Sally West draws on her rugged outback farming background to inform her unique material practice and provide inspiration for her bold gestural paintings. She has said many of the paintings bear witness to the ecological decline of the Australian back country.

   ``The paintings inspired by the Aussie outback are a comment on the fragility of our land and our responsibility to nurture it and to speak for it. Many of us now live in cities and urban areas, but we should never forget to treasure and protect out wonderful land mass’

   ``My love for this country will never diminish and the impact that climate change has had on this lucky country is a concern to me and many people.  Being a farmer's daughter, it is a major concern of mine the impact climate change is having on our farms. Drought has been raging for eight years now and the rural community is just not making money. They just aren't producing enough food.

   ``Farmers have always been the backbone of this country but they seem to be a dying breed. Generational farms are collapsing under the financial pressures and being taken over by large city based corporations who have no emotional attachment to the land.”

   ``These big companies are stripping the land for all it's worth; creating big business enterprises and all they do is take from the land and are giving nothing back. Generational farmers have passed down knowledge and experience that is precious and irreplaceable. Big corporations may know how to make quick money but they have no idea how to nurture the land. The dismal state of affairs has given me poignant inspiration for these works.’’