Walls of Jerusalem Collection
Original artworks by John E Gibb.
Pool of Bethesda under the morning shadows of the Temple. (Price on enquiry) acrylic on canvas / 185 x 101 cm. This early morning glimpse of the Pool of Bethesda during my first visit to ‘the Walls’ back in 1971 is firmly etched into my memory, reinforced by as is my first sighting of a platypus in the wild.
Old ‘Sentinel Pine’ at the Pool Bethesda. (sold) acrylic on canvas / 131 x 700 cm. Another tenacious survivor of a millennium of winters and the destructive bushfires of the 60s, under the protection of ‘The Temple and watered by the still waters of the Pool of Bethesda.
A Cold Morning at the Pool of Siloam. (Price on enquiry) acrylic on canvas / 135 x 80 cm. Evaporation mists over the still waters of the Pool of Siloam and the breath-taking ‘revealing’ of the West Wallas the dispersing fog from the Vale of Salome below heralds the promise of another glorious day. A tantalising view firmly etched into my memories of the beautiful alpine region
Mt Zion and the Pool of Bethesda. (sold) acrylic on canvas / 121 x 50 cm. Solitude and reflection at the Pool of Bethesda, amongst the skeletal remains of ancient pencil pines left behind by the tragic bushfires that swept through this fragile landscape in 1963
Morning Glory over the Vale of Salome. (Price on enquiry) acrylic on canvas / 50 x 60 cm. Ubiquitous cushion plants amidst alpine grasses and sedges flourish in this glacial amphitheatre, with the towering West Wall providing a spectacular backdrop. The valley is littered with numerous reed-covered tarns and waterways that make their way to Lake Salome, a glacial hanging lake at the foot of ‘Herod’s Gate’ – the gateway to the Walls of Jerusalem
Early Morning Reflection on the Pool of Siloam. (sold) acrylic on canvas / 91 x 37 cm. Condensation mist lies over the pool on a crisp, still morning, the silence broken only by the call of a currawong or the soft splash of a foraging platypus.
Mt Jerusalem and Vale of Rimmon from the Gate of the Chain. (sold) acrylic on canvas / 93 x 31 cm. The sweeping view looking east from the Gate of the Chain and ‘the Temple’ , towards Mt Jerusalem and the East Wall and the Vale of Hinom. Evidence of the devastating 1963 bushfires can still be seen
West Wall and Damascus Gate from the Pool of Siloam. (sold) acrylic on canvas / 75 x 30 cm. A classic and nostalgic view from the original campsite before it became a restricted rehabilitation site.
West Wall Unveiling from Ephraim’s Gate. (Price on enquiry) acrylic on canvas / 92 x 38 cm. Early morning mist lifting from the Vale of Bethesda, where the landscape is gently, yet spectacularly revealed in revitalised colour and warmth
High Noon at the Pool of Bethesda. (Price on enquiry) acrylic on canvas / 60 x 30 cm. Midday at the perfect ‘lunch spot’ beside the Pool of Bethesda, after a glorious morning exploring the highlights of this iconic region
Solomon’s Throne from Damascus Gate. (Price on enquiry) acrylic on canvas / 60 x 30 cm. Solomons Throne (Hall’s Bluff), overlooking Damascus Gate and the beginnings of the endemic pencil pine forest that skirts the Temple and the legendary Dixon’s Kingdom hut, wandering through these ancient trees, one could be forgiven for believing they have been transported to the fabled ‘Fangorn’s Forest’ of Tolkien’s ‘Lord of the Rings’
Entrance to the Walls through Herod’s Gate. (sold) acrylic on canvas / 90 x 60 cm. The first glimpse of the majesty of the Walls of Jerusalem viewed from the saddle of Herod’s Gate, dominated by the peaks of Mt Ophel, Mt Zion, Mt Jerusalem and the Temple. Lake Salome skirts Mt Ophel and is the scourse of wild Dog Creek. The richea scoparia flowers around January and provides a wonderful contrast with the cushion plants, pineapple grass and pencil pines.
Morning Mists lifting in Jaffa Vale. (Price on enquiry) acrylic on canvas / 60 x 50 cm. An early morning view looking south-east over the East Wall, directly opposite Dixon’s Kingdom hut and that often greeted me on so many occasions
Sunrise over the West Wall and the Pool of Siloam. (sold) acrylic on canvas / 120 x 30 cm. Early morning reflections on the Pool of Siloam, framed by the spectacular West Wall
Winter at Dixon’s Kingdom Hut. (Price on enquiry) acrylic on canvas / 60 x 30 cm. Nostalgic memories of a winter trip into the Walls and the time when a small, comforting ‘home fire’ could be lit in the rustic open fireplace at Dixon’s Kingdom … so much has changed since the 70s!
Ephraim’s Gate in the Mist. (sold) acrylic on canvas / 22 x 30 cm. A sea of honey richea, scattered with numerous small tarns and occasional weather-bleached remains of bygone bushfires in Ephraim’s Gate.
Looking towards Mt Ossa, Solomon’s Jewels. (sold) acrylic on canvas / 20 x 25 cm. Solomon’s Jewels, an aptly named series of mountain tarns, lie scattered along the usual route to ‘the Walls’.
Alpine Tarn on Ephraim’s Gate. (Price on enquiry) acrylic on canvas / 28 x 35 cm. One of several small tarns situated in a ‘Garden of Eden’ above the Pool of Siloam between Mt Zion and Mt Ophel
Towards King David’s Seat from Solomon’s Jewels. (sold) acrylic on canvas / 22.5 x 30 cm. A small study of s mountain tarn in ‘Solomon’s Jewels, a series of picturesque tarns enroute to the ‘Walls’
Ancient Pencil Pines in Jaffa Gate. (sold) acrylic on canvas / 20 x 25 cm. Ancient pines over a thousand years old abound in the ‘Temple Forest’ one of the largest stands of endemic pencil pines in Tasmania
The Wailing Wall from Damascus Vale. (sold) acrylic on canvas / 20 x 25 cm. The Wailing Wall extends from Solomon’s Throne to Mt Moriah and forms a striking backdrop to Damascus Vale and its countless springs and sphagnum mosses that lie underfoot.
Alpine Tarn in the Golden Gate. (sold) acrylic on canvas / 20 x 25 cm. Passing through the Golden Gate on the way to Mt Jerusalem are many tarns and ‘erratics’, remnants of the ice age glaciers that sculpted ‘the Walls’ as we know them today
Mt Zion and the Pool of Bethesda. (sold) acrylic on canvas / 121 x 50 cm. Solitude and reflection at the Pool of Bethesda, amongst the skeletal remains of ancient pencil pines left behind by the tragic bushfires that swept through this fragile landscape in 1963