Outback Twilight: Windmill and Sorghum Field, Queensland

In this piece, I contrasted the sharp, vibrant greens of a growing sorghum crop against the dark silhouettes of an outback windmill and water tank.  Rather than relying on black, I used deep blue tones to capture the shadows, set against a colorful, restless twilight sky.  If you look closely near the top right, a distant flock of crows catches the last light of the Australian landscape. 

Mona Lisa - Aussie outback style painting by artist Alan J. Benge

The Winton Outback festival - held every two years - has grown increasingly popular each time it is held.  This is an early painting which I did for the festival back in 1989.  As you can see in the photo, this painting bears a superficial resemblance to another, more famous original which reposes in the the Louvre.
My own attempt is obviously not suitable for the Louvre, being more appropriate for the "Loo".  It was submitted as part of the Winton's Outback Dunny painting competition.  I recall that my original creation"Mona Loosa" was very popular with the locals at that time, and I often wonder what became of the painting after it was auctioned off in the main street.