This striking and colourful painting masterfully combines beautifully rendered elements, disparate but connected, resulting in a surrealist landscape. It features a couple embracing, closely shepherded by an ancient marble sculpture. Is this a metaphor for the strength of their love, or perhaps a guiding force in their life journey together? Other elements of the painting are a reflection on what Watson believes defines these two subjects, after getting to know them well. The red rock of Uluru representing the metaphorical heart of the country to which they belong. The jet-stream an indicator of their travels, which may keep them apart but also allow them to be together.
The hazard sign could be a literal warning of challenges faced by two who choose to travel one path, or is it another element guiding them along their travels? The florescent inflatable li-lo in the foreground gives a depth to the painting which pleasantly plays off elements of scale with other features and could be physical interpretation of the rewarded effort involved to exist as a couple. The resulting surrealist composition pays homage to classic portraiture where not one brush stroke was applied without being central to telling the story of the subjects as understood by the artist.
