Secluded Waters.
Acrylic on canvas
123 x 153cms
Swipe for details.
#lightonwater #paintinglight #reflections #momentintime #paintingtrees #australianlandscape #landscapepainting #bayarea #contemporarylandscape #farhorizon #acrossthebay #lovetrees #lightontrees #contemporarypainting #momentsintime #artbuyer #artcollector #artinthehome #art #escapism #mikestaniford
Thrilled to be part of COAST TO COAST opening 2 - 26 March at Michael Reid Murrurundi AND Michael Reid Southern Highlands, a collaborative exhibition series with Country Style Magazine.
Artists featured include:
Julianne Ross Allcorn @juliallcorn
Artists of Ampilatwatja @artists_of_ampilatwatja
Julz Beresford @julzberesford_artist
Yannick Blattner @yannickblattner
Carly Le Cerf @carlylecerf
Brooke Dalton @bdalton78
Leighton Edwards @leighton.edwards
Mim Fluhrer @mimfluhrer
Julie Lucht de Freibruch @smartcoconut
Louise Frith @louise_frith_
Joanna Gambotto @joannagambotto
Anthony Guerrera @anthonyguerrera.art
Melissa Kenihan. @melsart111
Chantel de Latour @chantel_delatour
Any Nguyen @msanhpaints
Mike Staniford @mikestaniford
Steve Tyerman @stevetyermanartist
Lucy Vader @lucyvader1
Hannah Van der Wal @hannahvanderwalartist
Ben Waters @bensartworld
Sally West @sallywestart
Jo White @jowhitestudio
Dino Wilson @jilamaraartsandcrafts
No Wong @b_o_w_o_n_g
Nicola Woodcock @nicolawoodcockart
Djirrirra Wununmurra Yukuwa @bukuartnow
Register Online: @michaelreid.southernhighlands
@countrystylemag @murraart #countrystyle countryhome #australianlandscape #australianartist #coasttocoadt #contemporaryart #artexhibition #coastalviews #coastaliving #artgallery #michaelreidsouthernhighlands #berrima #murrart #michaelreidmurrurundi
There’s a fabulous walk which is part of the South Devon coastal path, which leaves the small hamlet of Noss Mayo on the River Yealm and winds its way around the coast to the top of the headland. Plymouth Sound comes into view and on a clear day you can stare well down the Cornish coast towards the open Atlantic. This hawthorn tree waits at the very end and I’ve observed it many times, angled by the constant wind, catching everything the elements can throw at it! This one is a recently finished piece, painted from sketches and an earlier painting which I wasn’t happy with and have subsequently destroyed. I’ll be over there again in August and look forward to catching up with this old friend. Don’t you have favourite trees you like to visit over and over? Swipe for details.
This Old Friend
Acrylic on board
43 x 50cms
#trees #oldfriends #treesofinstagram #arborealists #hawthorntree #windswept #devonlife #devoncoastalpath #coastal #devoncoastline #nossmayo #nossmayocoastalwalk #landscapepainting #contemporarybritishart #contemporaryart #mikestaniford
One from the archives and my watercolour days and a past Mosman Art Prize finalist. The white sail in the distance makes this composition for me, the eye being drawn all the way down the beach to this point of activity. A simple, small work, 15 x 20cms, which I just cannot part with.
Balmoral Beach
Watercolour on decent paper
#balmoralbeach #beachlife #sailboats #saillife #sydneyharbour #harbourbeaches #landscapepainting #watercolour #watercolourpainting #worksonpaper #mikestaniford
Through the window to the lawn and on towards the beach. The peak of summer. I like to identify the design in a landscape, scale, configuration, atmosphere. To enjoy the vantage point, angles and perspectives leading the eye In and around the composition. I also like the idea of the distant ocean and surf and the heat from the beach pushing against the counter point of cool shade and resting indoors.
Beach From The Window
Acrylic on board
43 x 43cms
#summervibes #summertime #tothebeach #beachlife #vantagepoint #throughthewindow #viewforview #blueskies #strongshadows #landscapepainting #momentintime #intothelight #lovetrees #paintingtrees #mikestaniford
Looking forward to being back on King Island again in early March, with a group of fellow landscape painters. What a place. Deserted beaches, shipwrecked coastlines and calcified forests. Talk about the landscape as emotion! It’s an island in the Bass Strait between the Australian mainland and Tasmania and it’s landscapes find their way into your imagination via all your senses. Here’s a few works on paper from my last trip.
