Original artwork description:

Settlement Day depicts a dark, mysterious figure looming over an idyllic rural valley. Ghastly sheep mill around, and the atmosphere is one of foreboding.
At the same time it is very funny, with playful interactions between sheep and sheepdog and a slightly deranged lamb in the foreground. It is meticulously painted in rich colours using traditional hand-ground oil paints with confident brushwork and a high degree of finish.
The history of Tasmania, like other former British colonies, has a sad history of invasion, dispossession and degradation of its native peoples. You can decide what you like about this image - are these the rightful owners returning home, or the invaders? Or are they just passing through on the way somewhere else?
I had a lot of fun painting this picture, after mulling over the idea in my mind for several years and it's one of the very few paintings that pretty much fulfilled my hopes for it.

Materials used:

oil paint

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