"SPINIFEX COUNTRY No4"

In the great and varied Red Centre of Australia there are vast tracts of red sand dunes, some shifting and rippled by winds and some anchored (to a degree) by the iconic spinifex grasses.

Spinifex is an amazing type of desert grass which gives homes and protection to numerous desert creatures, large and small. It comes in many forms, from rings visible from the air to tough rounded mounds which give the landscape a dotted appearance. These are the mounded style and their olive-grey/green colours contrast startlingly with the vivid red earth.

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 parts of this landscape without dots!!!

And maybe 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 introduced to Aboriginal Art, I went on a mission to bring the best and most colourful Aboriginal Art into my gallery! What a great ride that was!

Anyway, I like the long red dunes, spotted by round mounds of spinifex plants. The contrast of colours is fantastic and it's quite an unusual landscape as landscapes go! The single tree was a kind of nod to more fertile areas - there certainly weren't many trees out there!