Tableland Rock

55 x 80 cm / 22 x 31 inches
Available for sale: $4000
 

This is a painting about resilience and strength. 
The resilience of the land, the resilience of our bodies. The strength of the rock, the warmth of the sun, the play of light and shadow over the body. There is not one without the other- we are inextricably linked.
The rock formations you see in the painting are some of the very few undulations in the rock, the rest of which is completely flat (giving it its other name Tableland Rock). It is an incredibly powerful and inspiring place. The reference shots were taken very early morning as summer was fading.
The shadows draping the body are made by one of the many Banksia trees that seemingly spring from the rock. These banksias endure such harsh conditions- ferocious winds, scorching heat, including the tremendous blackening from recent bushfires. They survive still.
 
A layering technique was used here. Many layers to build up the oil paint to replicate skin and rock. These are seemingly different textures, but using the same technique, I maintain the human body and the land are one and the same.  The laying on of paint is rapid, to capture my energy through brushwork, but the layering process is lengthy. The whole is a mediative dance.
 
The painting’s backdrop is Lincoln Rock in the Blue Mountains, a place that is one of the first to receive the morning light. Its views stretch out over the Jamison Valley, encompassing Narrow Neck and Mt Solitary.
Lincoln’s rock is named after Lincoln Hall (1955 – 2012) an  intrepid, Blue Mountains-based explorer who, in 2006 collapsed- and presumed dead- spent the night on Mt Everest; he was found the next day, sitting up, crossed legged:  Hall said to the walkers approaching him “I imagine you're surprised to see me here.”
 
 
This is a painting about resilience and strength. 
The resilience of the land, the resilience of our bodies. The strength of the rock, the play of light and shadow over the body. There is not one without the other- we are inextricably linked.
The rock formations you see in the painting are some of the very few undulations in the rock, the rest of which is completely flat (giving it its other name Tableland Rock). It is an incredibly powerful and inspiring place. The reference shots were taken very early morning as summer was fading.
The shadows draping the body are made by the banksia plants seemingly growing out of the rock itself. Inspiring resilience.

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