I went to Blackheath to start this painting of the burnt bush starting to regenerate after the awful fires this year. Thanks to Peter Urquhart for his hospitality. The Grose valley below was extensively burnt as well as the cliffs and plateau opposite, and right up the cliff to the lookout where the fire was stopped by fire crews and maybe the wind change the saved Blackheath itself. Some areas in this view had burnt more completely than others so there's a mosaic of reddish brown and green tree crowns in the forest below, and areas further off that look almost denuded except for blackened treetrunks.
Now the trees are starting to sprout new shoots and there's been a deluge of rain. Tree ferns are amazingly hardy. On the cliff below the lookout, in an area which had been completely torched, and all the other woody shrubs had been totally consumed, the tree ferns were growing new fronds, lurid green against the charred slope
This and the photo below are from a day of studio painting (as it rained!)to complete the ground after spending the afternoon before at Govett's leap trying to paint the cliffs.
I'm looking forward to getting back out to the lookout to continue with blocking in the form of the cliffs and bush, add a tree, and paint up the sky, maybe with dramatic rainclouds (as long as its not too wet where I'm painting).
Its a great temporary studio, there's even a tap to wash my hands so i can eat a picnic
The view from Govetts leap - this is what I painted the first afternoon on site
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