The Austin Collection
When the Austin Hospital approached me to buy some 30 paintings, some of which I had in stock, the others had to be painted.
Most of the paintings are in an impressionistic style and of particular landscapes around Melbourne and Victoria with added detailed cameos of specific animals and plants.
This project served to deepen my love and understanding of the environs and the animals and plants of Australia. I continue to search and discover more of what this wonderful country has to offer. The Austin Collection
Enjoy some of these paintings...
MACALISTER SPRINGS, THE CLEARING.
High Country, Alpine National Park in Victoria’s Great Dividing Range.
The rewarding pleasurable bush walk to Macalister Springs made it a requirement, to give back, by painting one of the many tranquil clearings I gently entered, trying not to disturb the peaceful grazing of these Black Wallabies. https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/places-to-see/sites/macalister-springs-camping-area
THE ALPINE MEADOW IN THE HIGH PLAINS of the Alpine National Park, Victoria. A carpeted en masse flowering wonderland, the delicate and varied species of wildflower explode over the hillside in the high altitude of the rarified air. In the foreground I have painted a little vignette of Victorias Emblem the pink Heath. https://www.anbg.gov.au/emblems/vic.emblem.html
COCKATOOS GRAZING. Cockatoos graze on grass seeds amongst the eucalypts in the vapour filled air of the hot summer’ day near Wangaratta in the North East Vitoria.
These mischievous birds somehow are intriguing and endearing. They have such intelligence mixed with humour and initiative. They seem to sense what humans do and think.
This painting is awash with dry white light breaking over the whole canvas as a way of expressing the heat of summer and the eucalypt vapour released.
MONSALVAT DAM.
The Dam at Montsalvat, Eltham is more like a reflective lake and provides the visitor with an opportunity to relax, listen and observe nature. Here the native Kingfisher is a colourful little addition to my painting. https://theculturetrip.com/pacific/australia/articles/a-brief-history-of-artist-colony-montsalvat-in-eltham-australia/
WOMBATS IN ST ANDREWS, VICTORIA. In the outer bushland of Melbourne, north of the Yarra River is the bush and pastoral landscape much loved by nature lovers who want to live close to Melbourne with the benefits of the city and have nature at their door. Little wombats don’t venture out of their burrows in the day time but sometimes we find them blinded and dazed in the day time after contracting Sarcoptic mange from foxes going into their burrows. I wanted to honour these wonderful little creatures who are one of many examples of degradation suffered by introduced (feral) animals and plants often with devastating effect. https://wildlifehealthaustralia.com.au/Portals/0/Documents/FactSheets/Mammals/Sarcoptic%20Mange%20in%20Australian%20Wildlife.pdf
PLATYPUS IN THE YARRA RIVER, WARBURTON.
Platypus in the Yarra River, Warburton. These amazing little creatures with many curious features and attributes, is so ancient, its species has been dated back to 120 million years. Why when I saw it grazing on the river’s edge would I not want to try to hold and embrace it by capturing it for eternity for all. This is what a painter is morally obliged to do. - to inspire and question and make a record. The platypus, is a small amphibious egg laying mammal called a monotreme.
Its sight, smell and hearing are shut down while being submerged to feed but it possesses electroreceptors in the skin of their duck bills. The Platypus is one of five Monotremes of the world living only found in Australia and New Guinea. The egg laying mammals feed their young with milk. They have no nipples for the baby to feed but the milk oozes out of mammary gland ducts and collects in grooves on their skin where the babies lap or suck it from tufts of fur.
The male has a venomous spur on the ankle.
With extensive webbed front feet the animal is propelled through the water and the partially webbed hind feet and tail are used as a rudder. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platypus https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-43415998
https://australian.museum/learn/animals/mammals/platypus/
'Sunlit Garden at Heidelberg'. Part of The Austin Collection commissioned in 2004 for the Austin Hospital, Heidelberg, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Painted on a beautiful sunny morning in my local area of Heidelberg. This house has always enchanted me with it's pitched, nestled amongst the trees and garden. On the day I chose to paint this canvas it was drenched in light, hence the title 'Sunlit Garden at Heidelberg'.