Most of us would regard a months-long, 1,800-mile commute a chore, an undue burden. For Painter William McKinnon, though, the long drive from his home in Melbourne, Australia to his post in the Northwestern town of Fitzroy Crossing — a cross-continental trip — was a creative goldmine.
     A Marten Bequest Travelling Scholarship laureate, MacKinnon spent months on the road, fulfilling the terms of the award by working with local Kimberley schools and tribes at a latitude and longitude so far from his urban digs that he logged days, not hours, on the road each time he went to teach painting classes or provide local groups with cultural outreach programs. Perhaps a less attentive, imaginative, or industrious driver would have spent the time calling, emailing, video watching, iPod browsing, or all those other pursuits that have made their way into our driver’s seats over the last decade. Instead, McKinnon kept his eyes on the road and, through that inspiration, delivered a series of oil paintings and collages that capture the velocity and constantly changing inner landscapes inside the driver’s eye.