Solitary

This painting captures a moment during my solo road trip through Central Australia to Northern Territory for 3 months in 2024.

Walking along the trail from Red Bank Gorge to Mount Sonder, I crossed path with many hikers descending from the peak after viewing the sunrise. The view would have been spectacular, I could imagine. I was watching the sunrise too but from the foot of Mt Sonder, accompanying by a bird with a call that sounded like “Gimme a drill!”. It was a funny thought that I would have "seen" these hikers while they were on the peak even though they were a tiny speck.

After passing the last hiker, I was on the trail by myself towards the peak. The view was spectacular... It was windy and chilly but the sun was warm. Perfect!

I came across this dead tree standing in solitude amongst the red rocks. Shrubs offering bright yellow flowers as if mourning its death or perhaps celebrating a life once bearing witness to the changes of weather and the eternal cycles of sunrise and sunset.