A Quiet Place In The Country

In 1996 I was comissioned by Australian Vogue to shoot portraits of the writer Frannie Hopkirk who had just written a book on her late brother the artist Brett Whiteley. She lived four hours west of Sydney - traveling over the Blue Mountains to a small village between Bathurst and Orange was to become something I did with a religious fervour on as many occassions as possible for the next three years.

The session for Vogue in 1996

We were immeadiate friends. I can still remember our first conversations and listening to music..This Mortal Coil, Dead Can Dance, Popol Vuh, Mascagni..

Hill End 1998

Frannie and I started working together. The picture above is from a feature on the famous gold mining town ‘Hill End’ which has been frequented by Artists since the early 1940’s.

Tim Storrier and I photograph a homage of the painting by Russell Drysdale of Donald Friend

Donald Friend by Russell Drysdale

Cybelle - Hill End. The Church from the Drysdale painting is seen here again.

My good friend the artist Peter Wright a resident of Hill End (Rest in Peace)

After so many years I still think of Peter often.

Frannie in her garden in Milthorpe

A 5x4 Polaroid from a fashion story I shot for Australian Vogue at Frannie’s home. All the pictures in the background are by her brother Brett.

Such was my need to be there at times I would fly due to schedule commitments.

Grove Farm was another story Frannie and I worked on. It was the oldest house in the central west of N.S.W. complete with a sinister gun turret in the roof.

Grove Farm

Ray Auld - Hill End

Brett Whiteley’s Charcoal Sketch of Carcoar

Carcoar

Another picture from the Australian Vogue story shot at Carcoar

Bobby Frazier photographed in Hill End pub-1998. He was buying a carton of beer to take home as there was a new local cop who was nicking everyone for drink driving..waiting around the corner from the pub..basically breaking down all social exchange between the locals.

Hill End

Shiralee Seaman - Hill End

Luke Sciberras - Hill End

Cybelle at Grove Farm

Merina - Hill End

Warry’s Cottage - Hill End

The Church at ‘Burnt Yards’

Burnt Yards

Art Curator Gavin Wilson - compiled the book ‘The Artists of Hill End’ photographed in ‘Warry’s Cottage’ Hill End

This book is a crucial historical document

Cybelle - Grove Farm

Patterson’s Curse

Pub local - Hill End

Having A Clear Out - Milthorpe

Eva - from a Fashion Editorial we shot at Hill End

With the artist Kevin Wright’s Totem Sculptures

Eva - Hill End

It was a difficult decision to leave Australia with all this experience and understanding but Eva couldn’t stay in Australia any longer due to visa issues so we made the decision to move to Madrid.