Lynda Sampson
ARTWORK
Major Works
& Commissions
'Aoraki'
Aoraki (Mt Cook)
Oil on Canvas
1000 x 320mm
2025
This work was commissioned for the wedding of Mr and Mrs Pye, of Christchurch, New Zealand. The image is of Aoraki (Mt Cook), the peak of which is at the right hand end of the painting. I painted this to be sent just in time for the couple's big day! The work was underpainted in Raw Sienna, and then overpainted with a limited palette. Of special note is a fantastic Art Spectrum, semi transparent colour called 'Coral', which provided the orange blush of the typical NZ vegetation. The work was varnished with a wax medium, lending it a soft, polished finish.
As avid outdoor trampers, rock climbers and parasailors, the couple hold this area in their hearts as a beautiful destination and a place that moves them. It was an honour to paint this for the Pyes!
'Bastion - Cape Reinga'
Bastion - Cape Reinga
Oil on Canvas
1680 x 1000mm
2024
This work was commissioned by a New Zealand couple for an apartment on the Sunshine Coast. The work is of the most northern tip of New Zealand - a rocky prominotory called Cape Reinga. The spot is considered a sacred area and is hugely popular. The work was begun with a Spectrum Violet underpainting, then overpainted with a limited palette including Cadmium Lemon Yellow and Indigo. The work was varnished with a wax medium, lending it a soft, polished finish.
'The Warrior Heart'
The Warrior Heart
Oil on Canvas
1830 x 1100mm
2024
James Butler is a keen birder, physicist, grandfather and climate justice warrior. Jim authored a column about our local bird-life for 8 years for the monthly magazine I copy edit. I have come to know him as a loving and strong-hearted man with deep conviction, formidable intelligence, and much to share. His strong intent to raise awareness and convince fellow senior Australians to fight for just inter-generational heritage for grandchildren everywhere, sees Jim presenting talks about climate from an ornithological perspective, whilst undertaking political and ethical actions designed to effect change.
Jim has a deeply knowledgeable intellect, with a strong appreciation of classical music, art and science, and a profoundly nuanced understanding of the world around him, borne from an education gained within the Marist Brothers Priesthood. His broad understanding of art history meant that when I approached him to sit for me, he was very excited, and he undertook the task with deep commitment (as he does with everything in his life!). He was an expert sitter; calm, cooperative and present.
My approach was informed by traditional processes adopted by the Old Masters. Since Jim has an air of having stepped out of a Rubens or Titian painting, I felt this time-honoured method suited the final work. It was important to show Jim's life: his beloved birds, his data-driven methodology, his family focus, his desire to fight for climate justice, his love for classical music, and his (warmly) introverted nature. It was a wonderful and memorable experience for us both.
Technical details
The work features a Viridian green acrylic Grisaille under painting, with layers of oil glazes and highlights applied over the top. The final layer is a wax medium. The process was deliberately chosen in line with the subject. It was entered into the Darling Portrait Prize in January, 2024.
'Transience to Perpetuity'
Oil on canvas, 900 x 1800mm
Oil on canvas - Detail from right hand panel (III)
'Transience to Perpetuity'
Oil on Canvas. Tryptych
Panel I & III - 900 x 1800mm
Panel II - 1800 x 1800mm
2007
'Transience to Perpetuity' is a large scale work created as the centrepiece of an exhibition I had at Marks and Gardener's Secret Garden Gallery at Mount Tambourine in 2007. The work is a Triptych oil on canvas that spans 4 metres in total, and features oil medium glazing.
The work speaks to the fleeting passage of time, and the ephemeral nature of all things, alongside the potential of permanence, not only of those human exploits we choose to memorialise, but also the elements of the natural world we actively seek to preserve.
This work took four months to complete.
'Sunday City Living'
'Sunday City Living'
Oil on canvas
2800 x 1600mm
1989
The work shows a busy Sunday morning in the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens during the celebratory time following World Expo 88. The work captures the optimism and enjoyment of a time that many fondly remember as the moment when Brisbane passed from teenagehood into young adulthood. The Warana Festival, which centred on the Botanic Gardens, was one such major demonstration of community focus that this park has held a proud history of.
I was lucky enough to land a role as Warana Festival's Artist in Residence in 1988, and in the same year, was a finalist in the 'Paint to Music' Workshop held by the French Pavilion at World Expo 88. These two experiences inform the painting.
The original work, measuring 2.8 x 1.6m, was painted in oils on canvas and is held in a private collection. It was painted at the request of the late Mr Lester Padman, of Boolarong Publications, with the view of publishing the Lithographs. Boolarong was a well known Printing House in Brisbane, publishing fine art reproductions and books. The company sadly no longer exists, so the prints are a finite edition, though individually un-numbered.