This painting was inspired by a recent walk along a hill called Farrer Ridge in Canberra. The paths were absolutely sodden from the recent rains, and rather than walk knee deep in mud we decided to head off-path, picking our way through the gloriously lush long grasses as we climbed toward the summit.
Higher up, the trees became twisty and stunted as they do when exposed to harsh weather, and I remember looking to the left at a sunlit glade with dappled light filtering down through the branches. That’s what I set out to paint, but as often happens it became something else along the way.
I think it started with my choice of a pink hue for the sky. I’m really not sure why I went with that colour, perhaps it was an aversion to using blue which is such a cliched choice, perhaps it was a vague idea of creating a sunset scene – I was painting quickly and in a flow state so I didn’t give it much thought – but it set the tone for what followed.
Once I painted in the basics of the grassy foreground – patches well lit and others in shadow, that pink sky began to speak to me not of sunset but of mist. Of low cloud enveloping the hillside and only allowing filtered light through. Once that idea sprang to mind, I had to pursue it as that kind of filtered diffused light has the ability to transform an ordinary scene into something mysterious and magical.
Unlike my previous painting, which came together easily, this one took a lot of experimentation and reworking in order to achieve the effect I was imagining. I was particularly unhappy with the tree on the right, which for some reason felt like an intruder, but kept at it until I was finally satisfied with how it looked.
The kangaroos were a final touch. I didn’t happen to see any in this particular location on my walk (though I saw plenty elsewhere) but they felt like they belonged. In the distance, the big male standing to watch as I walked by, a female bounding slowly away to a safer distance. These rarely-visited hills have quite a strong population of roos, and it often feels like I’m intruding in their domain.
“Cloud touches the hillside” is mixed media on framed 76 x 61cm cradled birch panel.
