From salt lakes to gum-lined creeks

The dramatic outback terrain of WA’s Mid West is the subject of Eaton painter Peter O’Shaughnessy’s latest exhibition named Salt Lakes and Breakaways.

The author, cartoonist and painter has returned again to the desert to capture his much-loved red dirt landscapes.

The exhibition takes viewers on a journey from the soaring cliffs of the breakaway country, down ghost gum-lined creeks and vast vistas of the salt lakes.

It follows his sell-out Figures in the Lake exhibition of paintings of the famous 51 life-sized sculptures at Lake Ballard by Antony Gormley.

Since the success of his exhibition in 2012, Mr O’Shaughnessy has made multiple painting trips back to his childhood home of Wiluna and the Western Desert.

Mr O’Shaughnessy said he would again donate the profits from the sale of his paintings and books to Cancer Council research in honour of his late wife, Deeny, who died in 2009.

He said the paintings were a colourful view of his childhood memories of the bush and the stark reality of the spectacular outback as he saw it today.

Mr O’Shaughnessy will also sell copies of his latest book of cartoons, Crocodiles Don’t Really Smile, with proceeds to cancer research.

The exhibition will open at the Front Room Artist Run Space at the Bunbury Regional Art Galleries on January 31 at 7pm.

It will be opened by Hendy Cowan and run for three weeks.