He may be synonymous with Sydney and its harbour, but Ken Done and his art have also been shaped by rivers.
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Ken Done spent part of his childhood in Maclean, by the Clarence River.
"There's something about the rhythm of the river," Mr Done says. "As boys, during one of the big floods in the mighty Clarence, we saw a dunny floating down the river. As little boys, we thought we'd never ever see anything that funny in our whole life. And I still think that!"
Another torrent has also flowed into Ken Done's memory. As a teenager, he was travelling in his father's truck in 1955, when they were blocked by the disastrous flood tearing down the Hunter River.
"The floods in Maitland held us back," the artist recalls.
The Hunter River won't be holding Ken Done back from Maitland on Friday night, when he visits to talk about his exhibition, "Paintings You Probably Haven't Seen: Selected Works, 2000-2017", at the city's art gallery.
As the title suggests, this touring exhibition shows another side to Ken Done's paintings.
While he is best known for his ebullient images of the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House, and sunbathers on the beach, the 35 paintings offer a glimpse into the artist's world, from a portrait of his wife, Judy, to works that are like visual diaries of his global travels, and stunning underwater views, as seen through his dive mask.
What binds the images are Ken Done's mastery of colour and his joy of life - and sharing that joy via his paints.
The artist talks about one work, Night dive I, painted after he plunged into the dark water for the first time.
"It was a bit scary," he explains. "On the edge of your vision, you always imagine there might be something about to take a nip out of you.
"But I really like the picture, and it shows you the difference between painting and photography. In a painting, you can show the feeling of something, and you can play all kinds of games."
The COVID restrictions meant Mr Done spent more time in his home studio above Chinamans Beach in Sydney, where he picked up not just his brushes but also his phone camera, recording what and how he paints in a series of videos that have been popular online.
"Painting with one hand and filming with the other," Mr Done says of his COVID-inspired technique.
He didn't have to look far for painting subjects. There's the expansive views of Middle Harbour out the windows, and the beautiful garden, "which is essentially a creation of Judy's".
"No kind of grand scenes," he says of his recent paintings. "Just looking at the things close around me, appreciating the things close around me."
Ken Done has noticed during the pandemic people have been responding to his art, "and maybe it's because most of my work is a celebration of life".
In June, Ken Done had another reason to celebrate, turning 80. Not that he measures life by years accrued.
"I've got the drive of a 25-year-old and the brain of a 14-year-old," he says.
"So to even hear that number is astounding!"
Ken Done is in conversation with Scott Bevan, "Look Who's Talking" program, Maitland Regional Art Gallery, Friday at 6pm.
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