Austen Deans painting in the Mackenzie Basin May '06

In May before the big snow we went down to paint in the Mackenzie staying at Blackforest Station on the shores of Lake Benmore.

The open biscuit tin on the ground is what Austen calls the teasmaid, doubling as a place to boil the billy for hot drinks while providing some heat to hasten the drying of watercolours in cool damp conditions.

It got its name from the latest gadget after the war that boiled the water, poured your tea and then the alarm would ring to wake you up.

Unframed 257mm high x 355mm wide

Framed 450mm x 552mm

Not for Sale