Hill End in February, 2023

Last February I was fortunate to travel to Hill End, NSW for a week-long painting excursion with The National Art School. I loved it! I have never really left the city before or been anywhere so remote or quiet. I spent hours alone with my easel and paints staring at the landscape and taking it all in; the dappled light and strong shadows, Silver Dollar leaves dancing in the breeze, red ochre colour of the soil, tufts of wild flowers and the perfect huge blue skies. This painting was created back in my Sydney studio from those plein air studies and embodies the energy of that magical place and time.

Sally Browne (b. Portsmouth 1974) is a painter of still life and the natural environment working predominantly in watercolour and oils. She grew up in the UK and travelled through SE Asia before eventually settling in Sydney.

Sally’s practice is centred around drawing and has evolved from her formal studies of surface pattern design, painting, printmaking and graphic design. Sally launched her full-time painting career in 2015 and has been a finalist in several national art awards, including the Calleen Award, Lethbridge, Greenway and National Contemporary Watercolour Prize.