Bringing the wild to life

I’m back in the studio rejuvenated and refreshed after an amazing whirlwind trip through the lush land of Tasmania. It was great to get back out on site and work in the elements, removing all gloss from the work and going straight for the most important elements in the scene.

We started out from Hobart and made our way along the east coast stopping many times on our way to St Helens.  One stop that stood out for me was Kate’s Berry farm where they make a great array of homemade jams and ice cream. The boysenberry ice cream I had there was the best I’ve ever tasted. The view from the farm was almost as good as the products, with a panorama looking out to Freycinet greeting us from outside the shop.

We arrived at St Helens midway through the afternoon as the weather started to take a turn. The town is an old fishing harbour about 10 minutes drive from Binalong Bay, the bay of fires. The bay has been a must see destination for me from many years ago and it was fantastic to finally see it in all its’ glory. We arrived at the bay late in the evening and despite the ominous clouds looming overhead the water glowed an incredible aqua. The next morning we returned to the bay to witness a classic sunrise, pouring golden light over the rocks and showing off the dazzling red marks that adorn them.

From there we moved north along the Tasman hwy and came to a speck on the map called Pyengana. Pyengana is home to the majestic St Columba falls. I contemplated doing a study of the scene while I was there but decided that I need to work large to do the scene justice. I’m looking to start that scene very shortly. While in the area I did get this little study done. The clouds covered many of the mountains that surrounded us and the abundant rainfall had created a landscape of rich, vibrant colours everywhere I looked.

The next day we arrived at Cradle Mountain. Along with the bay of fires this has been a must see for as long as I can remember. Working our way into the national park the abundance of scenery was almost overwhelming.  Arriving at Dove lake the clouds opened up to bring a stream of light down over the face of the mountain, catching the snow on the peak and creating the most crisp vivid white I’ve seen for some time. I set up my pochade box and got to work on the quick study below.

Leaving the mountain we stopped at a small park called Devils at Cradle. If you love animals and happen to be in the area this place is a great stop to make. I was lucky enough to get up close and personal to a Tasmanian devil, a great experience given that I’m looking to run an exhibition to benefit them in the future. I was quite surprised by how much the devils act like a dog, scratching behind their ears with their hind legs.

The next destination was Strahan on the west coast. The drive there was just about perfect with the stretch between Mt Murchison and Queenstown taking us through huge mountains and past some stunning lakes. We arrived at Strahan late in the afternoon and I took advantage of the last light over the harbour to create the scene below

Leaving Strahan the next morning we worked our way the central highlands back into Hobart where I took advantage of my last hour before boarding the plane to teach one of my students how to work outdoors. The result was this piece depicting the stream that runs past the Cascade brewery.

Coming home I’ve got ideas for so many landscapes and I’ve found myself inspired by the countryside rather than the coast for the first in time in quite a while. I can’t wait to get started and I’m already looking forward to returning to Tassie as soon as possible. If you get the opportunity to visit please do so. You certainly won’t regret it!