Artist Statement
Lake George near Canberra is an ancient lake, completely silted up and usually empty, but thanks to the heavy La Nina rains over the last 3 years it’s currently full.
It’s a compelling, moody and mysterious place. Shadows and light move across its expanse, mingling with areas of calm and patches ruffled by the breeze, all combining to create unusual patterns on its surface.
The main highway from Sydney to Canberra runs past the lake on its Western bank, and only those devoid of a sense of beauty, wonder or poetry would ignore the view. I’ve always found it compelling.
I’ve tried to capture that feeling in this painting, based on a number of reference photos I’ve taken over the past year and especially two images provided by Tim the Yowie man. The light in this scene was a challenge – in my mind, it comes from a lowering sun behind the viewer, and rising above the hills on the far bank is a storm, its clouds banking high in the sky and lit golden by the sunlight, causing the gold reflections on the lake.
The colour balance was a challenge too. I reworked the surface of the lake multiple times before I was happy with how it felt.
About the Artist
Andy is a self-taught modern impressionist artist based in Canberra, Australia. Most of his works are landscapes inspired by the hills and wild places surrounding the city and the local region, though occasionally he paints scenes from memories or imagination.
He paints to intuitively express thoughts and emotions through his works, so his landscapes are notable for dramatic skies and intense use of colour. They often convey a conservationist theme, illustrating the damage done to nature yet seeking beauty and hope in what remains.
Andy also looks to explore light in all its nuances; his paintings are typically filled with brilliant ambient light and deep rich shadows. The scenes he creates are what he imagines them to be – landscapes as viewed through the prism of his soul.
His works are created with acrylic paints and inks, as his paintings are built up quickly through countless layers which necessitates a fast drying time, and acrylics allow the freedom to apply washes and tinted glazes over thicker impasto paint.
This exhibition, The Colours I Feel, is mostly inspired by Andy’s ventures into the wilds of Canberra during the autumn and winter of 2022 and 2023. He wanted to paint, not the scenes that the city is famous for, but rather the out of the way places where he found peace and inspiration.