02/09/2026
I am so so so pleased this painting is selected for the Heysen Prize for Landscape 2026. My father’s favourite painter. What an absolute dream come true.
This painting is called ‘They tried to stitch the landscape back together’ and tells the story of how when the early German settlers first arrived in Gippsland they believed the presence of towering Strzelecki gums indicated the soil was abundantly fertile and set about clearing the land for agriculture. In an effort to combat the terrible resulting erosion - they did what had worked in Europe; and stabilized crumbling riverbanks and hillsides with imported blackberry canes. Unfortunately they were naive to the fact that without a heavy European snow season to limit their growth, their fast growing untameable thorns would quickly overgrow the landscape and become the major environmental problem we are still facing today.
Thank you Hahndorf Academy 💜🤎
100x80cm, ground Gippsland earth, charcoal and copper verdigris on canvas. Australian hardwood frame
