
So, for this work, using acrylic and mixed media, I created 361 spontaneous and unique “fire flashes” on acetate, and assembled them into a single image representing bush-fires’ self-acclamation – a portrait of glimpses including the yet to be enveloped green vegetation viewing its black inevitable future, adjacent.
The painting invites the viewer to move towards and away to realise the full extent of colour and intensity, and to touch the work to further sense the diversity of nature’s textures.
Not trivialising their destructive power but acknowledging these events as increasingly inevitable and having a fundamental role in environmental regeneration and rebirth.

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I have been a member of the Eramboo Artist Environment in the northern suburbs of Sydney since 2019.
Primarily using acrylic and mixed media, Ross works mainly with Geometric and Landscape Abstractions as well as creating Social Messaging artworks. I look to re-express both mundane and complex concepts and create images that will have viewers linger, explore and debate.
I am curious and take artistic risk, often experimenting with non-traditional materials and methods. I use both acrylic and enamel with the latter sometimes in spray form. I intertwine pen, ink and pencil where this adds detail, clarity or another layer for viewer speculation. I work on canvas, board and different types of paper and usually work on 3 or 4 pieces at the same time.
Finalist in the 2023 London Art Biennale with my work "Celebration". This work has been subsequently acquired by the Elton Johns AIDS Foundation.
Winner of 2 International Art Awards in the USA, in 2022 and 2023.