What does it mean to freeze a moment of life on canvas—a blink of memory, distilled into movement, light, and form? For Melbourne-based painter Rick, the answer has often been rooted in personal stories and the landscapes of his beloved Mornington Peninsula. One such story begins with a question to his daughter on the eve of her 15th birthday: “What do you want to do to celebrate?”
Nicola didn’t hesitate. “I want to jump off the Portsea pier.”
So, Rick and his family hired a bus and packed it with Nicola’s friends. They drove down to Portsea, a jewel on the edge of Victoria’s coast, where the iconic pier juts into shimmering waters. This spirited moment—simple, joyful, yet symbolic—would later find its way into one of Rick’s most compelling paintings.
A Journey That Starts on the Shore
In the piece inspired by that day, Rick experiments with a visual flow designed to mirror how we engage with stories—like reading a book, from left to right. “While playing with dots, circles, and compositional tension,” he explains, “I found the eye naturally entered from the left side of the painting.” The shoreline acts as a narrative path, drawing the viewer’s gaze across the canvas.
Then something unexpected happens. The flow is interrupted—not abruptly, but rhythmically—by a series of figures suspended mid-air, frozen in the act of leaping into the sea. “They almost hover,” Rick notes, “as if caught between the idea of flight and fall.” It’s a visual metaphor not just for Nicola’s leap into the water, but for adolescence itself—caught between childhood and the unknown.
Early Promise and Lifelong Dedication
Rick’s instinct for visual storytelling isn’t new. Born in 1960, he showed early artistic promise and formalized his training at the prestigious Victorian College of the Arts, graduating in 1981. That same year, he received the Sara Levi Prize for the most outstanding student in painting—a recognition that foreshadowed the rich career ahead.
Since the early 1980s, he has held successful exhibitions in Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra, and London. Over time, he has become particularly known for his ability to capture the reflection of light on water. But his work is never static. A natural experimenter, he is constantly evolving his technique—pushing the boundaries of realism and abstraction to resolve each new visual challenge.
Mornington’s Muse
Among Rick’s recurring themes, the Mornington Peninsula occupies a special place. Its interplay of coastal light, moody skies, and transparent shallows offers an endless source of inspiration. For Rick, this region is more than a landscape—it’s a place of memory and return.
The painting of Nicola and her friends jumping off Portsea pier is a perfect example. While the figures may appear suspended in time, the entire scene pulses with movement—shifting light on water, the ripple of waves, the anticipation of the splash below. It is Mornington distilled into gesture and light, rendered with a sense of affection only a longtime observer can offer.
Experimentation as Process
While many artists settle into a signature style, he continues to challenge himself. “I enjoy experimenting with painting techniques,” he says, “and resolving the visual problems they throw at me.” Sometimes that might mean deconstructing a scene into minimalist forms. Other times, it’s about layering color to mimic the subtleties of reflection or depth.
This ongoing evolution is not just aesthetic—it’s philosophical. For Rick, the act of painting is also the act of seeing: of paying closer attention to the world around him, of interpreting what light means when it hits water or skin, of deciding where to draw the line between realism and impression.
A Life in Balance
Rick’s life is not only defined by his painting. Family, gardening, and teaching also play vital roles. “Painting is what I do, but teaching art helps me stay connected to how others see and create,” he shares. His days are bookended by a quiet routine: cycling to and from his studio at the Abbotsford Convent precinct.
This creative hub, nestled by the Yarra River, is an anomaly in urban Melbourne—a rural-feeling oasis where heritage architecture meets modern expression. His studio is part of a thriving artistic community there, one he is passionate about preserving. “The history of the convent, the river trails, the stillness of the garden—it all feeds into the work,” he says.
The Emotional Core
What makes Rick’s work endure is not just technical finesse—it’s emotion. His paintings evoke more than they describe. Whether it’s a child leaping off a pier, the sun bouncing off tidal pools, or the shadows cast by eucalypts at dusk, there is a tenderness in how he sees the world.
The painting of Nicola’s birthday moment is emblematic of this. It’s not just a visual document; it’s an emotional landscape—of courage, transition, joy, and stillness. Like many of Rick’s works, it invites viewers to find their own memories within it, to feel the cool air of a coastal afternoon or the pause before a leap.
Capturing What Moves Us
Rick’s paintings don’t just show us places—they show us moments. Through experimentation, technique, and an unwavering connection to family and landscape, he captures those fleeting intervals where light, water, and life intersect.
And perhaps that’s what makes his work resonate so deeply: in a world of fast images and forgettable content, Rick reminds us that meaning often lies in the pauses—in what we interrupt, what we notice, and what we choose to preserve.
