The Terrence John Hadler Gallery

Permeated by the ethos of I love a Sunburnt Country Terrence John Hadler’s painted tributes to Australia’s vast and diverse land/sea/desert scapes pay homage to its unfathomable rawness and resilient beauty.

Although he cites his major artistic influences as Brett Whitely, Fred Williams, Paul Klee and Piet Mondrian, a strong tinge of Arthur Boyd’s emotionally troubled and weather wrought landscapes is evident in choice of subject and incorporation of compositional perspective.

Born in Mildura in the Victorian Mallee in 1947, his early life experiences living in rural Victoria clearly infused his very blood with the “feeling” of the bush, the desert and flooding rivers. An accomplished bushman, he regularly travels extensively to recharge his roots and find new and exciting subjects to paint.

Hadler’s vivacious orange earth colours, cool greens and backdrop blue skies, often with clouds, are painted as if the “heart of the country” has somehow infused the pigment of his brush. Over the years what began as traditional impressionist style has mutated into a contemporary abstracted style – accommodated in large scale oil on canvas.

He never ceases to be amazed by the beauty and harshness of this wide land which offers a plethora of subjects. His latest works are exhibited in his gallery in the historic Block Arcade in central Melbourne, upstairs in Australian By Design.