<b>G.C. MOUNTSTEPHEN</b><br>
<b>Australian Bush Landscape with Hut and River</b>, 1983<br>
Oil paint on natural Australian boulder opal<br>
Signed and dated on verso: "G.C. Mountstephen 1983"<br>
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<b>Dimensions (stone):</b> Approximately 15-20 cm length x 7-10 cm height (estimated from photos - buyers to verify in person)<br>
<b>Format:</b> Freestanding three-dimensional object, unframed<br>
<b>Verso:</b> Signed "G.C. Mountstephen" and dated "1983" in dark ink on the natural ironstone matrix back. Small adhesive label reading "AUSTRALIAN OPAL."<br>
<b>COA:</b> Not present<br>
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<b>Condition:</b> Good. The painted surfaces appear firmly adhered to the stone with no obvious lifting, chipping, or damage to the paint layer from available photographs. The boulder opal's natural iridescence is vivid and intact - greens, blues, and purples displaying strongly in the natural opal layer at the top of the stone. The ironstone matrix base of the stone appears solid and undamaged.<br>
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A remarkable and truly one-of-a-kind artwork: a miniature oil painting executed across the multiple faces of a large natural Australian boulder opal, creating an immersive three-dimensional landscape. The artist G.C. Mountstephen has used the ironstone and opal matrix as a painting surface, covering three or more faces of the stone with a continuous Australian bush scene: a rustic timber bush hut with pale roof sits on a raised bank among eucalyptus trees, a river or creek flows through the foreground with silvery reflections, birds in dark silhouette fly across the sky, and distant blue mountains fade into the horizon. The genius of the piece is in the sky: where the painted grey and white clouds end, the natural opal layer begins, its living iridescence continuing the atmosphere of the sky in actual opal play-of-colour, flickering between green, blue, and purple as the viewing angle changes. The painting wraps continuously around all faces of the stone. Signed and dated on the verso in 1983. A unique fusion of gemstone and fine art.<br>
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<b>Artist:</b> G.C. Mountstephen<br>
<b>Year:</b> 1983<br>
<b>Medium:</b> Oil paint on natural Australian boulder opal (ironstone matrix with opal veining)<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Australian bush landscape with hut, creek, eucalyptus trees, birds, and natural opal sky<br>
<b>Signature:</b> Signed and dated verso<br>
<b>Format:</b> Freestanding three-dimensional painted stone, unframed<br>
<b>COA:</b> Not present

Condition: Good - Refer To Images

232041+17

Location of item: 148 Main Street, Beverley, SA, Australia

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