In the lead-up to the Affordable Art Fair Brisbane, the studio had taken on a different rhythm. Paintings steadily moving out — some already placed, others with Gold Coast Gallery — and the quiet accumulation of work had shifted into something more fluid. There was a sense of things leaving, arriving, and finding their way into new spaces.
The fair itself is always something I look forward to. Each year it brings a different energy — a chance for the work to be seen in person, to sit among other artists, and to reach people who may not have encountered it otherwise. Working with Gold Coast Gallery has been a meaningful part of that process. Their support, and the opportunity to be represented by the gallery at the fair, is something I value greatly.
In the studio, there is always a balance to hold. Some works are made to meet people quickly — smaller pieces, immediate, resolved in a single sitting. Others take longer, asking for space, restraint, and a willingness to let the painting unfold more slowly. Moving between these two ways of working is not always straightforward, but it feels honest. Each informs the other. The smaller works carry a directness and clarity, while the larger ones hold a quieter, more sustained presence.
A number of the paintings prepared for the fair found homes ahead of time. Others are now with the gallery, waiting to be seen in person. It’s a reminder that the work does not stay still for long — it moves, it shifts, and it continues on beyond the studio.
At the centre of it all, the work remains what it has always been — an exploration of stillness, distance, and the quiet that follows weather. Whether large or small, each painting is an attempt to hold that moment where the landscape pauses — where light settles and something internal becomes visible.
After the Fair
The Affordable Art Fair Brisbane has now come and gone, leaving behind new conversations, new collectors and a clearer understanding of how this body of work is being received beyond the studio.
Several paintings found new homes throughout the event, while others continue their journey through galleries and private collections. More valuable than any single outcome was the opportunity to see the work gathered together and viewed through fresh eyes. Watching people pause, return and spend time with particular paintings offered a reminder that landscape is often about recognition as much as place. We bring our own memories, weather and experiences to what we see.
One of the enduring themes throughout the collection was renewal. Again and again, viewers were drawn to paintings that explored the quiet after change, the moment when weather begins to clear and the land settles into itself once more. It reinforced many of the ideas currently shaping the work in the studio.
Looking back, the fair was not simply an exhibition but part of a larger journey. The paintings have continued outward, finding homes in different places, while the experience itself has quietly informed the next body of work now emerging. As always, the studio returns to its familiar rhythm: paint, light, weather and the endless search for stillness within the landscape.
