Murray River - dark side (pastel version) (37)

This is the pastel version of the oil painting below. They turned out to be very similar and I cannot say which one I prefer. Maybe you'll be able to?!

Murray River - dark side of the tree (24)

My friend, Steve, photographed this scene when he was canoeing on the Murray River near Pemberton. He took a photo from both sides of the tree - this is the dark side. This was only my second oil painting and I made the faux pas of painting it onto canvas without leaving enough room to stretch it. My friend, Maree, who is also an artist, gave me the idea of sewing it onto a piece of plain canvas which could then be stretched over the frame. The finished effect was very striking.

I love the way the light shining through the trees and lighting up the fallen log and the water gives the scene an ‘otherworldly’ feel to it. And I was thrilled to be able to capture some of that feeling in my painting, especially given my lack of experience with oils.

This painting featured in my first solo exhibition in 2008 at a café on Wray Avenue in Fremantle, and was bought by the son of the café owner. I later showed a print of the painting to another friend and she asked me do a pastel painting of the same scene for her. I’ll post the pastel version in the next blog - they look remarkably similar even though they are painted in different mediums.

Termite mounds, Kimberley (47)

And now for something completely different –  and you can’t get much more different to the UK than the Kimberley region in north Western Australia.

The Kimberley covers nearly 423,000 square kilometres (three times the size of the UK!) and is one of the world's last true wilderness areas. Bordered by the Indian Ocean in the west, the Timor Sea in the north, the Great Sandy Desert in the south, and the Northern Territory in the east, the Kimberley region is full of spectacular and diverse scenery.

The rich colours in this area are very distinctive. I found this scene in a tourist brochure and felt drawn to paint it. The lone tree amongst the termite mounds seems to capture the isolation and heat of the location. I started this painting before I went to the UK for a year and completed it when I got back a few months ago.

In the bleak midwinter (49)

This is a scene I photographed on a walk I did with the Chesterfield Ramblers on 31st December 2008. It was a freezing cold, foggy, frosty morning and I nearly didn’t go. However, the walk started at Pleasley Colliery, which was nearby, and I felt I needed some fresh air and exercise to prepare for the excesses to come that night … so I donned about ten layers of clothing and went.

Boy, was I glad that I did. I met some lovely people, and it was the most amazing walk. The fog and frost made the scenery look and feel surreal and I had no idea where I was most of the time, even though I was on home territory. We even walked down the street where I grew up and I didn’t realise it until we passed my Dad’s house! Not having clear, forward vision made me concentrate on a smaller area and become more mindful (when I wasn’t chatting, of course!)

By the time I took the photo, most of the frost had thawed but there was still a sprinkling on the tops of the hedges – like icing on a cake. The photo was quite dull so I brightened the scene in the painting, while still trying to keep the aura of mystery a foggy day brings.

P.S. Don’t forget to enter the competition to win five of my cards, including this one.

Old mill near Youlgrave (45)

I grew up in Derbyshire, which, in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful parts of the UK. The Peak District National Park lies mainly in Derbyshire. This is a diverse area – in the north are high, wild moorlands known as the Dark Peak, and in the south a gentler landscape, featuring caves and dry river valleys, called the White Peak. The stunning scenery and challenging terrain attracts hikers from all over the world. Ironically, I didn’t get serious about hiking until after I emigrated to Australia, but I try and do as much as I can on my visits back.

Youlgrave is a village in the Peak District, and this scene was taken from a book of Peak District photographs, which I bought for my Mum some years ago. For me, this picture has a tranquil, timeless feel about it. Like a Thomas Hardy novel, it reminds me of an age where people were more mindful and took pleasure in the simple things in life.

P.S. Don’t forget to enter the competition to win five of my cards, including this one.

Harvest time, Ault Hucknall (17)

This scene depicts a field in the hamlet of Ault Hucknall, in Derbyshire, at harvest time. I know this area very well as I rode my late horse, Fudge, in this area countless times. I bought Fudge as an unbroken three year old, and she lived to the grand old age of 32.

The hedge on the left hand side of the painting marks a footpath that Fudge and I followed. When we got to the trees at the top of the picture we turned left into the wood and followed the footpath to the top of more fields. These belong to the farm where I kept Fudge, so we were nearly home at this point. Behind you is a bridle path leading into Hardwick Park, which was one of my favourite rides.

Like the phone box scene below, this picture seemed to almost paint itself! I love the harvest colours, the shape of the straw bales, and the streaky sky in this painting. To me, it evokes a sense of freedom and precious memories of my old pal, Fudge. 

P.S. Don’t forget to enter the competition to win five of my cards, including this one.

Call me! (42)

I photographed this scene when I was in the UK last year. Luckily, I rarely went anywhere without my camera and I captured this on my way home from work one bright October afternoon. The trees were ablaze with colour and when I got to Teversal, I glimpsed this phone box covered by autumn foliage. The old style red phone boxes are becoming a rare sight in the UK, and the scene was too beautiful to ignore.

When I printed the photo, Mum's printer was playing up and it came out in an almost abstract form. I found this easier than a more literal photo to work from, and the painting just seemed to evolve, almost effortlessly.

P.S. Don't forget to enter the competition to win five of my cards, including this one.

Ox Stones, Burbage Moor (39)

Welcome to L.U.Arts, my art blog!

Many people are surprised to discover that I'm an artist (are there no bounds to my talents, they say?!) and ask how I got started. I actually began doing art and crafts at a very early age as my Mum is an artist. In the UK, I studied art to 'A' level standard, but when I decided to pursue a career in science art took a back seat.

I now live in Fremantle, Western Australia. It was not until 2006, on a visit back to the UK when I was staying with my Mum for a while, that I picked up her pastels one rainy afternoon (and let’s face it, there are plenty of those in the UK!) and took up art again.

Since then, I have done over 50 paintings. I usually use pastels, but occasionally work with oils and acrylics. Many of my subjects are painted from photos I’ve taken on my travels around this wonderful planet of ours.

The picture on this blog, of the Ox Stones on Burbage Moor in Derbyshire, is featured on one of the cards in the prize pack on offer to celebrate the launch of my blog. I’m still getting used to this blogging lark and haven’t yet worked out how to upload more than one photo per blog (or even whether it’s possible). So, I’ll post four more blogs over the coming days so you can see the other cards in the prize pack.

I’d love to hear what you think about this blog and my art (both good and bad), so please leave a comment or email me at LUArts10@gmail.com.