Ashley Hay Art

03/09/2026

This is so exciting… wish I could see it!

If any of you go to have a look can you please take a couple of pics and send them to me 😜🙏🙏❤️

All eyes on the Peel region.

As part of Plein Air Down Under, Australia's largest and longest-running outdoor painting festival, we're showcasing artworks that capture the unique beauty of Mandurah and the Peel region.

The WA event supports local artists, businesses and tourism operators, boosting regional visitation and celebrating the creativity, culture and landscapes that make the region so special.

Explore the festival for yourself 👉

03/09/2026

DAY 34 ART ON THE ROAD
Today the landscape changed dramatically from the Gibb River to Ellenbrae Station and then on to Home Valley and the Pentecost river…

From wet to a dry, burnt out, scarred landscape scoured by fire a few days ago… Ellenbrae was an Oasis in its midst… where we had fresh scones, jam and cream before continuing on…

The landscape began to open up to vast panoramas of the Cockburn Ranges in the distance. As we made our way closer to camp we enjoyed the changing colours and light as the clouds moved overhead creating shadows across the landscape…

We are now camped on the Pentecost River with a spectacular view of the ranges… I will be painting tomorrow!!! Today I just played with a small ink drawing and a bit of watercolour… nothing spectacular 😜😂but really enjoyable… 🎨🎨

We’ll have a few nights here before we move on to explore more gorges at El Questro!!!

My photos don’t do this landscape any justice!!! 😝🎨🎨I guess that’s why I paint… 😂😂😂🎨🎨🎨

02/09/2026

DAY 33 ART ON THE ROAD
We decided to stay another night at the Gibb River… it has been such a beautiful camp spot!

The light on the river at sunrise was stunning… I painted a couple of paintings today: Ghost Gum in the Gibb (20cm x 40cm) oil on board and Gibb River Sunset (30cm x 40cm) oil on board…

One took me 4 hours / the other took me 1 hour… which one do you think took longer??? 😜😜😜😂🎨🎨🎨

Tomorrow we will be on the move again first thing in the morning - we’re going to Ellenbrae Station for their famous scones 😂❤️😜 we may stay there or go further along the Gibb … to be decided!!! 😜

01/09/2026

DAY 32 ART ON THE ROAD
Today we were on the move again! Travelling further up the Gibb River Road to camp at the Gibb River!!!

It’s absolutely beautiful here… I’m planning to paint in the morning when the light comes up… ☺️🎨🎨🎨

On the way we stopped at Hann River free camp which looked nice… but we weren’t quite ready to stop so we continued to the free camp at the Gibb River… we were extremely lucky to get a wonderful spot right near the rocks and a gorgeous swimming hole! It’s so quiet after Manning gorge where there were loads of people camping…I’m sitting by the campfire as the coals burn low… following a roast that Mark cooked in the camp oven… the stars are out and the crickets are singing… I can hear the waterfall next to our camp…

I didn’t paint today… other than doing a small ‘studio’ touchup of my painting from Galvans Gorge…

I didn’t have any white in my pack to do the sky, when I was painting, so had to make the small amount I had stretch and it was a bit muddy - so I wanted to brighten it up… which has made it more reflective of the actual colour 😜

I’m loving our travels and especially the opportunity to paint en Plein air in such magnificent landscapes!!! 🥳🥳🥳🎨🎨🎨

31/08/2026

DAY 30 & 31 ART ON THE ROAD
Yesterday I had a lazy day at camp while Mark went for a hike into Manning Gorge…

I decided the walk might be a bit beyond me as we’d been told there was no shade along the way and there were sections that were quite difficult requiring some rock scrambling…

When he got back he said I might have got to the section just before the gorge but I probably wouldn’t have been able to do the last bit as it was a pretty epic!

In the afternoon I enjoyed a long swim until sunset… it was very relaxing… 😜🤪🤪🙃

Today we decided to go back to Galvans Gorge so I could paint… we had lunch at the roadhouse and then backtracked down the corrugated roads to the gorge… anyone who knows me knows I hate going backwards 😂😂😂but today I felt it was worth the effort!!! We are here and it wasn’t far!!!

I painted the waterfall with the Boab Tree at the top… it was so serene…

A tour group arrived and everyone was taking photos of me painting!!! It was bizarre… I felt like a tourist attraction!😂😂
I had some lovely chats and everyone made nice comments about my artwork…

I really love the connection painting in the landscape creates with people - someone said today it’s a great conversation starter because you feel like you can’t walk past and say not say anything because the artwork deserves a comment… ❤️🎨🎨

I’m so glad we went back… it’s just not the same painting from a photograph - actually painting in the environment really grounds you with a sense of place… and this place is truely special…

I feel blessed to have left a small footprint on the earth… and thankful for the opportunity to be here… ☺️🎨🎨🙏

29/08/2026

DAY 29 ART ON THE ROAD
Today we travelled from silent Grove to Manning Gorge… on the way we stopped at Galvans Gorge…

I made the rooky mistake of thinking it was a quick walk in and out… so I didn’t take my paints and didn’t wear my bathers or walking shoes 🤪🤪 as it turned out it was my favourite gorge on the Gibb so far… smaller than most but a beautiful oasis ❤️❤️ it was shady, with a gorgeous swimming hole, a waterfall that I was able to sit under (a first - most of them I haven’t been able to get to..), wonderful bird life, sounds of nature and diverse scenery… the Boab Tree at the top of the waterfall was beautiful ☺️

Soooo many painting possibilities!!! I absorbed it all… and had a magical swim… 😝I might have to do some painting from photos and memory… 🤪

It was stunning!!!

