An Upper Hunter resident for the past 18 months, he has been displaying some of his works in the Royal Hotel in town.

His marketing is very low key, being just a few business cards placed around the Pub Cellar Door dining area. 

However, Mr Sutton is now preparing for an exhibition at Small Forest Winery.

The official opening will take place on Saturday, September 2, from 2pm, and continue every weekend during the month.

From a distance, some of his Red Desert works look almost photo-realistic.

Closer in, one sees the generous paint and texture of the earth in his deep layering of bright oranges, reds and dark browns. 

There is even disquiet in his two paintings of the Sydney Harbour Bridge as seen from Balmain, both in Gloomy conditions; so much so one is called East Coast Low. 

A much lighter mood is shown in his festive Bondi Beach on Australia Day and Sydney Heads from Park Street.

There are also landscapes and abstracts of bright colours in spirals and explosions like fireworks. 

And, a series of large very simple but challenging abstracts, called Life in Green.

These alone could define this artist on the local and broader art scene for some time.

To finalise his display are four very provocative paintings of a most impressive male deity figure moving over the earth and in space. 

He reads me a few verses from the opening chapter of Genesis – and shows pictures of the local Aboriginal God, Baiame, the creator of all things. 

He then pulls a wrapped bundle from his cloths and reveals the tarot card titled, The World. 

He is very mysterious about the identity of the God in the paintings.

And, Mr Sutton does have an enigmatic side.

He also gets a few drinks for reading tarot cards for travellers and locals in the pubs and cafes, but that may be another story.