#kingisland #tasmaniagram #artworkshop #arttravel #pleinairpainting #pleinair #bassstrait #landscapelovers #landscapepainting #landscapepaintingworkshops #fivesenses @art.travel.adventures
Where My Music’s Playing 2021
Acrylic on board
124 x 104cms
Available now. For more details contact: @beckerminty
#australianlandscape #beckerminty #landscapepainting #contemporarylandscape #paintinglight #lovetrees #lightontrees #contemporarypainting #momentsintime #artbuyer #artcollector #artinthehome #art #escapism #mikestaniford
I keep going until it comes round to what I want and how I remember my time at Mystery Bay. Observation and memory are everything and whilst I have a quick pastel drawing to work from, it has to take on another quality when it comes to paint. The dancing shadows are what I remember most.
Acrylic on board, 63 x 63cms
#dancingshadows #shadowplay #mysterybay #nswcoast #australianlandscape #landscapepainting #contemporarylandscape #paintinglight #lovetrees #lightontrees #contemporarypainting #momentsintime #artbuyer #artcollector #artinthehome #art #escapism #mikestaniford
The latest in my Bay Area series and the smallest work on the subject so far. I wanted to convey all the emotive qualities of light, distance and sense of horizon at a much smaller scale and with a limited colour palette. It works for me.
Resplendent
Acrylic on board
43 x 43cms
#resplendany #intothelight #paintinglight #bayarea #horizons #australianlandscape #landscapepainting #contemporarylandscape #paintingtrees #lovetrees #lightontrees #lightonwater #reflections #contemporarypainting #momentsintime #artbuyer #artcollector #artinthehome #art #escapism #mikestaniford
Hardy’s Bay sketchbook. It’s a very tidal bay, the water sweeping out to the oyster beds before coming back in to the foreshore. Hence the patterns of partly covered mudbanks picking up the reflections of the evening light. It’s a constantly changing panorama and continually reminds me of Noss Mayo, my favorite Devon haunt. Can’t wait to be back there in August.
#sketchbook #eveninglight #sketchbookart #hardysbay #killcare #nswcoast #timesofday #gouachepainting #gouachelandscape #landscapepainting #gouacheartist #momentsintime
T It’s a very tidal bay, the water sweeping out to the oyster beds before coming back in the foreshore. Hence the patterns of partly covered mudbanks picking up the evening light. They are all executed in gouache 300gsm (Winsor &Newton) sketchbook. The last frame is acrylic on board.
When the deck overlooking the bay serves as a studio. Rethinking some earlier work and experimenting with some new pieces, all the time being watched by visitors…King Parrots, Honeyeaters, Lorikeets and the odd nosey Kookaburra.
I’ve spent the last three weeks reflecting on the past year and where to push the boundaries of the work in the months ahead. Sometimes you just have to suspend your agenda, kick back and give yourself the thinking time essential to any art practice.
#studiolife #outdoorstudio #onthebay #overlookingthewater #thinkingtime #onreflection #stopandthink #experimenting #newartworks #developingnewideas #kickingback #australianlandscape #australianlandscapepainting #contemporarypainting #contemoraryart #lovetrees #paintingtrees #art #artgalleries #australianartgalleries #artcollectors #mikestaniford
It always starts with drawing and often a small quick sketch with a biro. The first three here are only 10 x10cms but so much gets committed to memory in the few minutes it takes to scribble away. And I usually add some notes on colour or what I might add or takeaway. The fourth drawing is with pastel and charcoal and conveys more clarity about the complex foliage of trees. Finally a painting that started on location but was finished in the studio. Acrylic on board, 43 x 43cms. How important is the initial sketch to you?
#sketch #drawingsketch #drawings #fieldstudy #memory #scribbles #differentmediums #mixedmedia #fastandloose #composition #trees #drawingtrees #lovetrees #landscapepainter #contemporaryart #australianlandscapepainting #australianart #landscapelover
Sometimes less is more and what you leave out makes an important contribution to the end result. I started this one four years ago in Umbria, quickly spreading in a background wash as the last moments of light faded away. Making a visual note of olive groves, the valleys shadows and the white tracks and roads.
Picking it up again after all this time, I wanted the detail and fabric of the rural landscape to sit below the surface, instead capturing the soft tones of pink and the orange aura of light that kissed the hillsides goodnight.
A lot more abstract than my normal approach but the painting kept telling me to hold back, keep it simple, enough is enough. Who am I to argue!
