Visuddhacara Philip Ayres is an artist originally from Baraba Baraba, Wemba Wemba and Yorta Yorta Country. His creative disciplines consist of painting and fine art photography. Visuddhacara has been connecting to his heritage through artistic expression since the early 1970’s. During that time he studied photography under the great photographic master Athol Shmith, a close compatriot of Max Dupain. He also spent many years as a solitary meditation Buddhist Monk practising the deeper meditative techniques of the Buddha, in the forest monasteries and rain forest caves in the Southeast. His expression and interpretation of the environment around him has been his primary subject. The intrinsic energy, nourishment and Spirit that makes up our land is a principle focus in most of his artworks. Through his grandmother he has connection to Gunditjmara ( Dhauwurd Wurrung) at ‘Tae Rak’ (Lake Condah Mission) in Gunditjmara country and ‘Bungyarnda’ (Lake Tyers Mission) in Gunai/Kurnai country. He recalls his younger days when he used to connect and dance with the spirits and his mother told stories of earlier days on country. The ancient landscape has a spiritual depth and cultural wealth that have inspired many of his works. ‘Eel Dreaming’ and the Ocean Spirits are major subjects of his finest work. Through using the very best photographic and fine art painting techniques, he has represented theland in uplifting photographic panoramas and paintings that have a deeper cultural and personal meaning. His works have won multiple awards both nationally and internationally and are in collections around the world.