COUNTRY WIDE

Not all the landscapes in the Australian Outback are remarkable for their colour or dramatic rock shapes. Many are just gentle hills and wide, wide spaces. This painting reminds me of my favourite poem by Dorothy Mackellar, an English woman who came to Australia and fell in love with this country, in just the way I have. It was first published as 'My Country' in her first book, The Closed Door, and Other Verses (Melbourne, 1911).Part of it goes:

"I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of rugged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains,

I love her far horizons,
I love her jewelled sea,
Her beauty and her terror,
The wide brown land for me!"

This is a simple painting, but wide and brown.... The dotty and 'spoggy' landscapes are caused by rounded spinifex bushes, rocks and the uneven terrain - and of course these colours, while not the vivid reds of the Red Centre, are still the signature bleached and golden colours of my beloved outback! If I didn't know differently, I would think that the dotted art created by Aboriginal people was entirely inspired by landscapes such as this. But I do know differently. If you are interested, in what did inspire dot art, you can read an article I wrote about it some years ago now: Kate Owen Gallery - the Origin of Dot paintings

Having said that, it is difficult to paint the Australian Outback as it really looks without echoing the work of the Aboriginal people - simply because that IS the landscape and it can be a very dotty place!! It is actually hard to depict this landscape without dots!!! And you won't believe this, but I was painting dotty landscapes of Central Australia before serendipity put me in the way of the Aboriginal people and their magnificent Art! If you know my story, you will know I am the founder of the Kate Owen Gallery (originally just a gallery for my paintings, hence the name) and that after being shown Aboriginal Art, I went on a mission to bring the best and most colourful Aboriginal Art into my gallery!

Your museum quality Giclee print will be 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 artwork - then when you receive it you can get a local framer to frame it exactly how you choose.

Due to the risks of mailing framed paper prints, and the expense of mailing framed canvas prints of this size, this artwork is only available rolled in a mailing tube. Please feel welcome to call to discuss other options if you really do need it framed.

The original painting has already sold but this Fine Art Reproduction is available either on paper or canvas. This artwork is perfect for Giclee prints as its strong design and highly textured finish look extremely striking.

I cannot take all the credit for these prints looking so good - they are such high quality reproductions with such intense colour that it's honestly hard to believe that they are actually prints.

If you would like my recommendation, in smaller sizes this artwork looks most spectacular on paper. This is because the matte finish of paper prints shows every tiny detail of the original artwork in truly amazing texture. There is a white border with the edition number and my signature embossed just below the printed area, and if you frame it in a box frame, it will be an attention getter!

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'! On canvas, your print can be made even bigger than the original without losing any of its detail, colour or quality and looks spectacular over a sofa or dining table in your living area. It's all a matter of your personal preference....

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