Bill Hotson, 78, has been a cattle, sheep and cherry producer in north-east of Victoria all his life.
Behind the farmhouse in Chiltern is a separate art studio where the 78-year-old paints landscapes.
“It goes back to when I was kid – I used to sketch and draw but it wasn’t until I was about 30 years old when I gave up footy and I got a bit more serious about it,” Hotson said.
“I’m getting older now, but I still like to pursue my painting and it’s something I’ll continue on for as long as I can.”
He mostly portrays Australian landscapes, particularly those in the Victorian north-east and the High Country.
“I haven’t moved far in life — my interest is the Australian landscape and I like the paintings to tell a story,” Hotson said.
“It’s not just about the things — the gumtrees, the lakes.
“It’s the atmosphere and to capture the different moods – early morning, evening, droughts, floods etc.
“The seasons come and go, as you’d appreciate, and it’s important to recognise the changes.
“I like to play around, I like the creative part of it.”
But running a farm doesn’t leave lot of spare time for painting.
“It’s a bit of battle to find time to do it,” Hotson said.
“I paint best under pressure when I have to get something done for an exhibition or for Christmas.
“Different people for different things — there are people who have different ways of expressing themselves and appreciating what they do.
“Certainly in our local area in Chiltern we have 20 to 30 people on board in our collective, and it’s bringing out people with wonderful talent.”
Bank Manager Hour
Courtney Young is an artist and farmer based at Rutherglen, down the road from Mr Hotson.
She recently opened an exhibition at Albury’s major art gallery called Bank Manager Hour.
“It’s referring to the time of day in the afternoon when the sun is setting across the landscape, casting a golden light and everything looks beautiful,” Young said.
“My husband Ian says this is the most appropriate time to invite the bank manger out to negotiate interest rates, because the farm looks so beautiful.
“I think it’s hilarious but also a bit sad this really beautiful time of day is referred to in this financial phrase.”
The exhibition is focused on life on the land and the art depicts childhood memories and family connections to the landscape.
“I’ve got a few different paintings from memories from my childhood,” Young said.
“My cousins and I used to go yabbying together on my grandparents farm — it’s a sweet memory of a connection to the farm.
“There’s a lot of joy in these painting, but I’ve also been thinking about how frustrating it is how land prices have gone up and farmers are not getting more for food.”
Art was not something Young pursued seriously until six years ago, after the birth of her first child.
“When you have a kid it’s the hardest thing you could ever go through, so I felt like I could do anything after that,” she said.
“My approach to painting is very similar to my view on farming.
“My challenge is to know when to stop, and the same can be said in farming, because you want produce food but you also need to work in a complex natural system and know when to intervene and when to step away.”
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