The Power of Black and White Newsletter 14/4/2025
I began studying at the Academy of Realist Art in Toronto to refine my portrait work—and it’s done more than that. It’s reignited my passion for traditional, realistic drawing.
As a kid, I loved working in pencil. But once you become a painter, drawing often becomes the underlayer—something to build on, not something to finish. This course reminded me just how powerful graphite and charcoal can be on their own. No colour, no distraction—just tone, form, and raw emotion.
Through the Academy’s program, I began with the Charles Bargue Drawing Course and progressed to charcoal cast studies. It’s all about meticulous observation, understanding how light and shadow turn form, and learning the patience and precision it takes to truly see. That training allowed me to fully embrace these two charcoal commissions—Butterfly Kisses and The Green and the Blue.
As I drew my niece’s twins, the song Butterfly Kisses by Bob Carlisle kept running through my mind. It not only inspired the title but also the delicate watercolour butterflies I included—symbolic of two young people who will one day spread their wings and take flight on their own life journeys.
The Green and the Blue is a family portrait of a mother and child, commissioned by the grandmother. As a surprise for her, I included the grandparents reflected in the eyes—turning it into a true generational portrait.
I love creating work like this—capturing a moment in time, a loved one, something deeply personal. For me, it’s not just about painting a likeness—it’s about connection, emotion, and storytelling.
If you’ve been thinking about a portrait, I’d love to talk.
Warmly,
Rowena
Where My Landscape Inspiration Comes From Newsletter 19/5/25
I’m often asked where I get the inspiration for my landscape paintings. The truth is, unless I’m working on a commission and the client has supplied a reference photo, every one of my paintings begins with something I’ve seen myself.
I’d love to do more plein air painting, but in Mount Isa, there are only a couple of weeks each year when the weather is cool enough to make it possible. So, I take a lot of photos. Since I’m usually up at 3am each morning to paint, working from my own photo references is essential. But even though I’m indoors, I can still feel the essence of the bush—the early morning birdsong, the thump of a wallaroo bounding out of sight, startled by this crazy old lady disturbing its peaceful hilltop vista.
Just this past Sunday morning, my neighbour, my sons, and I climbed the hills in front of where I live. We left in the dark to be on the ridges as the sun rose. Watching the first light slowly illuminate the Mount Isa stacks and the hills behind town is a sight I never tire of. That’s why many of my Mount Isa landscapes feature those iconic stacks in the distance.
There are no walking tracks over these hills, and I’m one of only a handful of people who’ve climbed them. They don’t look too tall from afar, but once you’re up there, navigating the steep terrain—especially coming back down—can be tricky. Thankfully, my trusty walking poles give me spider-like stability on those sharp descents.
I’ve been clambering through this hill range for over 15 years, and each time I end up on a different wallaroo pad, discovering a new area, a different gully, a fresh vista. The landscape is always changing—some years it's dry and bare after fire season, other years it bursts with plant life and blooms you won’t find on the flats.
Yes, I’m sore today. But that high you get from standing on top of the hills, immersed in a world usually seen only by roos and birds, brings peace and balance to my soul. I come home with hands itching to paint what I’ve just experienced—to give others, especially those who can’t make the climb, a glimpse into this wild, beautiful world just beyond the ridgeline.
Have a great week.
Cheers Rowena
Ps Thanks for the photo Marta
“Through the Curry Hills”
Newsletter 8/4/25
My latest painting “Through the Curry Hills” for our Cloncurry Exhibition Opening Night 30th of July showing through to the end of August.
I don’t paint pretty postcard pictures, I paint reality. It’s a portrait of resilience, a landscape shaped by time, seared by heat, and carved by flood. This is real Australia—untouched by man, raw and alive.
If you’ve ever stood in the Selwyn Ranges, you’ve felt it— the weight, the remoteness, the immense calm and harsh beauty. Depicting the ancient history of this breathtaking land. The bloodwoods and spinifex are survivors, every bit as tough as the rocky ridges they cling to and the wildlife they shelter.
I didn’t paint this to simply show what I saw. I painted it to share what I feel.
In 2021 my friend, Liz Debney, myself and a dedicated support crew, led over twenty people on foot and on horse from Cloncurry to Mount Isa in an 8-day hike over the Selwyn and Argyle Ranges, to raise money for cuddle beds for Palliative Care.
The cause was a great one, the scenery was spectacular, and the friendships formed, heartwarming. We raised enough money to place one Cuddle Bed in the Cloncurry Hospital and two in the Mount Isa Palliative Care Unit, which was a great effort from everyone.
Click on the link Below, if that doesn’t work, in You Tube, go to Claire Murphy Metalwork then Walk Ride Run for Palliative Care.