The Colours of Place: Discovering Poss Keech Art at Oakbank Studio, Burrawang

Above: “Big and Bold”


With a brush in hand and an eye attuned to the subtleties of light, Poss Keech’s art brings the beauty of Australia’s landscapes and interiors into vivid focus. Known for her expressive style in oils and acrylics, Poss translates her encounters with nature and domestic life into richly coloured, atmospheric works that invite viewers to pause, reflect and connect.

Poss’s paintings grow from lived encounters with Australian places – coastal light, garden stillness, inland scale – and the way memory, movement and atmosphere linger long after the moment has passed. This year’s body of work reflects travel and close observation: “This year I have painted in Tasmania, the NSW south coast, Patonga and locally, in both oil and acrylics and some small mixed media works on paper referring to the bush and a lovely Burrawang Garden.” The result is a practice that stays faithful to real landscapes and interiors while embracing bold colour and gestural energy.

Gathering momentum: Notes from the road

Earlier this year, Poss spent six weeks travelling through outback Western Australia, gathering ideas for her next cycle of paintings and exhibitions. The region’s intensity left a strong mark on her palette and purpose: “The colours and vastness of this country are truly amazing – total overdrive, so that will be what I am trying to capture in my works on paper, oils and gouache and oil pastels.”


Oakbank Studio: Verandahs, gardens and wetlands

At Oakbank Studio, visitors are invited into a uniquely intimate setting at 2 George St, Burrawang 2577. As Poss explains: “Oakbank ‘studio’ is a covered verandah running around 3 sides of our house overlooking the Burrawang wetlands and our garden. We can hang approximately 50 of my paintings there and I have a V-fold display rack for works on paper. Meredith Scott’s mosaics are inside at the entrance of the house. There will be a self-serve tea and coffee station which our guests can take down into the gardens to enjoy.”

The arrangement transforms the house into a light-filled gallery space, with verandahs serving as open-air promenades lined with paintings. Beyond them, the tranquil gardens and wetlands form a living backdrop to the work, encouraging visitors to slow down, explore and reflect. The addition of Meredith’s mosaics at the entrance, along with the chance to enjoy coffee in the garden, creates a welcoming and memorable experience that extends well beyond the canvases.

Colour as structure

One of the defining qualities of Poss’s art is her fearless use of colour. As she explains, “I am often told my boldness in my use of colour is captivating.” That boldness is not simply decorative; it shapes the very structure of her work. In the landscapes, colour conveys heat, distance, water and weather. In the interiors, it maps light, shadow and mood. Whether working in oil, acrylic, gouache or mixed media on paper, colour serves as the anchor – directing the eye, building atmosphere and translating memory into paint.

Left: Poss painting on the verandah
Right: “The Old Parsonage Garden, Burrawang”

A year’s arc: from Tasmania to the Pilbara, back to Burrawang

The creative arc behind this year’s work traces a journey across diverse Australian landscapes, each one leaving its mark on the evolving language of Poss’s art. From Tasmania’s cool edges and pale skies to the luminous ocean light of the NSW South Coast, from the coastal atmosphere of Patonga to the intimate familiarity of a “lovely Burrawang Garden,” each location has contributed distinct impressions of colour, mood and form.

Most recently, the vast expanses of the Pilbara have added what Poss describes as “total overdrive” – an intensity of scale and palette that has expanded her approach even further. These experiences are not reproduced literally; instead, they become a vocabulary of sensations and memories.

Different mediums allow these impressions to find their best expression. Mixed-media works on paper convey the immediacy of field notes, capturing fleeting rhythms and textures with speed and spontaneity. Oils and acrylics, by contrast, provide a slower, more layered depth, enabling the resonance of a place to unfold gradually across the canvas. Across all formats, the goal remains consistent: to translate the essence of landscape – how it feels to stand within it, and how it lingers in the body long after leaving – into bold and expressive painted form.

What visitors will experience on the Arts Trail

During the Southern Highlands Arts Trail, Oakbank Studio offers visitors an experience that extends beyond simply viewing paintings. Around 50 of Poss’s works in oil, acrylic and mixed media will be displayed along the wide verandahs. The layout encourages wandering – paintings paired with sightlines to the wetlands and a seat with tea or coffee at hand. It’s an environment designed for the kind of slow-looking that Poss’s art rewards.

“There will be a great range of work at very reasonable prices and Meredith is the only mosaic artist on the trail.” Poss explains. “Burrawang is a little historic village – the highest in the Southern Highlands, with beautiful houses, four streets to walk and wonderful gardens.”

The combination of expressive paintings, intricate mosaics and the charm of Burrawang itself makes a visit to Oakbank Studio a highlight of the Arts Trail – a chance to experience art, landscape and village life in one unhurried afternoon.

The Southern Highlands Arts Trail 2025 will be held across the first two weekends in November, the 1st & 2nd and 8th & 9th from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM daily. Studios and creative spaces throughout the region will be open, offering visitors the chance to connect with local artists, discover unique works and enjoy the vibrant creative spirit of the Southern Highlands. Download your map here today!