Broad-leafed Paperbark Trees

Broad-leafed Paperbark Trees

Watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm Paper

24cm x 22cm

These Broad-leafed Paperbark Trees stand between Busbys Pond and the Mission fields in Centennial Park. They were planted in 1902 as a wind break.

Parsley Bay Foliage

Parsley Bay Foliage

Ink and Watercolour on Arches 300gsm Paper

27cm x 35cm

North Coogee Beach in Winter

North Coogee in June

Watercolour on Arches 300gsm Paper

56cm x 21cm

Tower Block in Coogee

Watercolour on Arches 300gsm Paper

27cm x 21cm

Burnie Street, Clovelly

Burnie Street

Watercolour on Arches 300gsm Paper

36cm x 28cm

This painting was an exploration into a composition with a strong vanishing point. I wanted to capture the shadow pattern on the ground particularly from the fence to emphasis the converging perspective. As someone who has spent a lot of time in a cold and wet temperate climate I am really enjoying the strong light of Australia and the interesting effect it has on the landscape.

Bare Island in Botany Bay

Bare Island in Botany Bay

33cm x 30cm

Watercolour on Arches 300gsm Paper

These watercolours are from a recent walk around Congwong Bay near the New South Wales Golf course. It is interesting to view the traffic from the cargo ships sailing in and out of Botany Bay. From this vista there is also a clear view of the historic military fort island Bare Island which is connected to the mainland with a board walk. In the painting above I was almost looking into the sun and the sea reflected the sunlight. I have left the paper with a very thin wash to try and depict this reflection. In my work at the moment I trying to be minimalistic in my use of brushstrokes to suggest the scene. Watercolours are a medium where the phrase 'less is more' reigns supreme. They can be very unforgiving with heavy-handedness. I feel the painting below is overworked and does not flow as well as the painting above.

Botany Bay from near New South Wales Golf Course

27cm x 22cm
Watercolour on Arches 300 gsm Paper

Parsley Bay, Vaucluse

 

Parsley Bay Bridge

Watercolour on Arches 300gsm Paper
23cm x 30cm

A friend recommended I visit Parsley Bay and I am so glad she did. It is a wonderful picturesque oasis off Sydney harbour. The bay is a narrow inlet from the harbour with a large lawn behind the beach and dense vegetation to the sides of the inlet. Parsley Bay is most distinguished by its footpath cable suspension bridge which spans over the water. Sydney is full of these wonderful harbour bays that provide a lovely calm to the city. These watercolours were painted in the winter so feature no people. I can image in the summer I would have to capture the many swimmers as this is an idyllic swimming beach. I intend to come back and capture that.

View from the Bridge, Parsley Bay Boats

Watercolour on Arches 180gsm Paper
25cm x 17cm

Parsley Bay Rocks

Watercolour and Ink on Bockingford 300gsm Paper
21cm x 30cm

The top two paintings today were pure watercolours. The third painting is ink and watercolour. In this 'Parsley Bay Rocks' I wanted to abstract the rocks and vegetation to give a sense of the many patterns that emerge in a space like this.

Coogee Bungalow

 Coogee Bungalow

Brown and Black Ink, and Watercolour on Watercolour Paper

42cm x 29cm

Sydney Biennale of Art

I have written a review of the Sydney Biennale of Art in the online magazine New Linear Perspectives. This magazine which has varied and interesting articles on art, literature, music, nature and more.

Brook Street

 

