Some from 2008... part 3 Oz

Last September I was in Australia and had the fortune of taking a plein air landscape class in Grafton with Clayton Beck, a wonderful artist and teacher who was vising Oz from the US. It was my first outdoor class, and first landscape class, and I absolutely loved it. Clayton's a great teacher, I learned a lot. Although I'm still pretty new to landscape painting, it's definitely where my heart and soul lie. There's nothing like being outdoors painting!

A couple done during the class:


Clarence River - afternoon, oil on linen




Cloud studies, oil on linen


I also managed to sneak up to Brisbane to do a couple of days of Clayton's Head Studies class. I'd love to do his 5 week summer class in Chicago one of these years. Here's one of my studies.
(This photo's pretty crappy, I'm travelling right now, but will take a better pic after I get back and replace this one. )


Contemplation, oil on linen



After my time in Grafton I headed north and hung out with some good friends near Byron Bay. This was painted on a friend's property where I was staying in Wooyong.


Malachai Morning, oil on linen



Below is a quick sketch painted one morning, at Lake Illawarra down on the NSW south coast, a hop, skip and jump away from my sister's place.


Lake Illawarra, morning; oil on linen