New Series: Five Impressions of the South Coast
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Denmark, Western Australia. Autumn 2026.
There's a particular quality of light on the south coast of Western Australia that I've been chasing for years. It arrives early — before the day has fully committed to itself — and it doesn't stay long. It's the kind of light that makes you feel like you've stumbled into something private.
This series began with five excursions out on the coast with my family. Five locations. Five paintings that I think belong together, even though each one holds its own world.
The Spirit in the Sky — Light's Beach at Sunset
This one started with an early spring evening — the air still freezing — sitting alone on the steps while my two eldest daughters ran through the bush, gathering wildflowers to take home to their mum. We had the entire beach to ourselves.
As the sun dropped, something in the sky began to shift. A quiet kind of magic. Shadows cut clean, geometric shapes through an otherwise rich and organic landscape — structure within looseness, stillness within play.
I painted it thickly, with bright, expressive colour. It's a painting that seems to open up the longer you sit with it.
The Dunes That Echoed Back — Green's Pool
Painted from the rocks at Green's Pool as the first light of sunrise settled in. The lush, vegetated dunes soften into the water, echoed back through the stillness of the bay.
I built this one through thick, tactile impasto — each mark sitting proudly rather than disappearing into the surface. The palette leans into warmth and joy, but it's grounded by a calm, steady rhythm that lets the eye rest.
This is a painting about reflection in both senses — what's seen, and what's felt.
Stairway to Heaven — The Descent to the Coast
A view that feels almost mythical in its familiarity. The kind people travel across the world to stand before.
This painting captures that quintessential moment: descending through the lush, vegetated dunes as the coastline opens up, revealing the vast, glowing expanse beyond. Bombie Rock sits quietly out in the ocean — a steady anchor in a quietly flowing landscape.
There's something deeply reverent about this place. A sense that the coastline wasn't just formed, but shaped with intention — raw, powerful, and impossibly beautiful.
The Glow from Shelter Island — Muttonbird Beach
That first glimpse as the world opens up.
As you wind your way down through the trees toward Muttonbird Beach, there's a moment — just as you round the corner of the staircase — where the view reveals itself all at once. The ocean catches the early light, and Shelter Island sits quietly beyond, glowing in the warmth of the rising sun.
I painted this one with loose, playful brushwork. The marks are open, responsive — allowing the atmosphere to lead, rather than the detail. It's less about describing the place, and more about holding onto that fleeting, luminous moment when everything seems to settle into clarity.
The Magic of Mermaid Pool — Light's Beach at Sunrise
Standing on Light's Beach, looking up toward Mermaid Pool, this work captures the ever-changing sands as they shift and reform beneath the morning light. That first moment of sunrise — where some rocks remain in shadow while others catch the bright, golden glow — a quiet tension between light and dark.
There's a natural harmony here. The rhythms in the sand seem to echo the movements in the sky, as if the landscape and atmosphere are speaking the same language. It feels alive, but not in a chaotic way — more like a gentle unfolding.
Of the five works in this series, this is the one I feel most connected to. There's something intangible within it — a presence that's hard to explain but easy to feel. A certain kind of magic. Hence the name.
On the Work Itself
All five paintings are oil on canvas, 50 × 70 cm, built with thick impasto and loose brushwork. I wasn't trying to document these places — I was trying to hold onto something about being in them. The weight of the paint, the way marks accumulate and respond to each other, feels right for a coastline that's always in motion.
Each piece is original, gallery wrapped, and ready to hang. Shipping is $50 within Australia.
If any of these resonate with you, I'd love for them to find a home.
— Davey