The fun that kids in the bush have doing their chores is the subject of an exhibition by rural Hughenden artist Katie Jones that has one more week to run in Townsville.
The exhibition, titled Games That we Play, is on show at the Drill Hall Studio, closing on May 11.
Its images are also the artwork for an upcoming children's book, A Bore Without Chores by Jet Jones, the artist's husband.
Katie uses charcoals in shades of black and brown to capture her images on canvas, and she said the colours were especially suited to the hot, often arid climate of the North Queensland bush.
The people and lifestyle of the outback are Katie's subjects, with the bush itself making a dramatic backdrop.
Originally from Canada, Katie said she thought her immigrant status had given her a different perspective on the bush.
"The culture of outback Australia is really unique, she said. "And I've been given the wonderful opportunity to capture that on canvas and celebrate it."
Her pieces are painstakingly detailed, which by necessity is a slow process.
"Some of these pieces took me months to complete," she said. "I've been working on the artwork for this exhibition for a few years, and on weekends and school holidays I would do 10-hour days."
The Jones family live on a cattle station over an hour from the nearest town of Hughenden, which means Katie home schools her children.
"People often ask me where I find the time," she said.
"And look, it can definitely be a juggling act.
"My house often isn't as clean as I'd like it to be.
"There were a lot of very late nights while I was working on this exhibition."
In addition to being so far from the nearest town, Katie is also five hours from Townsville.
"I can remember when I was a young artist at university, learning about how to build your business and network," she said. "A lot of that goes out the window when you're so far from the city and its arts culture."
She said the internet was making a huge difference in allowing her to reach audiences.
