THE Gallery Balranald is currently showcasing the work of professional artist Graham Hearn.
His latest exhibition, Big Skies and Farmscapes, reflects the vast scale and character of the Australian landscape.
Hearn’s aerial farmscapes highlight the patterns, textures and colours of working farms viewed from above.
“I find it fascinating to see a property laid out like that,” he said.
“A big painting of the house, the driveway, the trees, the shearing shed, the machinery sheds, where the cropping is.
“It makes for a really interesting landscape, and it can be a really special memento.”
The idea for his farmscapes grew out of a familiar sight on many rural properties.
“All the farmers around us had aerial photographs of their properties from a plane,” Hearn said.
“They were usually about A4 size and always stuck behind the toilet door or in the study as a talking piece.
“I thought I’d like to do something people can actually have in their lounge room instead.”
In recent years, many of his commissions have come from families leaving the land.
“What I’m finding a lot at the moment is mum and dad, who’ve been on the farm for 50 years, are moving into the nearest town,” he said.
“They’ll get me to paint the property so when they move, they’ve got this beautiful painting on the wall as a reminder.”
Alongside his farmscapes are other large-scale works rich in colour and movement, a style Hearn said was inspired by his childhood on the land.
“I grew up on a 2500-acre property just west of Deniliquin,” he said.
“Back then, growing up on the farm, you always had the big skies.
“The sun came up on one side and went down on the other, with lots of horizons and distance in between.
“Most of the paintings have some element of that big, open sky I grew up with.”
Hearn said his approach was driven more by feeling than by sticking to a single subject.
“For me, painting is an expression of colour and movement,” he said.
“I don’t really paint to a fixed theme, I paint what I feel, and what I think I’d enjoy seeing on a wall.”
He added that he often became completely absorbed in the process.
“I get completely lost in the canvas,” he said.
“I don’t think about anything else, I’m just focused on the work.
“But I’m also able to step back and say, ‘Maybe it needs this, maybe it needs that.’ I just go with what works.”
The gallery’s workshop coordinator and sustainability officer, Kyla O’Halloran, said Hearn’s work has been a striking addition to the space.
“I love his colour and his vibrance. He really captures the openness of the Australian outback,” she said.
Ms O’Halloran encouraged locals and visitors to come and see the exhibition.
“We encourage the community to come along,” she said.
“There’s great art, you never know what you’re going to find.”
Big Skies and Farmscapes is on display at The Gallery Balranald until 7 January.
