my brother in law Bill is a landscape artist.

he gains as much satisfaction from sitting in the hills or beaches at his easel, doing the initial paintings, as he does in the more developed semi abstract finished work in his studio. Landscape painting has given him hours, days, weeks and decades of time outdoors painting. He is a big, powerful farming man with strong opinions - but his paintings are very lyrical and sensitive.

he also paints from his boat, landscapes and oceanscapes.

When I went to visit my sister and Bill a couple of weeks ago, he gave me a beautiful painting, which is now in my living room. When I look at it, I feel his enjoyment of the trees in the painting, and his keen observation of the shapes, shadows and pinks and golden yellows of the countryside near Dungog.