101cm x 101cm

Acrylic, oil pastels, earth pigments on canvas, stitched on stretched stained canvas

The Mountains Never Sleep series was created during my art residency in Queenstown, Tasmania last year. While living and working in this landscape, I spent long periods observing the geological processes embedded in the mountains surrounding the town, particularly the remnants of old mining sites near Mt. Owen. These scarred surfaces, exposed layers, and weathered textures reveal a slow, ongoing dialogue between time, extraction, erosion, and regeneration.

The work reflects my fascination with the mountains as ancient, active bodies—never truly still, despite their apparent immobility. I was drawn to the mineral stains, fractured rock faces, and sedimentary layers shaped by both natural forces and human intervention. These observations informed my use of texture, mark-making, and earth-based color.

Painted on loose canvas and later stitched onto a stained support, the work preserves the edges of its making. The stains, created from Tasmanian clay and soil, physically anchor the painting to the land. In this way, the work is not only an image of the landscape, but a material extension of it—carrying the presence, memory, and weight of place.