Spring Sunset, Tasman Bridge (2021)

This was one of the very first paintings I did after arriving in Tasmania in 2021, probably the second. I set up near Montagu Bay and painted the Tasman Bridge from there. I was drawn to the way the lights sparkled across the water and the elegant lines of the bridge itself.

The Tasman Bridge has a striking presence, but it also carries a dramatic history. In 1975, a bulk ore carrier called the Lake Illawarra crashed into the bridge, causing a large section to collapse. Several cars actually drove off the gap before traffic could be stopped, and tragically, twelve people lost their lives. For over two years, the eastern and western shores of Hobart were split, completely changing the city’s flow and daily life. It’s hard to look at the bridge now without feeling some of that weight beneath its beauty.

Title: Spring Sunset, Tasman Bridge (2021)

Size: 22cm (height) x 29cm (width)

Medium: oil on canvas

Frame: Tasmanian oak, finished with cold-pressed water refined linseed oil and wax.