“The river does not hurry. It simply moves, slowly, quietly, carrying reflections of the sky, whispers of the trees, and the stories of every shore it has touched.”
This is the Ringarooma River in north west Tasmania. An incredible location and I’m looking forward to painting it again in November when with @debbiemackinnon I will be running an @artablestudios art workshop.
Whispers Along The Water Acrylic on board 43 x 43cms
From a wonderful workshop on the the edge of the Great Dividing Range in Queensland last year. The thing I remember most was the incredible morning chorus of the Butcher birds.
Swipe for some details and my original sketch.
Listen For The Butcher Birds Acrylic on board 73 x 85cms
My geometric landscape series continues. One of the driving forces of painting is how it provides a freedom to investigate our relationship with the landscape, how we see and make sense of the world around us.
Colour light and movement acknowledging the perspective whilst hovering between the recognizable and the abstract.
The coastal path of Devon and Cornwall. One of my favorite parts of the world and thrilled to be going back there in 2027 with @debbiemackinnon for some new and exciting adventures.
We will be posting more details in the coming weeks.
If you haven’t already, why not sign up for our newsletter. Just go to the website via the link in our bios.
Coastal Pathway 2026 Acrylic and charcoal on paper 28 x 37cms
Perfect weather and two fabulous locations. Firstly a quick impression of Hardy’s Bay from just out in front of the house. The tidal changes in the bay as well as west setting sun make for a continually changing subject!
This is 3pm and an incoming tide. Perfect reflections on the rivulets and pools as white faced cranes start to peck at the shallow waters…I left them out!
Followed by some scribble pad tree studies at the Pearl Beach Arboretum.
Both sketchbook studies are in gouache and executed quickly without too much over working.
It is the immediacy of drawing that I like. Keeping a momentum going, not too concerned whether the line is accurate to reality, in fact after the first few marks, the drawing seems to take over.
Those early scribbles break the ice, they are spontaneous and impulsive and become a visual shorthand that connects facts with memory.
Which is why I like gouache so much, bringing colour to any composition with its easy fluidity.
A morning of pleinair painting high up in the beautiful Bouddi National Park, with Broken Bay in the distance.
Working fast and furious in gouache, a working sketch which may or may not become a painting. The joy was simply being out there and making something happen.
My solo show, Resonance: The Shape of Seeing was a huge success with many interesting visitors and a number of works off to new homes! I thoroughly enjoyed meeting everyone and discussing the two themes of work. Thank you to everyone for your kind and generous support.
Spring has well and truly sprung! Now it’s time to take a break, and spend some time at our house in Hardy’s Bay and planning my next body of work.
The Killcare area offers so much to do and is a source of great inspiration. 1. The Flannel Flower Walk in the Bouddi National Park. 2. The walk around the bay. 3. Shadows dancing at Putty Beach.
Fun to have an audience at @workingdog.gallery today for a short demo on charcoal and gouache. Including some audience participation! Hot tip from today- don’t overwork your gouache sketches- allow the paint to do its thing….
Last full day for Resonance tomorrow, Sunday. Gallery open from 10am- 2 pm. It’s been a fabulous two weeks with so many arty chats.
So many visitors have asked about how my paintings begin. Looking forward to talking about my studies and sketches this coming Saturday @workingdog.gallery at 11am. If you haven’t already seen the show, why not come along this weekend, I will be here on Sunday for my final day. You can see the full catalogue via the link in my bio but the paintings look so much better close up!
And on the subject of sketchbooks…
WHY NOT JOIN US ON THE GREEK ISLAND OF SKOPELOS
Yes, we are heading back with our wonderful team @artablestudios in September 2027 for 11 days of sketching and painting and exploring the greenest of all the Greek Islands.
There’s still time to see my solo show @workingdog.gallery
Two distinct themes of work. Paintings that I believe show how landscape becomes experience. Light through trees reveals the world, whilst geometry reveals the underlying rhythm.
The paintings are conversations between what the eye discovers and what the mind remembers.
Many of my visitors have asked about my process, from charcoal sketches and gouache studies to finished paintings. So…
SATURDAY MORNING TALK AND DEMO!!
Why not come along on Saturday at 11am and I will be discussing and demonstrating some of my ideas. I hope you can make it along.
What a busy and stimulating week it has been @workingdog.gallery So many visitors, great conversations and artworks destined for new homes.
Hope you can make it to the gallery in the coming week if you haven’t already seen the show. I will be there from Tuesday onwards and look forward to sharing my stories behind each of the works, how two diverse themes of landscape acknowledge each other and add up to the shared enquiry…Resonance: The Shape of Seeing.
Tomorrow, I will be hosting drinks @workingdog.gallery the from 2-5pm. Come and see the two diverse bodies of work, enjoy looking through some of my sketchbooks and take home a couple of complimentary postcards!
Resonance: The Shape of Seeing is up and running and opens tomorrow! Thrilled to see two years of work coming together and hanging on the calm, clean walls #workingdoggallery
A huge thank you to curator, artist, life partner and chief critic @debbiemackinnon 🤩 the show looks fabulous! Just needs all you lovely folks to come and take a look.
Doors open from 10am - 5pm tomorrow until 30 August. Sunday opening will be from 10am - 1pm. There will be a drinks opening this Saturday 22 August from 2-5pm.
You can see the full catalogue via the link in my bio.
I would love to chat to you about the work, as I will be at the gallery every day. There’s parking outside and both the metro and train stations are 5 minutes walk away.
Take a look at the preview catalogue via the link in my bio or visit my website www.mikestaniford.com
My favorite point in any painting, the initial shapes and forms starting to emerge, my black and white charcoal sketch as reference.
Loose brush marks, thick acrylic paint and some initial structures carved into the surface with rubber paddles! I sometimes feel this is where the painting should finish! Left in its unfinished state, denied of any further fiddling. The trick is not to take it too far.
This is based on a tiny corner of Woy Woy Bay, up on the NSW Central Coast. Bright sunlight, water through the trees, strong shadows and dense Sheoak foliage!
Paintings are after all, conversations between what the eye discovers and what the mind remembers and memory plays an important role in creating the emotive qualities.
Next week my solo show, Resonance: The Shape of Seeing opens @workingdog.gallery and I will be presenting a series of tree paintings that reflect this approach. Why not come by and I will tell you more about it!