Acrylic on paper
420 x 600cms
#eveninglight #paintinglight #hillsandvalleys #umbria #italianhillsides #workonpaper #landscapepainting #contemporarylandscape #contemporarypainting #momentsintime #artbuyer #artcollector #artinthehome #art #escapism #mikestaniford
The luminosity of light from way across the bay provides an interesting backdrop to the trees that fringe the shoreline. It’s a painting about light and how a distant source conveys a depth and perspective to the subject. I want you to appreciate both the shimmer on the water and the intricacy of the foliage and branches trying to obstruct the background.
The Journey Home
Acrylic on polyester
63 x 63cms
#lightonwater #shimmer #perspectives #luminocity #radiance #trees #treesofinstagram #paintingtrees #lightpainting #lightandnature #australianlandscape #landscapepainting #contemporarylandscape #paintinglight #lovetrees #lightontrees #contemporarypainting #momentsintime #artbuyer #artcollector #artinthehome #art #escapism #mikestaniford
Delighted that Tide In Transition has found a new home in Melbourne. I really enjoyed the challenge of painting the shifting light as the water quickly engulfed the edge of the bay. It lent itself to an interesting abstraction. Many thanks to the buyer and to Jason Minty and the fabulous new team @beckerminty Hobart. Have a look at beckerminty.com to see more of my artworks currently available along with a great collective of other artists. And if you’re lucky enough to be in Tasmania then make sure you pop in to the new gallery and design emporium. Can’t wait to be there myself in March.
#beckerminty #hobart #newgallery #interiordesign #tide #bayarea #abstraction #australianlandscape #landscapepainting #contemporarylandscape #paintinglight #lovetrees #lightontrees #contemporarypainting #momentsintime #artbuyer #artcollector #artinthehome #art #escapism #mikestaniford
After heavy rains, the surprise element of a small pool of water in the bush, throwing up reflections, creating a temporary impasse to the crest of the hill. One of several new works emerging from the studio.
Waters Of The Earth
Acrylic on board
85 x 100cms
#bushland #australianbush #waterhole #aftertherains #reflections #newworks #australianlandscape #boldcolours #abstraction #landscapepainting #contemporarylandscape #paintinglight #lovetrees #lightontrees #contemporarypainting #momentsintime #artbuyer #artcollector #artinthehome #art #escapism #mikestaniford
Pathways to the beach and a series of charcoal drawings capturing information and then processing and representing that information; changing elements, adding components to suit the composition. Putting in and taking out is all part of the process, then cropping, rubbing out and starting again! You eventually arrive at that point where psychologically, you know it works! They all represent a spontaneous and direct landscape experience and for that reason I want to leave people out.
#charcoaldrawing #charcoalsketch #charcoaltrees #fieldstudies #composition #pathways #oceanbeach #coastalview #perspective #perspectivedrawing #fromtheland #distanthorizon #spatialdrawing #pictorialspace #australianlandscape #landscapedrawing #contemporarylandscape #paintinglight #lovetrees #lightontrees #contemporaryart #momentsintime #artbuyer #artcollector #artinthehome #art #escapism #mikestaniford
I do love a road trip and this is from one of my favourites from 2022. The north west corner of Tasmania with Cradle Mountain National Park on the horizon and the small town of Sheffield just a few kms down the road. As soon as we came over the crest of a hill, the angles, distance and sense of perspective made me want to stop and create a quick study in my sketchbook, which this painting is worked from.
Road To The Promised Land
Acrylic on polyester cotton
85 x 105cms
#roadtrip #promisedland #tasmania #discovertasmanìa #roadahead #journeys #cradlemountainnationalpark #australianlandscape #landscapepainting #contemporarylandscape #paintinglight #lovetrees #clouds #contemporarypainting #perspective #momentsintime #artbuyer #artcollector #artinthehome #art #escapism #mikestaniford
One moment of light breaking through the clouds changes everything.
Against The Light
Acrylic on polyester cotton
85 x 105cms
#paintinglight #effectoflight #backlit #lightontrees #paintingtrees #lovetrees #treesofinstagram #australianlandscape #landscapepainting #killcare #hardysbay #nswcentralcoast #contemporarylandscape #contemporarypainting #momentsintime #artbuyer #artcollector #artinthehome #art #escapism #mikestaniford
Playing with watercolour for the first time in years. It used to be my favorite medium, especially when travelling…swipe for a building in Venice, the streets of Istanbul, the Isle of Skye, the River Yealm estuary in Devon, a minimalist view of Dartmoor, a farmer’s shed in Umbria and Notto in Sicily.
