In Wattles #3, the familiar brightness of the wattle becomes both subject and sensation — a celebration of light within the muted complexity of the Australian bush. These small trees, so often seen at the roadside or scattered through dry scrub, hold a quiet power. Their blossoms mark the turning of season and the resilience of place.
 
Through oil and wax on board, I work to preserve that moment when gold breaks through shadow. The layered surface carries translucence and density — paint pushed, pulled, and veiled until the light seems to breathe from beneath. The wax traps glints of pigment like dust or pollen caught on air, creating both texture and atmosphere.
 
This painting continues my exploration of overlooked landscapes — not the grand vistas, but the modest, living spaces of resilience. Wattles #3 evokes a sensory memory: the shimmer of colour in peripheral vision, the soft hum of insects, the faint heat of late afternoon light. The wattle, to me, becomes emblematic of quiet endurance — a recurring pulse of brightness within a landscape of subtle tones.
 
My intention is not to document, but to evoke — to create a pause, a slowing of vision, where the viewer might recognise something known yet newly seen. In that glimmer of yellow, that meeting of light and surface, I hope to suggest renewal: the simple, enduring beauty of what persists.
 
40cm x 32cm Oil and wax on board