The last evening, Norfolk Plains, Longford

Over the recent three years I have been painting the landscape of The Norfolk Plains near Longford in Northern Tasmania

After a serendipitous visit to Woolmers Estate I was struck by the harmonic interaction of settlement nature and agriculture contrasted by the indigenous occupation before European arrival

I returned four times each year – with each visit over several days to paint in various seasons and times of the day but found the early mornings and evening most conducive

The half light blurred the edges of the shapes in the landscape and my palette was reduced to tones more than colour

The arcadian and bucolic appeal of the landscape made it transcendent for me

My paintings are of the Longford landscape in Tasmania but my intention is that they are universal in place and time and not merely depictions

There is a tangible colonial history embedded in this landscape that does not need a narrative – it is simply there – I did not realise this until I completed this work but I hope this history is somehow conveyed in this painting