Thunder Down Under: Kimberly Vastness

“Kimberly Vastness”
(detail: Boab tree)

Painting by Shirley Deane/Midyett

Text by Vic Midyett

A friend of ours has been wanting a painting of Shirley’s for years and finally decided what its subject should be. She is from the Kimberley region of Western Australia, and part Aboriginal.
    [Kimberley is the northernmost of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is bordered on the west by the Indian Ocean, on the north by the Timor Sea, on the south by the Great Sandy and Tanami Deserts in the region of Pilbara, and on the east by the Northern Territory. –Wikipedia]
    Our friend wanted the feeling of a vast scene at sunset and a Boab tree – yes, Australia has Boab trees.
    I call this work “Kimberley Vastness.” It is just under 3' x 4' and will hang in our friend’s living room, she said.

“Kimberly Vastness” (c. 3' x 4')

    Don’t fail to notice the three wee birds in flight just above the horizon, a little right of center. [Click photo to enlarge it.]
    The unusual purples of this sunset are very common in the Kimberley & Pilbara regions. I have never seen them anywhere else.

Purples of Kimberly (detail)

Copyright © 2017 by Vic & Shirley Deane/Midyett