On our second day at Healesville, we ventured over to the Tarrawarra Gallery which had an exhibition of paintings by Jeffrey Smart.
He was an artist, originally from Adelaide who painted scenes of every day structures – factories, trains, buildings and roadways. Born in 1921 (and passing away in 2011) Jeffrey Smart was a prolific painter. Originally trained as an architect, and then as a a painter, his work shows a formal painting style combined with the ‘line and perspective’ of an architect. I enjoyed his many pieces of work and felt that there were many to which I could relate as they were scenes from most people’s life.
It was a lovely sunny day and we pottered around to Oakridge winery for lunch. Their tasting plate was delicious and their wines were quite tasty. This winery was originally owned by a family company but has recently been acquired by Evans & Tate. One of their mid-range wines goes under the label of ‘Over The Shoulder’, but I can sure you that that it is too nice to be disposed of in that way. I couldn’t help but think that we were very fortunate to be able to enjoy such a comfortable life and that we should make sure that we really should appreciate our ability to spend some days in this type of life style.
Late afternoon found us up towards the summit of Mt Donna Buang in dense rain forest with tree ferns and myrtle beech forest. Near the road junction to the summit is a ‘Rainforest Gallery’ – a cantilevered structure on which you can walk out through the tree tops and look down on the forest floor. It is well worth a stop for a few minutes.
Jeffrey Smart retired in 2011. He’s not dead yet. He still lives in Italy, aged 91.