"AT LAST RAIN!"

... My first sight of the dried and thirsty desert country was after a long period of no rain. The difference after a heavy downpour was amazing! The Todd River in Alice Springs had been completely dry for many years. When word came of the rains to the north, it was such a novelty that the locals actually took chairs to the river side and sat all along its banks to view the spectacle of water - first trickling and then increasingly running through the town. In fact, "The Henley on Todd Regatta" is an annual boat race where many human legs (sticking out of the bottom of each boat) are the main source of power for the many improbable 'water craft' participating. For more information, see

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henley-on-Todd_Reg...

In this particular year though, there was no need for leg powered boats. The water kept running fast and the Todd turned into a mighty river, flooding some of the road crossings, breaking banks and swirling muddily around the huge trees which normally subsist in the middle of the dry river bed.

Anyway, when I painted this artwork, the Red Centre of Australia had suffered severe drought for many years. The Desert Oaks had burnt and were black sentinel-like shapes on the red earth. The earth seemed scarred.

I represented the length of time that there had been no rain with the old fashioned 'gate post' counting method - four uprights and one diagonal across them, so that counting the days would be easy in groups of 5. This method was used in some prisons to record the number of days that an inmate had been incarcerated alone. A primitive way of measuring time....

Finally, at last, it did rain, in great heavy drops against a water laden sky. I like the way the rain looks against the sky and the red earth - the red even more intense because it was finally wet.

Aside from these things, the painting has a minimalist overall design, with stark red, black and white which seems to suit the drought ridden landscape. And looks cool in modern interiors!

Framing & Shipping:

My museum quality Giclee prints, on both Paper and Canvas, are rolled and shipped in a Mailing Tube free of charge in Australia and overseas.

Mailing tube shipping is by far the safest, most efficient and economical way to ship my artwork - then when you receive it you can get a local framer to prepare it exactly how you choose.

If you prefer to receive your artwork ready to hang on the wall, you can simply have the work STRETCHED - (the sides will be coloured or sometimes mirrored to match the print), and it looks very contemporary (this is my preferred way to hang artwork).

Or if you prefer, you can add a FRAME in black, white or natural timber. Prices will adjust as you explore each option in the purchase section of this page.

The resulting price is then all you then have to pay as shipping within all but the most remote areas of Australia is included in the price.

If you would like a stretched or framed work shipped overseas, or to remote Australian destinations, please contact me directly at kate@kateowenart.com. Depending on the location, it may cost a little extra, but I try to keep all prices as low as possible.

Note: we do not frame paper prints either here or overseas due to the fragility of the glass and the frames. It's much safer for you to get it done locally

About the Prints:

A series of 50 Limited Edition prints is available for this artwork either on paper (from 61 x 61cms including a 5cm white border), or on Canvas from 92 x 92cms to 140 x 140cms. This artwork is perfect for Giclee prints as its strong design and textured finish look extremely striking.

Of course all my prints look good because they are such high quality reproductions, and most people do not believe they are prints. If you would like my opinion, this artwork looks spectacular on both paper and canvas in a larger size. The matte finish of paper prints shows every minute detail of the original work in living texture, and a box frame sets it off beautifully in its white border. However, it also looks amazing, as did the original painting, on a large sized canvas where the satin sheen of the protective varnish makes the colour really 'POP'! It's all a matter of your personal preference....

Please note all my prints can be shipped world wide rolled in a mailing tube. Also see my FAQ section or contact me for more information.

Technical Details

My archival quality prints are produced on Canson 310gsm Photo rag with 12 Colour Pigment Ink OR Premium Chromata LYVE 450gsm Canvas with 12 Colour pigment ink + Varnish (see options).

The artwork was first scanned in high detail on a flatbed scanner. Each print is individually numbered and either signed, embossed with the authorised Kate Owen signature, or accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity - the scanned file will be destroyed when the limited edition of 50 copies World Wide is sold so that no further prints can be made.

Please <="">see my FAQ page for more information about my prints.