Overseas - watercolours

One of the great challenges of painting outside of Australia is to capture the light and feel of the place. There’s a huge difference in local conditions between, say, Hong Kong and Cornwall, U.K. Painting en plein air allows an immersion in the scene, an engagement of the senses, and ultimately, a sensitivity to the subject that can inform the painting process. It’s an honest, direct and immediate way to capture a place and time.

The paintings here are samples of some such works. From the tiny heritage fishing village of Polperro in Cornwall, UK, to burning incense at a temple on Mt Taishan, Shandong Province, China; from the coast at dusk at Monterosso, Italy, to pedestrians in Shanghai; from tea-sellers at the birthplace of Confucius in Qufu, China, to sampans and the iconic Star Ferry on Hong Kong harbour; boats on the mud, and boats afloat; bicycles in Amsterdam. It doesn’t matter where we are when there’s light on the landscape.