Geoffrey Elliott
I came to Australia twenty years ago, from England and I was stunned by the intensity of colour and light here. But what I saw with my eyes took a long time to permeate through to my style as an artist.
I was very thoroughly trained in the English and European tradition, particularly landscape painting with its subtle low key modulations. That was how I saw it in the North and that was how I painted.
To begin with, although my eyes told me otherwise, I continued painting in the northern style. One cannot change at will a lifetime’s method of painting however hard one tries. Then, one memorable day as I stood on the veranda at Kath’s place, I looked down through the gum trees and wattle to the creek below and started to paint what I saw. This was my first truly ‘Australian’ painting.
Here are a collection of watercolours of Point Lookout, North Stradbroke Island and the beaches close by, captured in various lights depending on the weather and time of day. I particularly enjoy the early mornings and late afternoons.