Tasmania High Plains #5 | Nat Ward
In Tasmania High Plains #5, the focus is on the expansive quiet of the high plains—a landscape shaped by altitude, wind, and a long, open light. This piece captures the austere yet tender character of the high country, where muted grasses and pale earth rise toward distant, soft slopes.Working with oil and cold wax on board allows me to evoke the unique atmospheric qualities of these elevations. The wax creates a subtle translucence, as if the cool, thin air is held within the layers of pigment.
Through a process of building and scraping, the surface holds a record of movement and stillness, much like the land itself. This work is an invitation to pause and sense the quiet strength and unexpected radiance that appears within the vast openness of the high plains.
48cm x 42cm Oil and wax on board
Artist Note
Allow your eye to travel across the wide, muted stretches of the plains. This work is designed to reveal its depth slowly—notice how the light settles within the layers of wax, mimicking the cool, clear atmosphere of the high country.
