Dusk and Dawn on Stonestreet Lane

An ongoing motif for me is the landscape viewed from the stock route (a right of way for cattle or sheep) that runs along the western boundary of our farm. Called Stonestreet Lane, it has good views and varied vegetation. As such it provides a beguiling and convenient motif for me to paint. A short walk with the dog and a sketch book gives me plenty of material to work from. I am fond of the popular saying by Heraclitus "No man steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river and he is not the same man". Each time I venture out, the lane and I are different. In my painting I like to grapple with the modernist preoccupation of flatness vs. depth, while a subtle sub-text can be found in my choice of landscapes that show a post-European settlement influence, such as an errant poplar tree, road cutting or fence line. I paint almost exclusively in oil paints for their rich and archival qualities, utilising a limited palette of earthy colours.