Near Ormiston Gorge, West MacDonnell Ranges, Central Australia 1955

This is Albert Namatjira’s watercolour, "Near Ormiston Gorge, West MacDonnell Ranges, Central Australia." I can almost feel the brush dancing lightly on the paper, layering delicate washes to capture the vast, sun-drenched landscape. Look at the reddish cliffs meeting those pale blue distant mountains. Can you sense the dry heat and stillness of the Australian outback? I wonder what it was like for Namatjira to paint this scene? What does it feel like to truly be in this place? The gentle greens and browns of the trees and earth suggest a kind of quiet resilience, echoing the artist's own story. He was able to capture a very specific sense of light and place. And when I look at that single, spare tree in the foreground, I am reminded of his unique vision. Like all painters, Namatjira was having a conversation with those who came before, sharing his vision of the world, stroke by stroke. And the conversation never ends; paintings allow for endless stories.