“The area I’ve painted is part of the Stuart Ranges, just north of Coober Pedy,” says George Cooley.
“This is a place I have visited many times since my early teens. It’s a place where I go camping, hunting, and gathering bush tucker, and where opals are found.”
Cooley has worked from memory to paint this location, documenting the landscape and its spectacular mesas, ridges, and sloping escarpments. He uses an aerial viewpoint to heighten the sense of vastness and builds up rich layers of paint with a palette knife to celebrate the extraordinary beauty of the desert’s colour, form, and light. The work also draws on his many years of prospecting for opals in the region.
To enquire about purchasing the work please contact: gallery@mosman.nsw.gov.au