For most of the 19th century, Bondi Beach was actually private land, part of the O’Brien Estate, owned by Francis O’Brien. He did open it up as a picnic spot, but when things got a bit rowdy with public indecency, he threatened to shut it down. Luckily, the government stepped in, and in 1882 it officially became a public reserve.
When I first moved to Sydney in 2015, visiting Bondi was one of the first things I did. I’m always struck by the crowd on the beach, it’s like watching a colony of ants going about their business. I wanted to capture that energy on a bright, sunny day. The sand had this rich orange glow that popped beautifully against the blue-green waves rolling in.
Title: Bondi Beach Glow (2018)
Size: 60cm (height) x 74cm (width)
Medium: oil pastel on board
Frame: radiata pine frame, finished with professional matte acrylic white paint
AUD
