Hot Walk Cool Water

Hot Walk Cool Water

Shirley Peters

Oil on canvas

40cm x 40cm (flooded gum float frame)

ARTIST STATEMENT

I start with a walk through the canyon or creek bed, armed with a camera and watercolour kit. I’ll take photos and paint a few special scenes. Then it’s back to the studio to start my work, inspired. Sometimes I create a composite scene from two or three different places, and other times it’s a true representation.

My new work is becoming more detailed.  More patterns and textures. These combine and overlap, producing depth and a third dimension.  I love the ‘busyness’ that I see everywhere in dense bushland, and I love to paint these tight details. 

As a protest against AI images, I am moving to thicker, gestural paint layers. I like to leave my palette knife-print, so to speak. Paintings are loosely based on realism, with many expressive strokes, and almost relief sculpture for trees and rocks. 

There are musical analogies: ferns have rhythm, leaves on branches wave like violin bows, and flowing waters sound like the double bass! My textured application of paint is applied with this orchestra in mind!

In past years I have painted the Mulgoa bush after heavy rain, but at the moment we are dry. The ground is hard, and the leafy carpet is crisp underfoot. It looks like autumn with browns, creams and golds. In my area, the green is becoming minimal. 

And as the days are still warm, I’m enjoying painting en plein air ‘down the back’.  And there is always one benefit in dry weather: no leeches!!

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