Heading North

“Dreaming of Shambahla' Detail. Acrylic and Oil Paint, with Gold Leaf on Wood Box Board Base. 81 x 61cm 2023 Available

Extract from the Heading North Book ISBN 979-8-89184-849-8

The Tinny glided across the glassy water towards Dunk crossing the pond.
A morning so calm and clear was worth a Toby Lure out the back of the boat for good measure just to see if anything was around.
It was now warming up.
On this particular day I headed down towards the Hull River keeping close to the shore until I came across the grey cliffs that dive into the sea like the back of the Dragon.
No stopping in this area as the salties are big as well as active and hungry.They are the Dragons in this time and age.I made the left turn back towards Dunk with an idea I might head towards Bedarra.
Thoughts and Visions of John Coburn and his art burned in my head as the boat bobbed up and down on the non existent waves.
I could almost hear Norman Lindsay writing and narrating this story so many years ago.
I had a copy of his book published in the 1930's and not being able to find it in Australia
I purchased it from a bookstore down in Kentish Town the last time I was in old London.
Coburn’s tapestries and geometric compositions played with my aquatic libido and I realised how great he was.
Years earlier I had swum around the Peer at Dunk alone as well as up and down the point.
Nothing happened.
Something that would never be attempted again as the water is murky and you don't know what is eyeing you off.
The resort was now gone on the island as the last cyclone smashed it to pieces.
There was two metres plus of sand through the resort and structures with no hope of resurrecting it at all as it had to be demolished.
It used to be beautiful and you could walk through the resort without question eyeing off the food which was laid
out on Mahogany tables stretched around the inside perimeter.
This was very different to the Sands of Kooringal.

"Out of Darkness' Detail. Gold Leaf, Oil and Acrylic paint on box board stretcher 160 x 120 cm 2023. Two Panel Piece. Available

"Heading North' ISBN 979-8-89184-849-8 (Released 1st of November 2023)

The opening was held at The London Offices 30 Florence Street Teneriffe. "The Florence Street Space' in Teneriffe Brisbane.
A beautifully crafted edition including photographs of multiple paintings that celebrate his story. It's about adventure in Croc Infested waters in Far North Queensland. The book is descriptive of Don Hill's journeys in a Ten Foot tinny in open sea in and around Dunk Island as well as containing an extract of his fictional book. "16 Belsize Crescent' describing the adventures of his alter ego character Owen Stanley. His near swamping between Mission Beach and Bedarra island in the early millennium and the harrowing journey back to dry land.

Once again I fell under the spell of the “Island of Dreams’ Shambhala.
The journey, this one had taken me two days with delays including weather and getting the old Evinrude Motor serviced.
It was a great motor and always ran despite circumstances.
I was mobile again on the glassy sea. It was glassy so far until the next call of the Sea Bitch.
Dunk always looked easy until you started the crossing especially in an old boat.
This time I made sure I had enough inflatable foam encased at each end of the boat in the event I got swamped as this vehicle was of the old style and could easily sink.
So I could bail before the inevitable.
The life jackets were yellow so therefore the prime colour that Sharks were interested in although it was the only colour I and anyone else could get.
I remembered the good old days when I could ply the Noosa River up and down in safety and catch a Flathead or two.
This was a lot different.
It was the open sea in a tiny Ten Foot Tinny.
If I took the seat out of the front my ship would plane across the water at speed but if I left it in it would plough on.
What should I do?
There were always questions and not many answers.
Finally I had arrived.
This was now the “Night Anchorage at the Island of Dreams’. Banfield’s hideaway and mine.

"Line of a Tropical Shore' Detail. Gold Leaf, Oil and Acrylic paint on box board stretcher 160 x 120 cm 2023 Available

