Painting at the Flinders Ranges has been number one one on my bucket list for as long as I can remember. Inspired by outback paintings by Hans Heysen, Albert Namatjira and Fred Williams. The Flinders Ranges have been calling me most of my life. I’m 56 now and realise that I was on the right track and perhaps lacked the confidence to just go.
Finally, I made it. It was a dream come true. The timing wasn’t ideal, I had loads of excuses not to go. Many fears as well. But somehow it’s a place for me and I had to just GO.
My Mum and my Stepfather needed to take their caravan for a test run to get ready for an epic road trip next year. I’m sure they had heard my many ramblings over the years and suggested we go for a trip. A month later it was ‘lets go’.
I took a leap of faith that I’d been giving my 30 year old Land Rover the attention it needs. It didn’t miss a beat. The camper trailer towed like a dream and provided a very comfy place to sleep. A great combination, slightly retro, but that only added to the adventure.
I had concerns about having enough materials. I had no time or money to restock paint or panels before leaving so I just packed what I had. As it turned out I had everything I needed.
It took us 4 days to drive there and the same coming back with 2 nights in Silverton coming home. That gave me 7 days painting and exploring at the Flinders Ranges and a day and a half painting at Silverton.
I made the most of my time painting and have returned home with a swag of 20 paintings. Ultimately there is a limit of how many wet paintings you can carry and as it turned out I had just enough time to fill all my panel boxes.
I understand now why I was drawn to the Flinders Ranges. The place is spectacular and even standing in one place you can find many choices and even paint the same view at different times of the day. All of my paintings from this trip were made only a short distance from my camp at Rawnsley Park Station. Returning to explore more with a longer stay is high on my agenda for me and the trip itself has given me a taste for travelling and painting. I know I can do it well now.
‘Flinders Impressions’
I am looking forward to showing this work, together with the many Plein Air paintings I have done this year in an exhibition at my gallery in Canowindra. I’m thinking of calling it ‘Flinders Impressions’. Stay tuned, I will announce a date for this exhibition soon.
The early bird catches the worm.
All of the paintings are available for purchase on my website HERE . This is a great chance to get in early and choose your favourite/s. The paintings sold this way will be exhibited with a red dot and will be available 2 weeks after the exhibition opening.
