Painting the Northern Territory: Capturing Colour, Heat, and Raw Landscape
This piece became the next artwork in my This is Australia series, a collection that began as a personal creative break and gradually grew into a body of work exploring Australia through memory, symbolism, and illustration.
Unlike Western Australia and Queensland, where I had lived and built my own memories, the Northern Territory was a place I knew differently. My connection came through stories, photographs, and the emotional pull of its landscape. My family had travelled there, and I still remember seeing their photos and feeling drawn to the colour, the scale, and the unmistakable personality of the place.
Everything about it felt unapologetically Australian.
A place defined by colour and character
What struck me most was the colour. That rich ochre red stretching endlessly across the landscape immediately reminded me of Kalgoorlie and tugged at the same emotional connection I had formed with the red dirt of Western Australia.
But the Northern Territory carried its own distinct energy. It wasn’t just rugged. It was bold, quirky, and full of contrast.
There were the pristine waterholes of places like Litchfield National Park, hidden unexpectedly within dry terrain. Long, empty roads marked by kangaroo crossing signs that hinted at endless distance. Wildlife that felt ancient, resilient, and unmistakably Australian.
Some elements felt essential to include.
The frilled-neck lizard, full of movement and personality.
The Gouldian finch, impossibly bright and delicate.
The boxing crocodile, capturing that uniquely Australian sense of humour.
Each one helped tell the story of the Territory beyond its geography.
Finding balance within an iconic place
Uluru was, of course, impossible to ignore.
It is one of Australia’s most recognisable landmarks, and including it felt important. But I didn’t want it to dominate the piece. The Northern Territory is far more than a single landmark, no matter how iconic it may be.
Instead, Uluru became part of the broader composition. Present, but balanced. One element within a much larger narrative.
This piece required careful restraint. There was so much more I could have included, and deciding what to leave out became just as important as deciding what to include. It felt like a place that could easily fill multiple artworks.
Perhaps it will.
A piece shaped by imagination and connection
Creating the Northern Territory artwork reinforced something that had become increasingly clear throughout this series.
Connection to place doesn’t only come from living there. It can come from observation, storytelling, and the emotional resonance of landscape and identity.
The Northern Territory brought a sense of playfulness and boldness to the collection. It reminded me that Australia’s identity isn’t uniform.
It is layered, expressive, humorous, and deeply tied to the land.
You can follow the ongoing This is Australia series and see the remaining states over on Instagram at @laura.hamzic.art.
What happens next
I’ll be releasing This is Australia: Northern Territory as a fine art print as part of the growing collection, with plans already unfolding for future releases inspired by the series.
If you’d like to be the first to know when prints and future releases become available, you can join my email list below and I’ll keep you updated as the collection continues to evolve.