Photograph (1a)
to realise that I was being attracted by backlit scenes
everywhere. I would see afternoon light through trees
on a street in Leichhardt, where I lived for five years
before moving to New York, and I would literally run
home and grab my camera to take photos (this was
before we all had cameras in our phones!) I
understood more and more that it was the resonance
of light against dark that was becoming my visual
passion. I wanted a fluid subject matter with which to
explore this and there it was – light filtering through
trees.
Over the years, the photos I have taken and felt
worth using as reference, have been printed and put in
a basket, which I dig through periodically when I am
thinking about my next painting. My photo basket is
one of my most valued possessions because is has a
selection of photos within that span across a twenty
year period. Many of the photos have been with me
through hours of painting agony and during moments
of painting breakthroughs. And many of these dirty
old photos are the basis for compositions that I have
revisited several times over. You may wonder; why
paint the same thing again? Wouldn‟t that be boring?
Wouldn‟t that be copying? And that would be “no” to
the last two questions. As for the first question; when
I revisit a composition, it is at a stage when I feel that
there is something more for me to discover. In most
instances the shapes within the photo serve as a
starting point. Thereafter, the scene on the canvas
should take on a life of its own, which is not hindered
by an attachment to the original image.
Gosford Afternoon is the first example that I am
using to show the stages involved in exploring my
subject matter. In this instance I went from
photograph, to drawing and three paintings over the
past 10 years. It began one afternoon, about twelve
years ago, when I was visiting a friend near Gosford,
north of Sydney. As we were out for a walk I spotted
some beautiful light filtering through trees and
snapped a few photos. The lab developed photos sat
in my photo basket for several years until one