heavy-duty canvas stretched over a custom-built, kiln-dried, plantation timber stretcher frame

Signed on the front.

Frame options by request

Sunburnt Country is an acrylic painting on a custom-built timber stretch canvas. For this painting I custom-built the timber stretcher frame, then installed the heavy-gauge canvas to the frame using 8mm staples. Once built, I applied x2 coats of gesso binder/sealer directly to the canvas as my undercoats. Using high quality acrylic artists paints (preferred brands – Matisse | Winsor & Newton | Atelier | Liquitex) I painted the surface with bold large brushstrokes. For this particular painting I wanted the look to be loose and free flowing so I diluted some of the colours to let them drip and run down the face of the painting. The dripping represents tears and acts as a metaphor for the pain and anguish suffered by people and animals affected by a bushfire event. The painting overall lacks clarity because I wanted to convey the idea of confusion in the aftermath of a bushfire. When confronted by a wall of flames either survival mode or terror kicks in and you respond accordingly. But afterwards you will reflect on certain stages with clarity whilst other sections of time are unclear or completely lost. With this painting I tried to capture the fog of fire, the vague part of recollection.
BUSHFIRE COLLECTIONS:
Australians have always known the threat of bushfires and we have a history of horror and destruction caused by fire. Two recent fires however had a direct impact on my family. The Canberra fire in 2003 and the Black Summer 2019-2020 were both devastating. The Black Summer in particular threatened 3 family members in 3 different regions of NSW. The fear and anguish I felt about these fires prompted me to paint this body of work. Part healing, part warning.
The fact that a lot of governments around the world (including our own) are not taking global warming seriously is having a big impact on fire behaviour. Of course, if the summers are getting hotter, the knock-on effect means a dryer kindle for fuel. And it is not just global warming adding to the danger. Government budget cutbacks to Fire Services affect everything from back-burning capabilities to big-ticket acquisitions like helitankers. This land is on fire every year, it is inconceivable that we have to loan Aviation CH-47D Chinooks to fight fire on a seasonal basis.
The government needs a better strategy and action plan.