Landscape painting: connection, perception and attention

I investigate the lived experience, the actuality of responding to land as a painter. This thesis consists of intensive investigations in the field and further exploration in the studio, resulting in a body of paintings and drawings which form the exhibition. The exegesis explores theories and ideas surrounding the work. The psychological engagement between people, land and art is of major concern. The choice of place selected to paint and the subject matter of rocks is discussed. Painters who work outside or have painted at the same site are considered for comparison with my working methods or concerns. The selective view is intimate. The format of the image and the composition are discussed in terms of proximity and space. Consideration of the psychology of engagement with land and landscape painting, either as an observer or painter, is a major component of the research.This examination of human psychological development illuminates the origin of our sense of self and how we relate to the land on which we live. The premise of this enquiry is the idea that art and culture could reflect human psychological development. Do art objects contribute to cultural understanding of the relationship of person to environment? A phenomenological perspective is incorporated in this exploration of the interrelation of vision, perception and attention. Can the reality of experience be transferred into the art work? The deep attention to the landscape of Australian Aboriginal people serves as a cultural reference for these investigations. This study concludes that sentient consciousness involving responsibility for land is an open, effective way of perceiving and depicting landscape. Responsibility for land can be encouraged by the development of cultural ideas based around landscape and can be the result of feeling connected to land. Art can contribute to changes in attitudes to land.