Rockface

While exploring the Beechworth Gorge just before Christmas 2009, we came across a waterfall and imprinted in the rockface was a crying face, so I just had to do it.

Oil on Canvas

45cm x 45cm

Private Collection AW

Kenchega Sunset

This work was inspired by the magnificent sunsets we saw at the Kenchega National Park in NSW. The extraordinary colours that the sky produced seems to have their own lives so I tried to give them all space in this work.

Oil on Canvas

51cm x 41cm

Adrian and Denise (currently on tour of Oz)

Salt Lakes at Woomera

North of Woomera you come across a series of salt lakes that are surrounded by the most wonderful colours. The red soil, bright green follige of the trees and olive greens of the scrubs contrasting against the absolute white and blue of the dried salt lakes with the blue mountains in the background. Gods country.

58cm x 50cm

Oil on canvas

$800

RedRock

RedRock was inspired by a rocky outcrop we came across while exploring Palm Valley in the West MacDonnell Ranges just west of Alice Springs. This amazing red rock outcrop looked like it had melted into shape with large weathered holes.

Oil on Canvas

$400 Unframed

ANT DANCE

I decided that it was time I tried a "Dot" painting, similar in style to aboriginal art work. The inspiration for this work came about because of an ant invasion of our caravan while we were at Laura in FNQ. The reason for the trip up there was to see the rock art in the area, so with the local art getting me thinking and the little buggers running through the van it seemed like the appropriate topic for my Dot painting. Each ant is an individual and I chose the red and green ants as they were the ones that had taken a liking to us. Hope you like it.

Oil on Canvas Board

$400

Stripped and Buried

Walking along the beach at Carmilla Beach Qld I came across this half buried branch that had the bark stripped off it in the overnight surf. The colours of the exposed wood was fantastic and I thought would make a great painting, hope you like it.

Oil on Canvas
Private Collection
Zurich

DA'SF
An abstract offering of wild flowers and storms

Private collection

Rainbow Beach Dunes

I was fascinated by the way the bay had been carved out of the dunes.

Oil on Canvas
$400

The Willow Forest

Driving to Echuca we passed a Willow Forest and to the best of my knowledge the only reason for growing Willows is to make Cricket Bats so here is my version of the forest.

Luna Gums

While we were at Lake Mulawala we caught this amazing sight of the moon rising over the drowned Red gums in the lake.

(Private collection Saudia Arabia)

40cm x 50cm
Oil on Canvas

Hope

Inspired by a very dry and cracked river at Port Smith on the 80 mile beach WA. In this very harsh environment this seedling had struggled to break its way through. Hope you like it.

Private collection Thailand
Oil on Canvas

Watching

I'm not sure where this came from, but I have been playing with the "eye" idea for several months after seeing a saltie close up in Darwin. The power of the eye, the evil and intensity that draws you in, all the characteristics of a salt water croc.

"Stairway to the Moon"
One of the most spectacular events in Broome is the "Stairway to the Moon" when the moon rises over the mud flats and gives an impression of a stairway. I decided to look at it from a different point of view.

(In Miss Guided)

Smokin'

Standing on the Pier at Derby in Far North Western Australia watching this amazing fireball of a sun sink into the smoke from bush fires around the bay - breath taking.

 "White Man Dreaming"

The inspiration for this work came when we were flying back to Darwin from Melbourne in June. We were over the Simpson Desert at sunrise, flying at 30,000 ft and I watched the first rays of the sun strike the tops of the sand dunes below. The dreaming bubbles are a present from Bailey (our God Daughter) who came in on our last day in Melbourne and we all blew lots of bubbles and had a great time.

Private collection Zurich
Oil on Canvas

Lake Maraboon
Lake Maraboon is located in central Queensland in a very arid region. This man made lake is 5 times the size of Sydney harbour and a haven for fisherman. The sunsets over the lake are spectacular and many a pleasant night was enjoyed watching the sun go down.
This piece is in a private collection.

ReBorn

The ritual of sunrise

Entrant in the 2009 Men on Men Art Competition

Flagging

This is a slight deviation from the scenic paintings, but I still classify it as a part of the White Man Dreaming series. Flagging is a very common practise in the gay community and is a way of signalling to others your desires and intentions. It involves colours, props, dress and accessories, and is very useful in country areas where being OUT may be frowned upon. This particular work is a safe sex message. The colours of the smaller pipes are the universal colours of the leather community, blue, black and white. The stop lights reflect sexual attitude. Red - STOP do not proceed until you have agreement, Amber - Always play safely and with caution, Green - Consensual sex

I am hoping to enter this work into the Midsumma Art exhibition in 2009.

Meningie

Meningie is a small town on the coast of Lake Albert in South Australia. We camped here on the shore of the lake and this is the sunset over the surrounding hills.

( Private Collection Saudia Arabia)

Nailed

This work is about how quickly things change in the outback. The rock formations on the left were inspired by some very weathered rock formations we came across in South Australia late in the day. By the time we had found somewhere to park for the night it was already dark.

Dusk at Mungo

This work was inspired by our very first night in a National Park. The Park is Mungo National Park and is just north of Mildura and the site of the "Wall of China" rock formation.

Welcome to White Man Dreaming

White Man Dreaming is a painted record of some of our travels around Australia and is my view (sometimes twisted) of this great country. We left Melbourne in October 07 and the intention was to travel for a few months, but as time passed we realised that we loved the continuous adventure, meeting new people with similar ideas and decided that this just might become a semi-permanent way of life. Tales of the trip are available at hotabbots.blogspot.com

Here I will explain more about the paintings that have become part of this trip. I hope you enjoy them.