Bed of Ferns 02

I am moved by colour. Whenever I feel that I need to capture a scene, it is because some particular colour has made an impression on me: that special glow during golden hour or perhaps a distinctive hue in a collection of rocks. The Australian landscape is rich in inspiration. To spend time absorbing a location and noticing just how blue the summer shadows are, or how pink the naked gums, feels like discovering treasure. I enhance these hues and combine them with the abstract, sculptural quality of gum trees. It’s a combination that I never tire of. This particular piece was created by referencing plein air sketches that I made at a local patch of wilderness one summer's afternoon. The ground beneath the twisting gums is lined with ferns.