Tuesday, October 13, 2009

The Red Centre

This is actually the first properly finished painting that I have made from my trip to Central Australia, in June/July earlier this year. Let's hope I have "broken the drought". I am really looking forward to getting back into some serious work and hopefully make some real progress. It is a watercolour on Yupo.

11 comments:

joel said...

very nice! i can't believe i have not been subscribed to your blog. that is fixed now.

i love the point of view you have chosen here and the tree shaps in relation to the whole thing work really nicely. this is a very nicely constructed piece.

-- joel.

David Burge said...

Golly Sandy, this is close to home for me....kind of.
I've been painting Kata Tjuta ever since I saw them, they're most evocative!
Great rendering here!

Now you've made me want to post mine!

I found the desert landscape magnificent but so bloody hard to paint.....it's also bloody hard to walk in too... the spinifex is so soft looking, from a distance you could roll in it, but it's just needles!
The Black Desert Oaks are the most beautiful of trees. I really miss that landscape.
Thanks for posting Sandy, it inspires me.

Jez said...

Beautiful painting! Really embraces the centre of Oz :D

Sandy said...

Hi Joel. Thank you for your comments... I appreciate the support...especially as I haven't been painting for a while.

Sandy said...

Good to hear from you David!Please post your painting of this fascinating place...I would love to see it.
I think you did your trip the best way to get the most from the landscape. We toured and didn't stay long in any one place....no time to even make sketches.Still, it was wonderful and I got some really excellent photos which do remind me of the 'feel' of the places we went to.
I agree re the spinifex ..it looks like soft grey-green balls from a distance ..soon discovered it wasn't what it seemed.

Sandy said...

Hi Jade,,,Thank you. I am looking forward to doing more ...and bigger!!

Unknown said...

You really captured the mood of the setting. Beautiful!

Sandy said...

Thank you Kathy! It is good to hear from you...I love your eggshell paintings.

Nick said...

Now there's a true red earth Aussie landscape...would that be out near the Alice Springs area where Dake was? I wouldn't mind being stranded out there with Alison and Jan.:) Good piece, hope you're back in the swing of things and painting as much as possible.

Sandy Maudlin said...

WHat a perfect use for YUPO! Love where you're headed and can't wait to see the results. So happy, too, that you're painting.

Sandy said...

Hi Nick! Yes!It is the same area that Dake went to. It is such an extraordinary place... so much inspiration in those ancient outcrops.
The different moods of the chasms and other deep crevices, together with the light and the brilliance of the soil (and the never ending sky)make for endless subject matter.
Re Alison and Jan ...they are more into places like the Gold coast or Bali right now....although Jan was with me on the trip to the "Red Centre"!

Hi Sandy!
Thank you! Yupo is just perfect for this region and its brilliant colour.As you know, the colour doesn't sink into the support,so they stay as bright as in real life...and it is so easy to change things...just wipe off and have another go!!
I have just ordered some more yupo for some larger works.
There are some exciting chasms, gorges and rock formations that I think would suit yupo. Let's hope I can do it justice!!