Being involved in leadership of our local youth group, we often went camping and hiking. This painting of Craig’s Hut is typical of mountain huts throughout the Victorian High Country however this one differs as it was originally built as a prop for the 1982 movie based on the iconic Andrew “Banjo” Paterson poem “The Man from Snowy River”. It sits high atop Mount Stirling in the Victorian Alps around 50km from Mansfield. It was named Craig’s Hut after the family of the lead character in the film, Jim Craig, played by Tom Burlinson. Bushfires ravaged the hut in 2006 but it was rebuilt and opened to the public 2 years later. The views from this site are breathtaking. I painted this iconic hut and surrounds filled with beauty, due to many happy memories created in this area.

These cheeky little bursts of colour, begin a feeding frenzy on the new blossom of Australian natives such as grevilleas, callistemon and banksias. Rainbow Lorikeets love pollen and nectar and often visit the same trees each day at the same time hence I named this painting “Happy Hour”. Happy for both them and those lucky enough to witness their playful antics.

Pelicans are quite majestic and I love the way they move around rather awkwardly trying to deal with their very large beak. You could mistake them for being rather clumsy. This painting was inspired from a friend who took the photo just when this pelican was landing in the bay. I added a few touches to balance the composition. The buoy floating behind, I added for the small splash of colour. You can almost imagine the sound of the pelican landing in the almost calm waters with the disturbed water trailing behind.

Pelicans are Australian birds, found throughout our waterways. They are Australia’s largest flying bird and have the longest bill of any bird in the world! They use their throat pouch, which can hold up to 13 litres of water, to trawl for fish. Pelicans are not capable of sustained flapping flight, but can remain in the air for 24 hours, covering hundreds of kilometres.