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Scampus

@darkescampus.bsky.social
226 followers 70 following 51 posts

Just a self-taught artist and trivia buff, aging fairly gracefully by the bay in Brisbane, Australia, along with his partner AnnMaree.

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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
'Cottage, Wynnum Style' Posca paint pens and acrylics on canvas board, 40 cm x 30 cm. This is a real house, an old worker's cottage down on West Ave in Wynnum, Brisbane. I drove past it looking like this on a sunny day and knew I just had to paint it. There aren't many like it left.
Painting of a small worker's cottage with pale blue walls and rusty roof in a green, grassy yard with a wooden fence down each side, a high set house over the right hand fence, and green trees at the back of the yard, on a cloudless day.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
*At Carnac", Posca paint pens on canvas board, 30 x 40 cm. I got to visit the hundreds of standing stones at Carnac in Brittany on our trip to France last October. This depiction shows part of the Alignements du Ménec, the westernmost grouping of stones. Might turn it into a full painting one day.
Pen drawing of rows of standing stones on a grassy field near a group of houses under a cloudy sky
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
"Northwest Bay from Chris's place, Lower Snug", Posca paint pens on canvas panel, 41 cm H x 51 cm W. The happy view on a sunny day from the back deck of a friend and former work colleague's home in Lower Snug, a village on the coast several km south of Hobart, Tasmania.
Painting of a bay basking in sunshine, with shrubs and trees in the foreground and mountains in the background, viewed from a wooden deck, with buildings here and there among the vegetation.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
"Dark Mission", acrylic on stretched canvas, 41 cm H x 51 cm W. I love these late afternoon views of a creek running across a darkened beach to the sea. This one is based on a photo I saw somewhere on social media of Mission Beach in North Qld, with Dunk Island offshore.
View out over a stream running across a dark beach to a sunlit stretch of water with hilly islands offshore, people playing along the edge of the water,and two sailing craft out on the sea.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
"The Forts of St Malo", paint pens on canvas board, 41 cm H x 51 cm W. After the realism of the painting of Max the Dog, it was time for a bit of fun. This is based on the view from the walls of St Malo, the old walled town and pirate haunt on the northern coast of Brittany, France.
Painting of a number of rocks and islands, many with forts in them, from the wall of St Malo, France, in the foreground, under a cloudy, blue-grey sky.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
"Good Boi Max", acrylics and paint pens on stretched canvas, 51 cm H x 41 cm W. A little memento for our former neighbours up at Peregian, of their beloved older dog, Max. He's now 14 and a little slower than he used to be, but he still loves his beach & bush walks.
Painting of a black and white dog shown in various poses against an abstract blue-grey background.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
"Ninderry Over Pavonia", acrylic paint & water-based paint pens on canvas panel, 41 cm H x 51 cm W. I first painted this view about 5 years ago, when we lived up the Sunshine Coast. It turned out rather dark. Ever since, I've wanted to do a lighter toned, more colourful version. Finally got to it!
View of Mt Ninderry's distinctive profile from the upper end of Pavonia Street, a steep street in northern Peregian Beach, Sunshine Coast, Queensland. The roadway is flanked on each side by colourful trees and shrubs.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
"The Yellow House of Tamaree," mixed media (acrylic paints and paint pens) on canvas, 41 cm H x 51 cm W. Thought I'd 'scale up' a more informal study I made of this neighbourhood house a few months back. I freely admit, the colours I've used are a bit brighter than in real life.
Painting of a yellow house with a red tile roof, and green trees, lawns, hedges and shrubs around it, under a bright blue sky.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
"AM in the Bush", acrylic paints and paint pens on stretched canvas, 61 cm H x 51 cm W. A view of my partner, AnnMaree, walking on a dirt track through Eumundi Conservation Park up Noosa way, one of her favourite places, although the background fields and mountain have been thoroughly reimagined!
A painting in acrylics showing the figure of a woman walking for exercise on a dirt track through bushland and several tall, straight trees. In the background are open, grassy fields and cultivated land, more forested areas, and a rocky mountain peak on the high horizon.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Gum Nuts Acrylic paint & paint pens Canvas board, 31 cm H x 41 cm W I found this beautiful Eucalyptus tree gum nut, probably only recently fallen from the tree, while out walking during our recent Sunshine Coast stay, and decided it was worth trying to paint. Reckon I was right.
