Pro Hart, 77; Self-Taught Painter, Sculptor of the Australian Outback

Pro Hart, 77, a mine worker who taught himself to paint and whose images of the people and landscapes of the Australian outback were exhibited around the world, died Tuesday of the effects of motor neuron disease, his son said.

Born Kevin Charles Hart in 1928 in the mining city of Broken Hill, he grew up on his family’s remote sheep ranch, discovering his talent for drawing as a child.

He attended a few art classes but largely taught himself to paint at night “to keep him sane” while driving underground trains in the mines of Broken Hill. Hart worked in oils and acrylics on boards and canvas, as well as creating welded steel sculptures and ceramics.