‘The Magic of Country’ presents over 50 works connected to a larger body of over 200 works initiated on a long ago trip to the MacDonnell Ranges, Alice Springs. Here, Lancashire sat and painted in the 40 degree heat. He looked and listened; and began to feel something else. He started out painting ‘landscape’ but ended up painting ‘country’— it’s gaps, chasms and gorges.

Working for over 40-years in cross-cultural contexts, Lancashire has seen the hard work that still needs to be done; but his works don’t get bogged down in this. They are optimistic and hopeful. They are a celebration of the rugged beauty and fragility of the Australian landscape; a place he describes as one of the most beautiful on the planet. He hopes the works will spark a curiosity in others. A curiosity to go, to see it, to smell it, to feel it. ‘The Magic of Country’ is a reminder that nature requires our nurture; and that we all have a role to play in turning the tide whether that be through activism, expression, communication, acknowledgement or appreciation.