Note to self… take your paints everywhere!!! 😂😂 🎨🎨🎨

We may go back… we’ll see…🎨🎨🎨

There’s a lovely swimming hole here at camp as well… but lots of people… 🤪 I prefer a quieter campsite 🤪🤪🤪

Looking forward to another day tomorrow… will definitely pull the paints out!!!

28/08/2026

DAY 28 ART ON THE ROAD
Today was awesome… we went to Bells Falls… it was a class 4 walk into the gorge which I managed 🥳🥳🥳

This is the best falls we’ve been to so far! There was still a lot of water and it was just beautiful - with the water cascading over the immense rocky walls… the photos don’t do it justice!!! 😝

We had a swim in the top pool looking down into the falls from the waters edge - we were able to swim up and lie looking over the edge!!! EPIC!!! 😝🙌

After a swim we found a shady nook in the rocks so I could paint… I didn’t have a view of the falls but I was cool and comfortable!

While I painted Mark went to the bottom of the falls… when he returned I had just finished my painting… it’s only 15cm x 20cm but I loved playing with the colour… I created a little composition of the rocks in the top pool which I could see from where I sat!

My thought for the day: WONDER… the magic of all the landscapes we’ve travelled through… yet soooo much more still to come!

Back at camp
I painted another painting of the rocky outcrop at camp… the rocks and trees reflect the colour of the landscape…
This one was painted in more muted colours - it’s on the opposite side of the rock face - so I’m hoping they’ll make a nice pair when I look at them together 😝 I haven’t got a photo as it was dark when I finished… I drew directly onto the board again before painting… I quite enjoyed this process as it set the composition and gave me a bit of structure to work to!! 😂Happy painting today!!! 🎨🎨🎨🥳😝❤️

Tomorrow we travel to Manning Gorge… which is about half way through the Gibb River Road!!! 🙌we’ve spoken to many people who have said it’s their favourite place in the Gibb… so we’ll see…

Until tomorrow…
Enjoy creating…

27/08/2026

DAY 26 & 27 ART ON THE ROAD
Yesterday was a rest day before moving on… we did a few loads of washing and trip planning 🤪then went for a swim…

Today we got organised early… we were packed up and at breakfast by 8am… everything was done at a leisurely pace 😝 it’s always exciting moving on… wondering what we’ll see next!!!

The landscapes were beautiful with some incredible long views and atmospheric light… none of the photos really do the experience justice… it’s just magic out here!!!!

We drove about 100km in 2.5 hours…

We went through some water crossings and had a few rough spots on the road but overall it was pretty good! 😝

We arrived at a silent Grove, near bells gorge on the Gibb, late morning and set up camp next to a beautiful Stoney outcrop… so guess what I painted today…😝🎨🎨🎨??? 😂😂😂!!!

Tomorrow we venture into Bells Gorge a favourite to many who have travelled the Gibb! We’ll spend the day out there and I’ll do a couple of paintings 😝looking forward to it!!!

If you’d like to see my work when I return - put 11th Dec in your diary… I’ll be having an opening at Rockingham Art Centre at 6pm to share my art from the road with you all 😝I’d LOVE to see you there!!! 🙏❤️❤️😝

Until tomorrow…

26/08/2026

DAY 25 ART ON THE ROAD
This was a special day as I entered a new decade… 🥳🥳 we had breakfast and then went back to Barker Pool where I did another painting… I was quite happy with this one and really enjoyed it… Mark photographed a kookaburra from the water and I had a quick swim before we left…

The highlight of the day was the helicopter landed experience to Twin Flame Falls at sunset… we left around 3pm … I sat in the front where I had an amazing aerial view of the landscape…. 😝The vastness of the outback… ridges… gorges… waterways and waterfalls… an incredible amount of green… volcanic rocks…

This ancient land!!!

Flying in low to land on the rock on the middle of the falls was epic!!!

What really struck me was that we were out in the middle of nowhere… having been flown in by helicopter… with no one else around… solitude… soaring rock walls… a massive drop to the bottom of the gorge… walking across rock surfaces that looked like marble, worn by water over time…

We walked as far as we could to look down the falls then went for a short walk up the gorge to 3 swimming holes… I stayed at the bottom while Mark went up further to the top where he had a swim under the waterfall… the rocks were too hard for me to navigate but I was more than happy sitting in my own in silence just taking in the immensity of the experience…

All of this was followed by a lovely charcuterie board and a glass of wine as the sun set on the gorges!!!

AWESOME!!!! 😝🥳🥳

What an unforgettable experience…