Jock Young — Upcoming exhibition

Tasmanian painter Jock Young has come full circle. His life, and artistic journey, began in Avalon on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Now, he is back in his childhood home producing glorious landscapes where magical memories burn bright.

Water is everywhere. Jock’s exhibition of new works, Waterways — Plein Air to Abstraction, is inspired by “the dynamic between the movement of the sea and stillness of the land. It’s really about the light,” he explains. Jock paints en plein air with pared-back form and colour. “I am not reporting what I see, it’s how I feel, and my latest works are more abstract.”

Jock has spent the past year in Avalon. “I needed to reconnect with the place where I grew up.” In Yellow Tree Bird Sanctuary, Jock re-visits his “special spot overlooking Careel Bay where I painted as a teenager. It’s magical and untouched.” The bobbing boats and old sheds of this beautiful bay pop up in other works. “I loved sketching here with friends. Now I am back as a professional artist.”

Jock takes us on other adventures. Glowing with rich ochre, we marvel at the Larapinta Trail in Central Australia. While a favourite Tasmanian surf beach, Goats Bluff, shimmers on a scorching day. “It felt like the whole place was burning with colour.”

Jock’s exhibition, Waterways — Plein Air to Abstraction, will be on show at Handmark Gallery from May 2 – 19.

Image credit: Careel Bay Boat Shed in the sun, 2025, Oil on linen, 65 x 80 cm