Since You've Been Gone | Penelope Metcalf

Big old houses sit beneath tall trees, on large blocks, on wide streets, under big skies.

It won't always be like this.

Metcalf's family's home was a candidate for demolition after the recent passing of her parents. The grand old oak tree and the grove of pines on the back boundary were under threat, along with the rambling timber house with the many red brick chimneys.

This new series of oil paintings is based on locations in and around Balwyn and the eastern suburbs and focuses on the old homes, gardens and trees that are likely to disappear as the wheels of change turn.

The paintings are quintessentially Melbourne, but the landscape evolves.

It won't always be like this.