Bark

Bark is a wide-ranging visual exploration of Australian landscapes and habitats. An eclectic mix of atmospheric paintings and expressionistic mixed media sculptures.

Col Ritchie has used a variety of techniques combined with bold brush strokes and intense splashes of colour to capture the essence of dry sclerophyll and stringy bark forests, creating landscapes that are full of colour, movement and mystique.

The sculptural element was inspired by his barking, loyal studio companions during lockdown. Through the application of texture, colour and natural resources, Ritchie made a series of ‘stick’ dogs, each personable and uniquely individual in design and character.

Image: Col Ritchie, Misty Stand (detail), 2022, acrylic on canvas