Holy Mountain

Respect the Mountain is holding an exhibition from 9 to 12 August 2018 at the Long Gallery, Salamanca Arts Centre, Hobart. To quote the exhibition organisers:

Dear kunanyi is an exhibition of contemporary artistic responses to kunanyi / Mount Wellington. The exhibition looks at our relationship with the mountain, its importance to our city and its presence in our lives. We are creating a patchwork quilt of experiences, thrown around us just when the winter is at its darkest, and we need it most.

This is the painting I did for the show:

Holy Mountain    oil on canvas     90 cm x 212 cm

I don't know how Tasmania's original inhabitants regarded it, but over the past two centuries kunanyi has been explored by bushrangers, scientists, athletes and holiday makers. On its slopes you can find many traces of past activity.

This painting is a playful meditation on the various people who have enjoyed kunanyi. Do not attempt to take it literally – let your imagination wander among the rocks and bushes, feel the sun on your back and the wind in your face, and next time you stroll along one of the many mountain paths, hear the spirits of those who walked kunanyi before you.

A week later:

When I went to collect my painting from the gallery I discovered I had won second prize in the People's Choice award! Many thank yous to all you lovely people who liked my painting better than the other hundred and fifty or so in the exhibition.