Gum Tree on Red Earth

Gum Tree on Red Earth . 

The trunk is pale and divided, lifting into a canopy of olive, gold and burnt leaf. Behind it the hills fall away into blue. At its feet the ground is warm — red earth, dry grass, and a narrow run of water that cools the base of the tree without softening its strength.

 The gum is a witness: rooted, weather-shaped, and fully itself. The painting describes a meeting — the tree in light, the land in colour, and the feeling of arriving in front of something that has been there waiting for you to arrive.