Rachel Milne Rainy day, Hill End

This is the first painting from a series painted in residency at Haefligers Cottage in Hill End, NSW. When I start a new series, it feels as if I’m pushing a truck from standing – head down, shoulders braced, concentrating hard till the wheels start to move.

Small canvases are quick visual poems. They demand intense concentration and concise marks. Plein-air painting in a Hill End winter also forces fast decisions. The winter light is fast-moving and you’re challenged to paint everything you need to say before the sun moves and the clouds set in.

Rachel Milne, 2017