About Rossco T

With the passing of time, aside from, my desire to capture on canvas, the people, places and stories that inspire me, I have combined a love of "making things" with a love of cooking, history and the outdoors. My love of the outdoors began in South Africa, at Michaelhouse, a boarding school in scenic Kwazulu Natal near the spectacular Drakensburg Mountains, where I learnt to sail, hike and enjoy trout fishing.

To the delight of my Portuguese mother, Cynthia de Paiva Raposo, who enthusiastically encouraged me, I won my first painting competition, when I was just 8 years old. Herself an artist, Cynthia was taught by well-known South African artist, Sidney Goldblatt. She painted landscapes but especially enjoyed painting old buildings and portraits of people with character.

In my early teens, overseen by my uncle, I built myself a small yacht which I raced competitively on the local dam. My wood working skills, learnt at school, enabled me in later life to make furniture items for the homes renovated by me. Below are some of the doors made by me from Australian spotted gum.

In 1986, following political upheaval in South Africa, I moved with my family to Melbourne, Australia where I worked as a lawyer. Painting was a relaxing and welcome respite at our rural retreat on the banks of the Acheron River, in regional Victoria. Retirement in 2011 enabled me, with my wife Gil, to devote more time to our other interests such as gardening, military history, and woodworking. 

During Covid lockdown, I retrieved my oil paints from garage storage and continued painting landscapes and seascapes. I am grateful to artist Rod Moore of the Learn to Paint Academy, Queensland, for his encouraging Unleash the Artist Within challenge. Rod Moore, a well-known Australian impressionist artist, encouraged me to never be afraid to have a go. In pushing the boundaries, I discovered my love of impressionism and producing landscapes and seascapes. I also enjoy painting iconic European street scenes and old buildings in photorealism. 

I aspire to produce landscape and seascapes oil paintings, in the impressionist style of William Turner in the early 1800s using “oil paint in a broad and translucent manner to create scenes of vast light and colour”, I am particularly inspired by Australian artist Arthur Streeton and South African artists Errol Boyley and J H Pierneef.

Like sailing, painting enhances my appreciation of nature, with all its moods and wonderful ever changing colours. Hopefully, in the future, my rural retreat on the banks of the Acheron River in the shadow of the Cathedral Mountain will host plein air painting groups with like-minded artists.

Thank you for your interest.