What is it, or more importantly, where is it, if this painting is a ‘landscape’? It has to describe somewhere, or everywhere, or account for a condition of landscape. If it is not made of land and trees and rock and sky in particular order to make sense, then how is it a ‘landscape’? Can one accurately, pictorially account for a smell or a sound of landscape? Can a ‘landscape’ be what it feels like, to be in it? ‘Painting’ the landscape may be, getting the landscape off and out of you. To return inside from having been outside, to be hot and sweaty and dirty, to have been bitten and swarmed, scratched, exhausted, painting may be the shower you take to cleanse yourself from it, to eradicate it. You take the shower to make the paint flow.
This landscape here is a curse. The painting of it breaks the curse. To catch it is to capture it, to reduce, to tame its power. It’s a strong landscape. You need a new potion every time to tackle it. Every potion has a use by date of yesterday. Every painting is a potion. No number of boosters will protect you.
To those accustomed to being here, to live here, to be at one with it, the landscape is mother. By giving the landscape respect, to care for the landscape, the landscape returns the favour and cares back.
Here at Wamboin, there’s a tiger snake under every rock.
Life is beautiful.
Potion 1 120 cm x 180 cm oil on canvas 2021