Latitude theory

Latitude and longing in Lutruwita

When I was 22, I lived in Queensland for a year and couldn't make friends outside my latitude. I’m quite sure it was not because of my awkward personality. I suspect the issue was the climate. To explain; Tasmanians are shaped by long wet Winters, Queenslanders are influenced by living in a land of never being cold. When I read Patrick Leigh Fermor’s travel books I learned that the Swiss, stuck inside on endless frozen winters, carved and created  intricate watches and clocks and played Bach to their families. Tasmanian folks, a stuck inside on long wet cold winters tend to be crafty, creative, read books and make conversation. My theory is there is a whole category of unmet friends, spread laterally across the globe at 42 - 43 degrees South.

This painting is about running away. Yes, running to a new adventure, but still painfully and poignantly connected to the place of departure. It illustrates the anxiety of a divided self, but in a calm and soothing way. It is one of my most successful paintings. I drew it in 4 hours and painted it in 21 hours over three days. Some paintings are easier than others. It's called “Thylacine Rescue” and is available as prints and cards and sometimes I print it up huge, you can see the picture of me dwarfed by the big print in my store.