DVB Memorial - a tribute to my father
Dad was a man of nature and science and will be missed by the many people he loved, taught, mentored, collaborated and fished with.
A good man, a great life and a lasting legacy.
Laureate Emeritus Professor David Boger AC FAA FTSE FRS
d. 5 July 2025
DVB - the fisherman
Private Collection
120x100cm
Acrylic on Canvas
This portrait of my Father is a wonderful celebration of life, capturing a moment of joy for Dad as he holds up his hard worn prize from a fishing expedition. The Saratoga!
Dads big love was nature and being in the bush. Fishing in the rivers and surviving in the bush were a passion for him.
I paint so that people, nature, memories, ideas and the colours of life will always be with me, a reminder that there is beauty in a moment.
You will always be remembered with love Dad.
The Guardian
Private Collection
90x120cm
Acrylic on Canvas
The Guardian is a lone tree that sits on the hill overlooking the vast landscape of its surroundings in rural Nth Tasmania.
The tree is backlit by the night sky, bold lines and vibrant colours create a contrast between the dark tree and its surrounds, alluding to our strength as individuals and custodians of our surroundings. This tension of contrasting colour, light and dark reflects the complexity of nature and existence, where strength and vulnerability coexist.
We are never truly alone in the wilderness of life but are we strong enough to survive?
Morning Walk
Private Collection
90x120cm
Acrylic on Canvas
Many of life's most difficult problems can be solved with a walk in nature. This is an interpretation of my local Landscape at Jan Juc and the colours, textures and big sky experience of going for a morning walk on the cliff tops overlooking the beach.
Resolve
POA
120x150cm
Acrylic on Canvas
Resolve is a visual ode to survival, celebrating the beauty and complexity of enduring life’s challenges with strength and grace.
I am so impressed with the women in my life and the endurance and grace with which they navigate life in this world. My Father has had two wives both of immeasurable strength and grace who cared for him with endurance and love. They are my mentors for courage to survive what is hard in this world.
Endure
PPOA
90x120cm
Acrylic on Canvas
To Endure is the many layered experience of being human, and a pathway we all walk on our many pathed journey through a life.
To lose a parent is an endurance of sorrow and loss, a surreal grief of floating alone somehow in the world. But also amidst the layers of sadness there is memory and from memory there is pleasure, hopefully leading to the growth and the rebuilding of oneself into the next season...
Lament
POA
60x60cm
Acrylic on Canvas
The painting Lament poignantly reflects the universal human condition of suffering and resilience. Despite its melancholic undertones, the painting hints at continuity - life moving forward, even through hardship. Lament reminds us that while suffering is an inevitable part of existence, so too is the capacity to survive and adapt, finding meaning and vitality amid life’s challenges.
Reminiscence
POA
90x120cm
Acrylic on Canvas
The abstract portrait Reminiscence aims to evoke a deep sense of nostalgia and reflection, capturing the essence of memories and time. How we have come from somewhere and are continuing to evolve and become with each brush stroke and each layer of experience. The gaze, slightly distant, speaks to the feelings of thoughtfulness and remembering.
Metamorphosis
Private Collection
40x40cm
Acrylic on Board
Botanical inspiration and colour are two of my favourite things to spark joy! This painting is a story of transformation. The layers and brushwork hinting at what came before and the vibrant bold earthiness of what emerged as the finished work.
Life is a gathering of people, ideas and experiences and we become the hero of our own unique pathway. Dad was the hero of his journey and what a colourful, diverse and richly peopled journey it was.