Painting of two Eucalyptus gum nuts, side by side, in shades of green, purple, orange and red, on a white, unpainted canvas.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
We've been up here on the (sometimes) Sunny Coast for a little over a week now, house sitting a place with great hinterland views. Brought the paint pens and a few canvas boards with me. I had big plans, but other demands on my time and bone idleness won out. I did get this nice study done, though.
Painted view of a landscape with ridges and a mountain in the far distance overlooking low forest and grasslands and some trees and shrubs in the foreground. A section of patio tiles appears in the immediate foreground.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
"Lambretta on the Harbour" acrylics on canvas, 71 cm H x 61 cm W. A commission for my partner's brother-in-law and his wife. Depicted is their former yacht, the Lambretta, somewhere in Auckland Harbour or the Hauraki Gulf. They sold her quite a few years ago now. I'm very pleased with this one.
Painting in a realistic style of a white yacht with white sails on turquoise water with islands and other boats in the background, under a tall, blue sky with fluffy cumulus clouds.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
Rue du Puits, Honfleur. Acrylics and paint pens on canvas board, 61 cm H x 51 cm W. Last October we stayed for 3 mights in an apartment up the far end of this street. This depiction is something of a memorial to that all too brief visit.
Painting of the view up a cobblestone street with colourful, 2 to 3 storey buildings on both sides, and a green hillside wirh yellowing trees in the far background, all under a pale grey sky.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
"Some Hazards Ahead", Posca paint pens on canvas board, 41 cm H x 51 cm W. A view we saw from the Coles Bay foreshore walk during our Tasmanian visit 3 years ago. I really enjoy how paint pens let me work so quickly, and how they force me to stick to bright, non-muddy colours.
A painted view of a small bay surrounded by orange-brown rocks on two sides with a sandy beach in between, with tywo mountains on the other side of a larger bay in the background.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
"Eastern Yellow Robin", Posca paint pens on canvas board, 50.5 cm H x 40.5 cm W. Based on a photo I found on social media. (If it's yours, thank you!) Pleased with how quickly this one came together, actually.
Painting of a bird with grey head and tail feathers and yellow feathers elsewhere, perched on a branch against an indeterminate background of greens and browns.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
"Sunrise on Sunshine", Posca paint oens on canvas board, 51 cm H x 41 cm W. This is based one of our favourite views up on the Sunshine Coast, looking south from David Low Way at Sunrise Beach towards Coolum and Mooloolaba. Another one where I've avoided using any acrylic paints.
View from high up above a roadway looking down a golden beach towards coastal vegetation, then buildings and headlands with a mountain in the background at right, all under a cloudless, blue sky. An orange-red car drives down the road, away from the viewer.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
"Appetites" Paint Pens on canvas board, 41 cm H x 51 cm W Based on some photos I saw on Threads; a Moreton Bay fig is swallowing the nearest parts of a green, cast iron fence. I thought it made a great topic for a painting.
Painting of a Moreton Bay Fig tree engulfing the railings and palings of a green, cast iron fence.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 22/02/2026
"The Mad Professor's Place", acrylic paint and water-based paint pens on canvas board, 46 cm H x 36 cm W. This is actually based on a real house in St Malo, France. I don't really know who lives in it; the title is from a comment made by a brother-in-law.
Painting done in acrylic paint and Posca paint pens of a house with steep rooves and a high garden wall, against a background of wispy white clouds in a bright blue sky.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
"Oregon Coast", water based paint markers and acrylic, 346 cm H x 46 cm W. Another step in the process of learning how to use Posca paint pens more effectively. I found they didn't work for the sky area, though, so it's mainly done in traditional acrylic paints. Quite pleased with the outcome.
Painting of a coastline with various rock stacks rising from a golden beach, and surf rolling intto the beach in the foreground. .
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
Another sketch or study done completely with paint pens, this time of a double river bend somewhere in southeastern Australia. Based yet again on a photo from a Facebook friend, even if I can't exactly remember who that friend was! I think it was the colourful cliffs at left that caught my eye.
