Born in Richmond, Victoria, in 1924, Clifton Pugh rose to prominence as a portrait and landscape painter, winning the Archibald Prize three times and an Order of Australia medal in 1985. After attending the National Gallery of Victoria Art School, and serving as a soldier in the Australian Imperial Forces in New Guinea and Japan during the 1940s, he moved to Cottles Bridge (near Hurstbridge) and established his bush property home called Dunmoochin. Here, his art was inspired by the natural beauty of the Australian landscape, and he in turn helped to establish local conservation and environmental groups in the area. Written in a sweeping, almost literary style, this detailed biography of Clifton Pugh is a landmark volume that offers an alternative perspective to the biography of Clifton's widow, Judith Pugh's Still Life (2008). Sally Morrison draws on archival research and interviews with Pugh's family and friends to create a picture of a man damaged as much by love as by war in his personal life, and at the same time a bold and innovative artist and environmentalist.
