Margaret River Vineyard Paintings

In the heat of summer the grapes are hidden under the leaves of the vine, to protect them from the sun. This painting is showing the stunning Margaret River dawn light that you see between five and six in the morning – if you can get up early enough. These fully laden Chardonnay vines are soaking up the warmth.

This is a scene at about six or seven in the evening. Caves Road is that line of trees. I remember that particular twilight. The view had just got better and better so I couldn’t bring myself to leave. The owner was a lovely man who was happy to let me stay until the light went. Then he generously gave me a lift down to the gate with all my gear.

Painting into the light is always a challenge and I’m pleased with how this picture turned out. I love the Marri trees. In particular, I like it when they’re fully grown like this and not cut back. They spread out like a bunch of flowers, and the light shines up underneath them. This is a lovely place to sit and to be warmed by the sun.

We are standing in the vineyard at about six o’clock on a late afternoon in summer. This is the second dam down from the top in a series of five. The sunset is still over an hour away and it’s still and hot.

The treeline is Caves Road. This is toward the end of January when it’s really hot.

We are standing on the northern boundary of a Margaret River winery. There’s a big stand of Jarrah trees in the distance. We are looking east as the moon rises in the late evening.

One day I was painting in the vineyards and I spotted some secateurs. They’d been left behind on a post. I was suddenly so impressed that all these vines were hand pruned. What an extraordinary labour of love.

We are looking at a romantic dawn scene in the vineyards of Margaret River. Young people are playing the guitar and enjoying themselves. They are the seasonal workers who come to pick the grapes in the summer.

These are vineyards near Dunsborough. The ocean is just over the other side of those Marri’s. I didn’t pay much attention to the name of the place because I was so delighted by the colours of the Marri’s and vines.

We are in a vineyard looking towards Caves Road. This is around March or April in the late afternoon. It is an oil painting that feels like a watercolour because I’ve smoothed the paint out. You get that blended feel that gives a softer autumn feel.

This is a very recognisable sort of view you’ll see in the vineyards down at Margaret River. We are looking down across the valley to Wildwood Road. The road is hidden behind those trees in the middle. There’s a vastness to the valley and the sky.

We are looking across a Margaret River vineyard with Leeuwin Ridge in the background. Caves Road is that line of trees.

We are looking at Harmans Mill Road around midday in high summer. You can see I’m very taken by the vivid blue sky and the bright light.

We can see the big stand of Jarrah that is very prominent on the ridge in between the wineries of Margaret River.

It is late afternoon in the Margaret River summer. We are looking at the view of Caves Road and the vineyards on a hot day.

This painting is about the experience of looking into a blaze of colour. The detail of what is around you recedes because the light is intense. We are looking at the late summer sun in the afternoon. Those pompom plants are providing golden reflected light.