Hauling Hardwood To The Mill

Description

Limited Edition of 150 Reproductions each of 5 sizes, 750 in total Only

A sawmill was established behind a hill east of Mount Britton, and a lot of hardwood timber was bought down from the hills to the mill with horse teams. Logs from the more difficult terrain were bought down by bullock teams. The horses know their job well, and are leaning forward straining into their collars, as their broad hard hooves press into the ground, and their strong legs propel them forward, dragging the weight of a dense hardwood log out of a little gully and up the slope.

Their driver walks beside them, directing them by his voice and the crack of his whip. A good horseman never used the whip on the horses themselves. The timber was sawn and used in constructing sturdy weatherboard buildings in the township. Some of these original buildings have been relocated in Nebo and are still in use. Textured paint is used to render this subject, especially the grass and the foliage of the trees.

This is one of a collection of twelve paintings called the MOUNT BRITTON COLLECTION that my husband Ron Marshall and I painted, of the pioneer gold town of Mount Britton near Nebo 100km west of Mackay.