I have drawn most of the work for this exhibition from two wonderful painting trips during the past summer and autumn.   On rare occasions there seems to be a mysterious joining of forces. Everything seems to come together. On both these trips the weather was good (ie anything but rain), the places I camped were amidst inspirational subjects in every directions, my energy was up to the demands of non-stop painting, from first light, to the last dying embers of sunset, I was making good decisions regarding choice of subject, composition and so on, and most importantly, I was in the right emotional frame of mind.
Camped on a stock route beside the Lachlan River, there was an endless source of subjects and inspiration. And the light! It was moist, clear air after rain, giving colour and atmosphere a special importance. From majestic River Red Gums to the flat grazing country. From ancient eroded river banks to quiet billabongs.
Down around Jugiong (near Gundagai) along the Murrumbidgee River, I went chasing the autumn colour. As it turned out it was a bit early for most of the European weeping willows, poplars and basket willows in their best golden cloaks, but the native grasses, the wonderful Australian light, and just the smells and 'feel' in the air all spoke to me of autumn. The light on the beautifully modelled and well-grazed hills drives me to push paint around my canvas, (in a losing battle with time), struggling with the inevitable clash between inspiration and application.   Back in the studio, looking over the clutch of 'good' pictures confirmed the way I felt on that trip. A rare and rewarding feeling.