This painting goes back to a 2018 stop at Lake Ballard under the high noon sun, with Antony Gormley’s installation etched firmly into my memory. It was honestly one of the messiest places I’ve ever been - thick mud caked onto our shoes, easily two inches deep, clinging with every step as we explored. That physical experience really stayed with me.

When painting, I leaned into layered drips, scrapes, and luminous pinks and ochres to capture that feeling. The salt lake becomes both a place and a metaphor - harsh, shifting, and alive, while a solitary Gormley-inspired figure stands a quiet witness.

For me, it captures the spirit of the Outback. It’s expansive and resilient, where isolation coexists with connection, and where diversity is embedded not just in people, but in the land itself. The Outback isn’t one thing. It’s a convergence of histories, cultures, and ecologies.