Remembrance Day

This date, Remembrance Day, has such special significance for me: my parents and my wife’s parents were involved in war service, and my Uncle Keith died in Sandakan.

The bushfires burn widely in Australia and my studio is shrouded in a smoky haze. It will be difficult to work today in these conditions. My latest works depict the loss of our environment to our widespread land clearing practices and the catastrophic fire conditions seem to make this work even more a timely reminder of what we stand to lose.

The environment continues to be my prime subject matter as I witness the degradation of my landscape on the Toowoomba escarpment.

Raymonds adorn the walls

I have a break from the studio and the garden today as my wife and I visit our son, Tom, and his partner, Di, in their new house in The Gap. My job: to hang the pictures, a task I love. There are a number of Raymonds to go up, both of mine and my Mum, Margaret’s.

Paintings hanging on the wall hold such power. The colours of the works to be hung today are vibrant and full of life. They will lift the room.

Stanthorpe

We are down at our place in Stanthorpe. While the drought bites, a recent fall of rain has greened things. The landscape I have painted so many times is changing now with the dryness impacting on the National Parks, a favourite subject of mine.

The three roomed cottage was one of the oldest cellar doors in the district but now serves as our retreat. My vines, Tempranillo and Marsanne, need a lot of work now as they are going into bud burst. I am hoping this year’s vintage will succeed despite the unprecedented dry conditions we are having and I look forward to enjoying the fruits of our labours next year.