Early February

  

There has been an incredible amount of rain falling in the mountains and the valley in recent days and I was astounded at how green everything looks.  Scott and Amy live with Noah surrounded by bush and soaring cliffs. As I drove to their house in the valley the bellbirds were tinking in the trees and the hum of bees was heavy in the air.


Today I looked at two works Scott is close to completing.  One "The Arsonist" has been accepted into a Victorian art prize  and the other is to be entered for the prestigious Archibald Prize.

Whilst the two works share of course Scott's attention to fine detail and beautiful pigments, they are a study in contrasts.

    
The Arsonist stares at us intently.  His eyes are fiery and insane and the matches around him signal the damage he is willing to wreak on his environment.  It is an unsettling piece - the Arsonist seems to be holding himself very still, his pathological desire to wreak havoc only apparent in his eyes and the ominous smoke curling away from the match.

   
Ken, on the other hand, sits in a meditative pose.  He exudes tranquility and certainty of purpose - his eyes are calm and beautiful and the certainty of purpose attaches to his own desire to create art.  His face is extremely beautiful and the almost life size painting contains intricate detail and potent symbols.

Figurative work is a new area for Scott, yet it reflects his desire to avoid stagnation - to continue moving forward with his own art.