Thanks for visiting my new exhibition online!
Please click on the images to enlarge them.
If you wish to contact me about any of the paintings, please call 0431064162 or email – davidarenn@gmail.com
First light, Edge of the Simpson Desert…SOLD
Acrylic on canvas…760mm x 334mm framed size
This view arrives every morning at Chamber’s Pillar, south of Alice Springs. Like all visitors there I was drawn to the pillar itself, but the colours at dawn over the landscape were also a memorable feature for me.
Blue and Gold
Acrylic on canvas…510mm x 405mm gallery stretched, unframed
This is a bird sanctuary in the Island of Tasinge, a beautiful stretch of coastline of reeds and stony beach – proof that nature and people can mix harmoniously.
Creekbed, Blinman Gorge SA…SOLD
Acrylic on canvas…605mm x 388mm framed size
This was painted in the creek bed along Blinman Gorge, Angorichina, in South Australia.
The morning light pulled out all the subtle colours in the gum trees among the tumbled boulders.
Klitmoeller Fishermen…SOLD
Acrylic on canvas…532mm x 357mm framed size
I decided to be brave and try painting in a public place. The beach filled with boats being prepared for fishing seemed like a good subject. It all seemed to go well until one of the boats I was painting had to go! One of the fishermen came to apologise and then offered to buy the painting. I was flattered until I realised he wanted to pay with fish!
Folded Hills, Angorichina SA
Acrylic on canvas…364mm x 506mm framed size
I saw this view every day from where I was camped at Angorachina. The hills looked like they were made of folded quilting or thick cake mix.
Shades of Green, Hinding, Denmark
Acrylic on canvas
This was painted from a scene where everything seemed to be a shade of green, calm and subtle but irresistible to paint.
Halligan’s Bay, Lake Eyre…SOLD
Acrylic on canvas…758mm x 315mm framed size
Lake Eyre North is not a hospitable place when it is dry – nor an easy painting subject,
but it does have a powerful awe inspiring presence, and it is this that I have tried to capture.
I was painting around mid-day in 36deg heat and swarms of flies, but was still captivated by the sparse barren landscape.
Mist on the Water, Coochin Creek, Sunshine Coast…SOLD
Acrylic on canvas…665mm x 365mm framed size
On a canoeing trip, I woke early and took my canoe downstream to catch the first rays of the sun as they hit the trees on the far bank. Still in shadow, the mist was rising off the cool water.
The Queen’s Forest, Denmark
Acrylic on canvas…605mm x 385mm framed size
I found great pleasure in walking in a European forest. It is much more green and soft and subtle than I am used to…a bit like walking through a fairy tale.
Still Water, South Island NZ …SOLD
Acrylic on canvas…660mm x 410mm framed size
I visited the West Coast of the South Island some years ago, and went out painting with the talented and gracious Brent Trolle. This was one of the impossibly beautiful locations we tramped to and painted. I still don’t know the name of the lake, but it is in the vicinity of Hokitika.
Redland Bay Foreshore…SOLD
Acrylic on canvas…300mm x 300mm gallery wrapped, unframed
Walking around this part of Redland Bay is always a pleasure. The water and weather always show us something different every day.
Chambers Gorge Escarpment, SA
Acrylic on canvas…545mm x 338mm framed size
At first glance these rocky cliffs looked bare and forbidding in the full afternoon sun. but as the day progressed, a jumbled pattern of blue violet shadows came creeping along the escarpment, making a worthy challenge for the outdoor painter!
Test of Time, Chamber’s Gorge SA
Acrylic on canvas…554mm x 372mm framed size
Aside from being ancient, rugged, and tormented by eons of harsh weather conditions, this area was starkly beautiful. From my vantage point, I could see this reflected in both the escarpment and the huge old eucalypt in front of me.
The Last Hill
Oil on canvas…480mm x 690mm framed size
Without being too specific, this is my optimistic interpretation of all those situations we find where we need to dig deep to remind ourselves of the good things waiting for us at the end of a long road… a little inspired by the saying “and this too shall pass”.
Trefina Gorge, East MacDonnell Ranges NT…SOLD
Acrylic on canvas…575mm x 350mm framed size
This is an impossibly old and rugged, but very pretty gorge in the East MacDonnell Ranges. I was captivated by the gold of the grass in the sun, surrounded by the violet shadows of the rock faces.
