Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre

2026 Muswellbrook Art Prize

Morning Bell

Mat Vaughan

Morning Bell, 2025 oil on canvas 200 x 200 cm

'Morning Bell' is not an alarm, but a sequence – the quiet signs that morning has arrived. The dog paces, chickens stir, and birds begin, before consciousness fully catches up. The painting holds this in-between state: real but out of focus, emerging from a dream. Nothing is sharp or certain yet, but everything is already there, gathering itself before the day becomes clear.