Interview with Nittaya Inphirut July 2023
Don Hill is Heading North

"I see that you have an interest in certain types of Music.'
"Yes there is music and there is music which I listen to from time to time but most of it is one of my passing fads.' " I have quite a collection if you are interested.'
"Does it have an influence in your art.
'"Yes and no.' "Yes because it was conceived out of thin air and no because it may eventually become boring to listen to.' " The same as Art becomes as you have your moments where something took place and then you may try to replicate it but this doesn't work or it works for a while until you become bored and cant look at it anymore.' "It becomes past tense and no longer interesting.'
"This is the time in the Lull or Doldrum of life when you know you need to move forward but you don't know how to.'
"This is when the depression sets in so once again you dig yourself out of the hole and try to move forward without trying.' " When I work if the neighbors are fine and the music is loud while I am working, I like it as it speaks a lot to me about life and who we are.'
"What do you mean by who we are.'
"Well it is simple I just drift alone with the currents that are coming out of the speakers. It helps to have this distraction when I am working.' "A Kind of mediative approach so as not to be so attentive on the canvas or board.'
"So you do paint on canvas.'
"Used to.'
"It's so unnecessary and we have better alternatives than this stuff.' "Obviously Belgium Linen is the preferred substrate but highly expensive.' "I prefer something more solid than a spongy surface like canvas so when you attach this stuff to a board and you don't get it right you get all sorts of things happening which keep telling you not to use this material again. It looks better on a sailing boat than in a frame.'
"Lets continue.'
"Ok'
"What is Heading North about.'
"How did it come about.' "Ok'
"Originally a few years back I published "Changing Perspectives' which I thought was quite nice but it left gaps that couldn't be filled at that time and then after I finished my latest book this year.'
"The Art of Don Hill.'
"I had a bit of a break and in the meantime I started writing again and the script started to manifest itself inside my consciousness.'
"I had quite a few experiences in North Queensland and mixed with an undercurrent of normal existence in those times you learn a lot of things and people tell you about their experiences.' "At that time I would just shut up and let someone else do the talking so this is how I know these stories about the experiences of others and can piece them together.
"So Heading North is a story I have written obviously about my Art Practice but of which I was hoping to break the mold with this time as I have started to have and need to have a break from in depth articles about art I thought I would write a story about actually heading North instead of descriptive words about art.'
"So this is a Story?'
"Yes of course.' "It's my Story.'
"Ok. Please continue.'
"Its difficult sometimes to describe things.'
"Ok.'
"Heading North is about real Life experiences and my journey through life.'
"The part about Doug in the book which is just one chapter out of many of an unpublished script is just a small part of what is coming as there is more that I have written and I can do.'
"I included this as I thought it was a little bit funny in a comical way even though it may not be acceptable in mainstream culture.' "Doug and Jack really existed maybe not with the same names but what happened up there was true and the whole line of this story is based on fact although there have been additions to it on the way.'
"Everything in there really happened.'
"Who is Owen Stanley?'
"Ah Owen is my alter ego and the main character in the script.'
"What do you mean about mainstream?'
"With mainstream we are starting to lose our soul as we have to decipher everything to see if something is acceptable by our contemporaries or society.' "This sort of stuff really sucks as it is not really what or who we are.'
"Obviously some things need to be questioned but I think the thing that needs to be ascertained and questioned is our Cancel Culture mentality which is run by a minority of individuals who describe themselves as professionals and even though they may have a PHD they do not know anything about real life or care about it.'
"Ok. I think we need to get back to the real interview.'
"Agreed'
"So can you describe for me what you are trying to do with Heading North.'
"Obviously trying to bring it to the masses although today we have Lethargy about everything except our mobile and electronic slackness.' "Visual Art may start to slow with electronic visual art taking over but you cannot replace Vincent or Claude and others with pretty lights.'
"You can try but it is not permanent as there is nothing like the real thing. This goes for the impressionists, as well as all of the practitioners from the twentieth century who are no longer around.
"I remember taking many trips to the Tate in the seventies to view Vincent and the others. Two struck me the most and these were Paul Gauguin and Pierre Bonnard.' "They were visually important in my life.'
"And Today?'
"They still hold the same currency and have not diminished. I still love their works.'
"What about you and Frank De Silva.'
"Frank?'
"You talk a lot about Frank.'
"Yes I loved frank.'
"He was a mentor to me.'
"We would go on field trips to Boonah and Sketch landscapes then get pissed together at the Harrisville Hotel. "Frank was a great artist as he could pull a composition from anywhere.' "Well almost.' "When I heard he had died in a traffic accident I was devastated.'
"Then there was Arthur Evan Read?'
"Arthur encouraged me to go to Europe and make my own way in life.' "He was a brilliant artist and also the spitting image of the Archbishop of Canterbury.'
"And even though he was an atheist people would come up to him and greet him as "Your Worship'.
"One last question.' "Okay.' "Why do you continually were Sunnies.?' "Oh that.'
"I have an Eye condition and have been advised to wear Dark glasses day and night.' "I have had ongoing treatment for this condition for the past two years with some positive and some not so good results .' "The general treatment is very painful and I cannot drive or do much after I have had it."

Nittaya Inphirut Master of Arts

"The Floating Land' Gold Leaf, Oil and Acrylic paint on box board stretcher 80 x 60 cm 2023 SOLD

Heading North