Mike Staniford - Wetlands, 2023 - Acrylic on polycotton - 104x104cm framed

In the far reaches of the Tasmanian wilderness, Debbie Mackinnon and Mike Staniford unearthed nature’s most awe-inspiring secrets. Here, amidst glorious colour palettes, spectacular skies, and the freshest air in Australia, they immersed themselves in the untamed beauty of these remote landscapes, each interpreting what they saw through their unique artistic lenses. Debbie and Mike are not only life partners but creative collaborators, travelling and working side-by-side. Their conversations with each other and with the landscape led to a multitude of studies and drawings made en plein air. Back in their Sydney studios, they utilised these field notes to create larger works on canvas, panel and paper. Their distinctive bodies of work reveal two very different interpretations of the same journey through Tasmania, epitomising the immortal words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “the landscape belongs to the person who looks at it”.