David Keeling looks for the dreamlike moments when a strong Tasmanian wind draws the clouds away from the sun, shining a spotlight on the wild terrain below. His focus lies in the interplay between light and shadow, and in these isolated moments that can happen on our island. “I have tried to interrogate that moment when the prosaic becomes the transcendent” he shares. ‘Waking on a Sunny Day’ is filled with arresting landscapes, portrayed mostly through oil on linen. They are literal depictions of place, subtly infused with memory.

“It fascinates me that we can be in a place we have been in countless times before, and then suddenly it is as if you see it for the first time.” – David Keeling, 2026

David Keeling is recognised as one of Australia’s leading landscape painters, with an impressive exhibition history spanning over four decades. A multiple-time prize winner, including the Glover Prize twice, Keeling has also been recognised by the Australia Council through international residencies in Verdaccio, London and Rome. His work is held in the collections of numerous national and state institutions, including the National Gallery of Victoria, the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, the Art Gallery of South Australia and the National Gallery of Australia; and in corporate and private collections nationally and internationally.