Painting done in paint pens of a stretch of an unknown river in southeastern Australia where the river describes an S bend, with yellow-orange cliffs on the left side and a lower, well wooded bank on the right side. In the distance a line of gum trees run along another ridge, under a blue sky with light coloured clouds.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
"Stronghold", paint pens on loose canvas, 30 cm H x 40 cm W. A preliminary study for a future painting of St Malo in France. It was a chance to really lash out with the Posca paint pens, try out patterns & layering techniques for shade & colour adjustments. I think I learned quite a bit from it.
Paint pen painting of a view of the Intramuros (walled town) of St Malo from a point along the beach to the east.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
"Young Master Frodo", acrylic & paint pen on canvas, r1 cm H x 41 cm W. Done for a niece and her hubbie, featuring their dog when he was a puppy, not all that long ago. Hopefully I've captured his essence.
Painting of an orange-brown, long haired puppy in front of a wall of greenery.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 29/12/2025
"Kalimna's Bogong (Truer Colour)", acrylic & paint pen on canvas, 41 cm H x 51 cm W. The same subject as the last painting, only this time using colours closer to reality, unlike last time's opposites. A beautiful part of the world that I hope to visit one day.
Painted view of Mt Bogong in the Victorian high country from a nearby valley, with horses and cattle grazing in the foreground paddocks.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 14/12/2025
'Bogong from Kalimna (Reversed)', acrylic and paint pen on canvas, 41 cm H x 51 cm W. View of Mt Bogong, Victoria, from the valley below. I painted in reverse colours from the natural colours, with the blues in the foreground and pale greens for the mountain, just to see the result. Weird, not bad.
View of Mt Bogong, Victoria from paddocks in a valley below, with horses and cattle grazing, all painted in reverse colours from the natural colours, with blues in the foreground,  purples in the middle distance, and the ridge of the mountain in pale greens.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
Chris's Place, Granite Belt. Acrylic and paint pens on canvas, 51 cm H x 41 cm W. Nothing too fancy with this one, just the view from a former work colleague's backyard down near Stanthorpe, about 3 hours southwest of Brisbane. What a lovely place to live.
Painting of the view down a grassy backyard through trees towards distant, misty paddocks and wooded ridges, with a water-filled dam in the middle distance.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
With our big OS trip imminent, I didn't have time to start and finish a more substantive work. So here's a nice, colourful study in acrylics and paint pens of one of the prettier houses in our street.
Acrylic painting on canvas of a yellow brick house with a red tile roof, surrounded by green lawns, trees and hedges, under a pale purple sky.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 31/08/2025
King Edward Parade, Devonport. Acrylics, 41 cm H x 51 cm W. My take on a delightful house that overlooks Auckland Harbour in NZ (and keeping with the purple and red-orange theme of the last few paintings where appropriate).
Acrylic painting on canvas of a high set house with landscaped front gardens.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 19/08/2025
"Flying: Moreton Bay Fig buttress roots, Devonport, NZ" Acrylic on canvas, 51 cm H x 41 cm W. Another work in my current 'purple patch', which started with the recent ptg of the rock face in Launceston's Cataract Gorge. This one shows a tree's roots from the waterfront on Auckland's north shore.
Acrylic painting of some of a Moreton Bay Fig's flying buttress roots, done in shades of purple and orange-brown.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
Rockface, Cataract Gorge, Morning. Acrylic on wood panel, 51 cm H x 41 cm W. Somehow it's already been over 2 years since our holiday in Tasmania. On our last day there we walked through Launceston's Cataract Gorge, marvelling at the amazing rock formations. This one of them.
Acrylic painting on wooden panel of one of the rock faces in Cataract Gorge at Launceston, Tasmania, done in various shades of purple, red-orange, and brown, plus some olive green water.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
Matt's Big Duck. Acrylics on canvas, 50 cm W x 40 cm H. A commission for my nephew, done in close cooperation with him, and the result is suitably quirky. (The actual beach is, once again, Home Beach at Port Macquarie - a great beach to paint.)
