Shep's Studio on Kangaroo Island: Lisa enjoys some unique depictions of the Australian landscape in the Kangaroo Island region of South Australia

As an artist living on Kangaroo Island you're never short of inspiration and Neil Sheppard, or 'Shep' as he's known doesn't have to go far. From his house overlooking Shoal Bay, every view is a potential painting.

And when he's made up his mind - there's no stopping him. To say he's a prolific painter is an understatement - Shep works at a blistering pace sometimes completing several pieces a day. And like the Australian landscapes he paints - his work is big and bold.

Neil attributes his unique depictions of the Australian landscape on his time growing up in the Kalgoorlie Goldfields and the subsequent years he spent travelling around the country by motorbike. After graduating as a teacher he also spent several years teaching in the Southern Flinders town of Chrystal Brook. Clearly, the time he spent in the southern Flinders is still a big influence on his work - but it doesn't limit his choice of subjects.

Neil 'Shep' Sheppard: "My style varies all the time. I don't really think I've hit on a style yet - I'm still working towards working out what sort of an artist I am. It's obviously not photographic stuff, it's not really highly detailed. I think it varies from impressionist to abstract…"

Neil says he enjoyed drawing as a child and started his art career working in pen and ink before venturing into painting in the late 1990s. With no formal training, he says he's free to be adventurous with his art and push the creative envelope.

Shep: "So far in this painting I've only used the four primary colours. It's amazing that that you can use the same four colours three or four times a day on a painting and get different effects every time because of different proportions of the colours."

A visit to the gallery next door to his studio proves he's not short on subject matter - from dramatic KI seascapes, to Tuscan style glimpses of the Barossa Valley.

Shep: "First thing in the morning I make a cup of coffee - generally around 5 or 6.30 and I sit in the armchair and my brain sort of goes into dreamy mode and while I'm in that mode, that's when the painting will come to me for the day."

And come to him it does with his distinct style of paintings gracing many walls throughout Australia and overseas. You can visit him at his Bay of Shoals Studio on Bellmore Road, just follow the signs from Kingscote. Or, if you are in Kingscote pop into either one of 'Fine Art of Kangaroo Islands' two galleries. They are both in Daucey Street. If you have any further questions please email info@postcards-sa.com.au

Shep's Studio
2 Bellmore Rd
Bay of Shoals (follow the signs)
Ph 8553 2116

Fine Art of KI Gallery
80 & 102 Daucey St
Kingscote

Published 4th May 2010