In 1935, after several years of international travel and study, Dorrit Black settled in her hometown, Adelaide, and became an active and vocal member of the local art scene. She continued her practice as a painter, printmaker, and teacher, with students including the young painter Jeffrey Smart. Black began to refine her personal style by mixing realism with a modernist awareness of design.(1) Like fellow artists Kenneth Macqueen and John D. Moore, she represented the Australian landscape in a strikingly modern manner.
Near my studio depicts the rolling hills that flank the city of Adelaide.(2) Rhythmic undulations in the landscape form an arresting pattern which, combined with Black's expressive use of colour, creates a strong visual impact. The work contrasts with earlier landscapes, such as those produced in the 1930s at Mirmande, France, which follow a more cubist approach.
According to the artist's niece, Near my studio was one of the last works Black produced before her untimely death in 1951.(3) The painting pays homage to the landscape with which she was most familiar, through the modernist idiom which was her trademark.
Essay by Claire Gobé, Curatorial Assistant, Australian Art, June 2004.
Endnotes

1. Ian North, The Art of Dorrit Black, AGSA and The Macmillan Company of South Australia Pty Ltd, South Melbourne, 1979, p.89.
2. It has been suggested that the work depicts the view from the Adelaide suburb of Magill. Refer to 'Dorrit Black works on offer', Robert Steele Gallery News, Robert Steele Gallery, Adelaide, May-June 1998, unpaginated.
3. Thomas Shapcott, telephone conversation with Samantha Littley, 25 Feb. 2004.