Garry Duncan - Artist: Warragai Studio at Kingston-on-Murray in the Riverland region of South Australia

Over the years the Postcards team has had an ongoing love affair with the Murray River and when you spend time on Australia's longest waterway it's not hard to see why.

From dawn until dusk the colours and mysteries of this ancient waterway have cast their spell on so many who've taken up the challenge of capturing it all on canvas.

One such artist is Garry Duncan.

"I have an affinity with the river. It's almost become my family. There's an attachment. I sort of see it as an obligation to let everbody know just how precious that river is and to do that I paint it in it's best light where ever possible."

On the balcony of his Warragai studio near Kingston-on-Murray, Garry starts the day as he does most mornings - with a view to the river - the source of much of his inspiration. And while his work reflects the Murray in it's most positive light there's a disturbing undercurrent to much of his work.

"I've lived here for thirty years and the place has declined dramatically in that thirty years. There's been a loss of lots of species particularly water birds and aquatic species. Your fish and water rats and so on and so forth. I have'nt seen a tiger snake for probably twenty five years. Haven't seen a musk duck, crested grebe for about the same amount of time, sea eagles have become very rare. you hardly see those, the trees are dying, nothing is being replaced, there's still stock running on the river. People are taking too much water out and we're too greedy. Greed makes us stupid so we can't see what we're doing."

Garry's the sort of bloke who tells it like it is but for all that there's a touch of the mystic in this artistic bushie. He's never far from water whether it be in a tinnie searching for new subject material along the cliffs near Akuna Station or heading further north in search of the vibrant blues, reds and purples to be found in the waterways of Kakadu and the Kimberlys.

But regardless of the location - the subject is invariably water and his approach is to immerse us in an element so vital to our survival.

"My main reason here is to convey the feeling of what it is like to be immersed to be part of it. Once again I've got that sort of out of focus look. It's sort of blurring out. Everything is blurring out. In fact that's what's actually happening to us. It's actually what's happening to our environment.

In some paintings like "Hydronomous Equilibrius" the message is crystal clear. Each and every little thing is interconnected. From the ringtail possums to the native fish and the ever present pelicans."

"That painting hydronomous equilibrius is about a balance in the water. So therefore all the species are a part of that. You start to take that out and the whole thing collapses.

That one is quite poetic.. once again it's like rythym and music it's balanced."

A balance we disturb at our peril and one which Garry Duncan emphasises in all his work. Garry’s Warragai studio is on the Murray River, in Tasmania, or in Kakado and his works all reflect the diversity and fragility of these world listed areas. You can contact Garry via email grduncan@riverland.net.au or visit his web site www.garryduncangenius.com