Photographer Mike Baker's colours embody the epitome of the Local Colour project: matching colours sourced from our local environments to create interiors that connect to our broader environments and also speak to our innate need for connection and flow. The creation of this bush-block palette was recorded a year ago, prior to the halt of the Local Colour project due to Covid-19.

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Juvenile and established eucalyptus leaf from the property were matched by eye into natural lime finishes designed to be applied layer by layer, reflecting the bewitching tones and texture of the silvery gum leaves, and the way the chalky blue sits over the warm green leaves. 

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A testament to the act of looking, alongside the spectrum of greens, blues and greys were stunning black-purples and lilac-greys hidden at the tips of leaves and running along stems. By taking the time to deliberately seek colour in the environment, we found a deeper and more complex palette than 'just' green.

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Fast forward a year, and this palette has found its place on the walls of Mike's new studio on his bush property near Kyneton. Colours sourced from metres away from the windows now adorn the walls and ceiling of this humble space, playing with light and enhancing the experience of being inside, but connected to place.
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Perhaps when we choose something with a story, something especially for us, or connected to place, we enjoy it for longer and avoid the need to replace or repaint and the cost that places on the environment.