My Latest Commission

“Card night, and we fly out tomorrow”

Oil on Aluminum Composite Panel

750mm x 520mm

Working in a remote mine your a long way from family l, but friends are all around you. If it’s a small mine like the one I worked at it gets to be like a family in the bush.

After a long day and a long swing some of crew like to get together the night before the fly and have a ‘friendly’ game of Texas Hold ‘em!

The stakes are high, bragging rights for the next swing, the opportunity to be the slinger of shit at the Pre-start meeting the next morning at 5.30 which can be a real show sometimes!!

My mate Vivek approached me about doing a painting that would make a great memento of his time at Osborne mine, we settled on this image, the night before you fly home is a special night indeed, if you have been there you know, so an image that brings those emotions back is a great reminder indeed.

In the painting are a wide variety of characters with an enormous skill and experience range, electricians, fitters, mining engineers, mechanics, power station operators, supervisors, fixed and mobile plant operators and more…

There abilities, skills and responsibilities overlap and there’s not much as a team they can’t accomplish!!

I have flown, worked, drank, laughed and shared mini adventures with all of them and it was a pleasure and a great trip down memory lane when painting them.

To the FIFO people who get it done, cheers