Brook Street viewing South

Watercolour on Arches 180 gsm

27cm x 20cm

Carrington Road

Carrington Road Viewing South

Watercolour on Arches 180gsm Paper
33cm x 31cm

Gordons Bay Rocks

Gordons Bay Rocks

Ink and Watercolour on Watercolour Paper

42cm x 29cm

Petrol, Roofs and a Pole in Coogee

Coogee Petrol

Ink and Watercolour on Watercolour Paper

42cm x 29cm

Carrington Road Roofs

Ink and Watercolour on Watercolour Paper

42cm x 29cm

Portrait of a Pole on Powell Street

Ink and Watercolour on Watercolour Paper

29cm x 42cm

White Picket Fence

White Picket Fence

Ink and Watercolour on Watercolour Paper

29cm  x 42cm

Clovelly Randwick Ink Exploration

Clovelly Road Sidewalk 

Ink, Pen, Watercolour on Watercolour Paper

29cm x 42cm

Looking north from Beach Street

Ink, Pen, Watercolour and Watercolour Paper

42cm x 29cm

California Bungalow on Fern Street in Ink

California Bungalow on Fern St in Ink

Vandyke Brown Ink, Sepia Pen, White Acrylic and Watercolour on Watercolour Paper
42cm x 29cm

The california bungalow is a familiar sight in Sydney. As the name suggests they are a style of architecture that take their influence from America developed between 1915 to 1940. Their low pitched red triangle roofs framed by foliage are a dominate feature of the landscape here.

Douglas St, Clovelly

Douglas St in Ink

Ink, Pen on Watercolour Paper

29cm x 42cm

This view out to Waverley Cemetary was an experimentation in ink. The ink was applied with  a pen, a dip pen, a stick and a brush in an attempt to get a variety of line.

Mahon Pool, Maroubra

Mahon Pool in June

Watercolour on Arches 180 gsm paper

28cm x 21cm

 Jack Vanny Reserve in June
Watercolour on Arches 180 gsm paper
21cm x 29cm

 Maroubra Wave

Watercolour on Arches 180 gsm paper

29cm x 20cm

Sydney Harbour Bridge in Graphite

 

 Sydney Harbour Bridge in Graphite

Graphite Stick, Pencil and Eraser

65cm x 53cm

Coogee in June

Wedding Cake Island in June

Watercolour

29cm x21cm

Watercolours are a lifestyle choice for me at the moment for two reasons; they are beautiful and results can be achieved quickly. Each piece takes me about ten to fifteen minutes. I work with three to four layers always from top to bottom. The first layer is a thin wash that I allow to dry, and then I work in the detail with the subsequent layers. The quality of materials is fundamental in this medium. The top painting of today ‘Wedding Cake Island in May’ is painted on relatively good quality Bockingford 300gsm cold-pressed paper. It provides a reliable balance of absorbency and flow that keeps the paint luminous. The other paintings from today are on paper of a lower quality. As a result the paint seems bold or over worked as I struggled with the absorbency in painting.

Gordons Bay in June

 Watercolour

29cm x 21cm

 

View towards to Coogee in June(small)

Watercolour

29cm x 19cm

View towards to Coogee in June (large)

Watercolour

42cm x 28cm

Coogee Rooftops from Brook Street

Coogee Rooftops from Brook Street

Watercolour

29cm x 21cm

Mons Avenue, Maroubra

Above Coral Sea Park

Watercolour

29cm x 20cm

Maroubra Roofs

Watercolour

21cm x 29cm

Mons Avenue

Watercolour

21cm x 29cm

Sydney Art Biennale 2010 - Cockatoo Island

The unrelenting autumn rain paused long enough for Maniac Two and me to take a trip to the Sydney Art Biennale. The intention was to do the whole Artwalk from Cockatoo Island to Artspace but the combination of our toddler walking pace and the immensity of the exhibition meant we spent the day at Cockatoo Island. Having never visited the island the experience was much like an art treasure hunt where art merges with non-art. I even caught myself marvelling at the rows upon rows of tents pondering its commentary on the military or identity. Later I was told by an official this is a permanent feature of the island where people come to... wait for it... camp. Apparently I was not the first to ask her if it was part of the show. This former imperial prison, industrial school, reformatory, gaol and shipyard makes a perfect setting for contemporary art. The ferry ride to the island created a sense of escapism which was elevated by the juxtaposition of historical relics and art. There were many memorizing exhibits but the one I was most taken with was 'The Feast of Trimalchio' by the Russian art group AES+F. It is a circular video installation in a warehouse at the furthest end of Cockatoo Island. I felt transported into another world of plastic decadence which left me pondering consumerism and tourism. Below is a taste of the exhibit.