But it’s not an easy medium, especially if like me you’re not a wet into wet painter. I would love to hear your thoughts, tips and techniques and do reach out to me with questions if I can give any ideas back.
I’m looking forward to international travel again this year, the first time in four years! Back to Umbria, an art residency in Ireland, travels through England and an art workshop on the Greek island of Skopelos! Sketchbooks will be an essential part of my travelling kit!
#2023 #watercolourart #watercolourpainting #newyear #newstart #travelsketchbooks #joyoftravel #journeys #traveljournal #sketchbookescapism #artistsoninstagram #challengeyourself #sharingideas #mikestaniford
The singularity of trees. Just a few of my tree friends from this year. A privilege to have travelled across the nation and to some of its far flung corners and I thank and acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the various Indigenous Nations of Australia.
I am drawn to landscape and in particular trees, perhaps because of their sense of personality and their important implication to our history and future ecology. And what a pleasure they are to look at and talk to!
Thank you to all who have followed me, shared their own experiences, turned up at my exhibitions and acquired paintings! Your ongoing support is fantastic.
So until 2023…er tomorrow, when it all begins again, a very Happy New Year to you all.
#happynewyear #hugethanks #gratitude #acrossaustralia #importanceoftrees #personalities #contemporaryart #lightintrees #lovetrees #pleinair #mikestaniford #landscapepainting #paintingtrees
Couldn’t resist a couple of quick works on paper of Hardy’s Bay seen from our deck. A combination of gouache and the Liquitex acrylic gouache which flows beautifully and is great to push around the surface. Artist @euan.macleod recommended them to me a while back and I would urge you to give them a try. I would be very interested to hear how you…share a few tips and ideas.
#hardysbay #nswcentralcoast #endofyear #awayfromthecity #worksonpaper #lightinwater #thewayofwater #australianlandscape #landscapepainting #contemporarylandscape #paintinglight #lovetrees #lightontrees #contemporarypainting #momentsintime #artbuyer #artcollector #artinthehome #art #escapism #mikestaniford
The shimmering light across the bay. The ever-changing radiance provides me with constant artistic stimulation, whatever the time of day or night and whatever the weather. There’s always a surprise as nature performs, particularly the shadows which seem to animate as the light shifts and changes.
Gilded Bay
Acrylic on polyester cotton
123 x 123cms
#bayarea #goldenlight #gilded #lightonwater #lightontrees #australianlandscape #landscapepainting #contemporarylandscape #paintinglight #lovetrees #lightontrees #contemporarypainting #momentsintime #artbuyer #artcollector #artinthehome #art #escapism #mikestaniford
Merry Christmas to you all, whatever and wherever you are celebrating and whatever the weather. I want to thank each and every one of you for your wonderful commentary and support this year.
I’m looking forward to a family break and sitting under a Moreton Bay Fig, just like this one at Sydney’s Balmoral Beach with a cold beer in hand.
Peace and goodwill to you all. See you in January. x
#christmastree #onthebeach #sydneychristmas #peace #goodwill #bestwishes #mikestaniford
The mountainous backdrop to these elegant, assertive eucalyptus trees really caught my eye. The mid afternoon light bringing out the lush colours of the grasslands. I added in the figures busy at work in an otherwise quiet, secluded landscape.
Swipe for details including the first sketch in charcoal and pastel.
Repairing The Gate
Acrylic on polyester cotton
84 x 104cms
#nswlandscape #southcoast ##australianlandscape #farmland #menatwork #landscapepainting #contemporarylandscape #paintinglight #lovetrees #lightontrees #contemporarypainting #momentsintime #artbuyer #artcollector #artinthehome #art #escapism #mikestaniford
A new piece from my Bushwalk series and worked from my black and white charcoal drawing. It’s at a point on the walk, where you are almost at the pinnacle of the bushland and suddenly the ocean appears as if by magic and everything changes; you smell the breeze, hear a distant surf and realize you are at one with nature. It doesn’t get any better.
The Ocean Beyond
Acrylic on board and tray-framed in white
40 x 58cms framed size
#bushwalking #bushwalk #oceanside #oceanview #oceanbeyond #australianlandscape #landscapepainting #contemporarylandscape #paintinglight #lovetrees #lightontrees #contemporarypainting #momentsintime #artbuyer #artcollector #artinthehome #art #escapism #mikestaniford
