Inside looking out: pastel paintings of Historic Houses Trust properties by Greg Hansell

Earth pastel painter Greg Hansell has been a finalist in the Archibald, has had 19 paintings hung in the Wynne Prize, was a finalist in the Dobell Drawing Prize in 2005 and is Art School Director at the Royal Art Society New South Wales.

He crushes rocks to make his own pigments and makes his earth pastels by hand using only natural rocks and clays. With no added binder or pigment he creates a colour permanence of the highest grade. Greg enjoys recording history as it appears today and over the past few months has been visiting HHT properties doing just that, producing a wonderful collection of works that have been specially commissioned by HHT Members. Inspired by the Renaissance masters, Greg's paintings are filled with details, the Victorian clutter of interiors, the textures, the information they provide and the serenity of the houses.