East Gippsland Landscapes & the Power of a Red Underpainting

Over the past few weeks I’ve been creating a series of tiny oil painting miniatures, each one inspired by the landscapes of East Gippsland. Working small has become a beautiful way to loosen up, experiment, and let intuition take the lead. These mini pieces feel like little windows into familiar places — moments of light, movement and memory captured in just a few brushstrokes.

Lately I’ve been curious about how underpainting can shift the mood of a landscape, so I decided to try something I don’t normally use: a bold red ground.

As soon as the first colours went down, I could feel the energy change. The red sits quietly underneath the greens and blues, but it pushes through in subtle ways — creating a warmth, a soft glow, and a sense of vibration under the surface. It’s amazing how a hidden layer can influence everything that comes after it.

These small studies are becoming a space for me to explore new directions in my work:

– how colour supports memory

– how the landscape holds emotion

– how a simple shift in foundation can transform the whole painting

I’m excited to see where these experiments lead as I move back into larger canvases. For now, these tiny East Gippsland moments are teaching me a lot, one miniature at a time.