My paintings are influenced by scenes observed from life.
Every year, I travel interstate to experience different places, sometimes new or significant, usually mixed with some old favourites. I go birdwatching with binoculars, camera and sketchbook. When time permits, I set up my easel and paint.
Some of my best, most inspirational ideas happen when traveling. Black-shouldered kite settling on a fencepost, cockatiels in flight, mulga parrots sheltering from the midday heat, a striated pardalote singing from an abandoned railway siding… These visions stay in my mind, slowly coalescing into a formal painting.
Often I will raid my old sketchbooks for inspiration. Each line, quick sketch or hurried note prompts a memory of the experience, lending an honesty to the painting that only firsthand encounters can bring.
Dr Megan Spiers 