A large, yellow duck sails serenely out of the river mouth at Port Macquarie, as viewed from a nearby hilltop lookout.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
"The Falling Out (Red Surf)", acrylic paint on canvas, 40 cm H x 30 cm W. The first work I've done where I used not only paintbrushes but other tools, in particular, a variety of palette knives. An interesting process, leading to quite a rough, chunky look in some places, e.g. the sun.
Painting of a sun over a red-orange surf scene, with beach and rocks in the foreground.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 11/05/2025
"Wineglass Stems", acrylic on canvas, 41 cm H x 51 cm W. My take on the rock pinnacles visible on the mountainside to the west of Wineglass Bay Lookout in Tasmania. I snuck in a bird's eye view of the bay and the adjacent Hazards mountains too - I really need to do more map-based works.
Acrylic painting of the rock pinnacles near Wineglass Bay Lookout in Tasmania, with bird's eye view of the bay and the adjacent Hazards mountains below.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 28/03/2025
'Astro Bot for Carter L', paint pens & acrylics on canvas, 41 cm H x 51 cm W. The 4th & perhaps final instalment in my series of artworks for our grand nieces & nephews. Based on a promo image for this particular version of the character, with a couple of changes, especially in the background.
Painting of children's game character, Astro Bot, with supporting characters, against a blue gradient background.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 17/03/2025
In a nearby street, there resides a slightly weird but also rather fabulous house, part of which appears to be a 2 storey 'chapel'. Here's my A3 sized, acrylic & paint pen version of it, in the brightest colours I thought I could get away with. NFS as it's done on a page in a pad of canvas sheets.
Painting, using acrylic paints and Posca paint pens on an A3-sized canvas sheet, of a house in Wnnum, Queensland, Australia, which incorporates an unusual, two storey, chapel-like extension.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 08/03/2025
Astro Bot for Charlie G, acrylic on canvas, 41 cm H x 51 cm W. Just something fun for a grandnephew, featuring one of his current favourite game characters. Another work that makes a nice change from my usual landscapes.
Astro Bot for Charlie G, acrylic paint on canvas, 41 cm high by 51 cm wide. Just something fun for a grandnephew, featuring one of his current favourite game characters, Astro Bot.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 19/02/2025
'Ah Mater', acrylic on canvas, 60 cm H x 50 cm W. My rendition from a photo I sourced on social media. (If it was your photo, let me know and I'll happily acknowledge your work.) A fox cub contemplates its mother as she basks in the sun, eyes closed. A bit sentimental, but it really works for me.
'Ah Mater', acrylic painting on canvas, 60 cm high x 50 cm wide. A fox cub contemplates its tired mother as she basks in the sun, eyes closed.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
A somewhat frazzled galah, done with a few paint pens on paper, to serve as a logo of sorts for a longstanding mate's social bowls club, The Gap Galahs. A fun little job to balance against the more serious stuff.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 12/01/2025
"Stormy beach," acrylics on canvas board, 41 cm H x 51 cm W. My 2nd one with a rainbow over a stormy sea, from a photo sent to me by a visitor to 2023's Noosa Open Studios. I'm not sure I've gotten the rainbow quite right yet, but it's coming along, and I can work on it occasionally from here on.
"Stormy beach" acrylics on canvas board, 41 cm high x 51 cm wide. My second one with a rainbow over a stormy sea, from a photo sent to me by a visitor to 2023's Noosa Open Studios.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 27/12/2024
"The Powerpuff Girls for Eleanor", acrylics and acrylic paint pens on stretched canvas, 41 cm H x 51 cm W. Another work for the other grand niece, commissioned by her doting grandmother. (This time, it'll be Cartoon Network after me, I guess!)
"The Powerpuff Girls for Eleanor", acrylic paints and acrylic paint pens on stretched canvas, 41 cm high x 51 cm wide.
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Scampus @darkescampus.bsky.social · 04/12/2024
'A Stitch for Kennedy', 51 x 41 cm, acrylic on stretched canvas. Nothing too complex. Just something for a sister's granddaughter who happens to be obsessed with the character at the moment. Another good chance to tune up the mark making skills before launching into something more 'serious'.
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