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Rex Backhaus-Smith has cemented a considerable career which is firmly grounded in the outback. Despite numerous overseas trips to experience the art of all corners of the globe, he returns almost obsessively to the bush he grew up in, still respects and frequently re-explores. His paintings portray the topography, flora, fauna and history of this unique place, but all with a rare insight of passion and spirit.
His work has been most aptly described as ‘white man dreaming’ as it captures the rhythms of nature from dry to wet seasons and the migration of the emus to the man-made cycles of use and then abandonment of land. His desire to share his rich knowledge is apparent as he weaves stories into each painting, which demand exploration to unearth all of the underlying poetic treasures. In a recent interview he said “I think of (the land) as my cathedral….like a pilgrim is drawn to a holy shrine, I am drawn to the outback. My desire is to create something more lasting than a fleeting visual image, which will encourage the viewer to look more closely. Many of my paintings possess a lyrical surrealism – a dream-like quality related to nature...I believe in the spirit of things.”
