Impressionist

In the 1890s Long painted a number of outdoor studiescapturing his immediate responses to nature. He also created images of rural scenes.

Following the practice of his teacher Julian Ashton, as well as Charles Conder and Streeton, Long sometimes painted at Griffith’s farm in the Richmond area of New South Wales.

In these early Impressions he worked in the manner of these artists, painting freely in the open air directly onto canvas or wood panel, capturing light and eliminating any details that would distract from the essence of the scene.

Long painted typical rural subjects. But he wanted to do more than this. He also wanted to convey something of the poetry of the bush.