Sheltered Bay, Troense, Denmark…SOLD
Acrylic on canvas…604mm x 365mm framed size
We found this quiet spot while walking on the Island of Tasinge. I returned the next day with painting gear, after having checked the bus timetable for the trip back to the hotel on the mainland. After completing the painting we returned to the bus stop to discover we had missed the last bus. The out-of-service bus that eventually came by picked us up anyway and took us most of the way back, free of charge. There are kind folks everywhere!
The Musician
Acrylic and oil on linen…610mm x 910mm gallery wrapped, unframed
There is this intangible place where we all go when we hear certain music. It takes each of us somewhere different, but very special. This is my attempt to try and grasp this concept.
Turn of the Tide, CoochieMudlo …SOLD
Acrylic on canvas…300mm x 300mm gallery wrapped, unframed
This was done from a study painted from the Community Centre above the red cliffs on Coochie’s south west corner. The low tide left all these sinewing rivulets of bright water running out from behind a screen of cypress trees.
View from Ross River
Acrylic on canvas…610mm x 300mm framed size
Behind the camping ground at Ross River homestead is a hill, which gives a wonderful outlook across the East Macdonnell Ranges. I climbed up there early one morning in time to paint the changing light.
Wallabies in Blinman Gorge
Acrylic on canvas…600mm x 384mm framed size
I was on the walking trail before the sunrise on this day, and so had time to find the right spot to paint as the sun came over the gorge. While I was painting, 2 wallabies came down to feed on the green grass by the creek bed. I don’t know if they knew I was there at first, but they were not fazed at all and fed quite close to me. it was a real privilege for me to share their morning.
Rising Mist, Stoker’s Siding NSW…SOLD
Acrylic on canvas…300mm x 300mm gallery wrapped, unframed
I did this from photos taken one morning in hilly country at Stoker’s Siding in Northern NSW.
The misty atmosphere swirled and danced as it rose and was soon gone as the sun came up, but that little window of magic was enough to inspire me to try and capture it on canvas.
Cypress Trees Flinder’s Ranges, SA
Acrylic on canvas…535mm x355mm framed size
This was an early morning painting at Angorichina in the northern Flinder’s Ranges.
The early light threw an almost unbelievable pink light across the far hills.
River Gums, Flinders Ranges SA…SOLD
Acrylic on canvas…530mm x 375mm framed size
These two huge battle-scarred River gums almost seemed like characters from a story to me.
Temple…SOLD
Acrylic on canvas…765mm x 560mm gallery wrapped, unframed
I am always drawn to painting places of lofty isolation and reflection, far from the madding crowd and mobile phone reception!
Afternoon Light, Norfolk Beach
This painting of Coochie Mudlo’s eastern beach was only recently finished, and as yet unframed. I decided to include it anyway!
Big Sky, Lake Eyre …SOLD
Acrylic and oil on canvas…650mm x 396mm framed size
On this day there was a change in the air – instead of the relentless bright blue of the outback sky, I was treated to an ever-changing panorama of cloud patterns. This aspect gave me the spark I wanted, to try and express the epic scale of the landscape.
Painted Desert…SOLD
Acrylic on canvas…750mm x 298mm framed size
This was a memorable painting experience. I had seen this view the previous afternoon and was blown away (metaphorically). I was determined to return! Of course the following afternoon was blowing a gale and only blind stubbornness would drive someone to try and paint. This time I was blown away literally!
In hindsight I am glad I did try, but it was the toughest painting I have done to date. I ended up digging in a small ledge over the edge of the escarpment for the painting gear, and then leaned into the slope and masking-taped everything together, so it wouldn’t fall or blow away. Such fun!
Wall of China…SOLD
Acrylic on canvas…758mm x 330mm framed size
This view is of a natural feature near Ross River, east of Alice Springs. The atmosphere and moving light made it an irresistible subject.
Flinder’s Beach…SOLD
Acrylic on canvas…610mm x 305mm gallery wrapped, unframed
This was painted very recently from an on-site study, on a day where the weather could have turned any way it liked in short time. Lots of sunshine on the beach was framed by rolling heavy cloud around Point Lookout.
