I have been painting the Australian landscape, namely the Hunter Valley, for many years and never get sick of it. The work is always new and fresh, and even a barely perceptible shift in light for example, can illuminate a whole new perspective on a landscape I may have already painted numerous times. In this way the work also becomes an exercise in painting itself, the landscape a path into the exploration of painting as something intrinsic and raw. I believe this is particularly evident in the works I have selected to submit for the art prize.

Much of this current body of work is inspired by sketches and paintings made on road trips over the last 12 months from the Hunter Valley to Northern NSW and beyond.