A Morning in The Rocks

Yesterday Everett and I took a trip into the city to check out the saturday markets in The Rocks. We had a lovely day tasting different homemade foods and buying a few locally handcrafted souvenirs. Later that afternoon we walked across the Harbor Bridge to Milsons Point where we relaxed on a bench near the water and gazed at the wondrous city of Sydney. It wasn't the comfiest of benches however we had the most amazing view. Before us was the bridge, opera house and city catching the suns light as it poked through the clouds. In an effort to chapter the beauty of it all, I quickly sketched two little scenes. My first being the vauntcourier to the painting attached of Sydney's famous opera theater, and the second.... well,I guess you will just have to wait and see. It was a quick train ride from there to Chatswood followed by a bus ride home. The end to a perfect day.

Today was a great day as well. The sun came out for the better part of the morning, allowing our bushwalk with my friend Jacenta and her son to be most pleasing. I was amazed at the amount of bushland that's hidden throughout the suburbs of Sydney. It felt a bit like we were off the map, somewhere outback following an old bushfire trail, yet we were just an hour or so from the city center, and 15 minutes from home. There seams to be something new about the area to discover every day. At times I feel a bit like we are explorers. There are some many neat places that even other Sydneyers haven't heard about. I can see why some people live here their whole lives. Between the city, beaches, and bush you'd never get bored! Unfortunately Everett will only be here another couple of weeks. We'll make the best of it!

Simple Yet Satisfying

I am quite happy with how this last painting turned out. The pinks and yellows of the sunset caught in the clouds isn't shone in the photograph but on canvas its stunning. Though this scene is from a photograph of Russell Island taken several weeks ago I'm instantly taken back to the sunset sausage sizzle we had on the beach when I look at it. The mood of the evening was definitely captured in the warm glow of the setting sun on the land and water. This was achieved by undercoating the painting first with a thin layer of raw sienna. I will have to try this with my next couple of paintings and see what different effects I can get with other colors.
Expect to see more painting over the next few days. The weather forecast here in Sydney predicts lots of rain this week. Everett and I plan to focus on indoor activities. I hear the city has a great rock climbing gym.

Just A Couple of Boats

This is the painting I did in Brisbane of the boats. I am quite proud of the individual parts of this scene but disappointed with its composition. It was a really nice sight from a bench in Brissies Botanic gardens, but on canvas its just a painting of a couple boats. From the book I am reading I have learned that I need to find a way of portraying to the viewer what originally caught my eye in the scene. I need to find a way to place you in my shoes seeing the boats the way I saw them. Someday I hope to obtain this skill...

As our time on Russell Island passed, I began to grow more fond of the place. Our day off from hard work wwoofing shook the stubbornness out of my step allowing me to appreciate Russell for the first time. Unfortunately I had forgotten my camera charger back in Sydney so I wasn't able to photograph the beautiful sights we saw while kayaking through mangroves and around the islands. I decided a few little sketches would have to suffice in the cameras absence. Amongst the sketches were a few pretty good compositions that I was planing to paint later, however within the first couple of days after sketching I had forgotten much of the detail I intended to paint. Through this misfortune I learned that a scene wont stay fresh in your mind forever--which sounds a bit obvious,but... Quite frankly, I could always paint the scene from the picture I sketched, be it a week or a year prior. But its the glow, that initial attraction causing me to say, "I want to paint this!" that is soon forgotten. Losing track of this glow is what causes a nice maritime scene to come out just a couple of boats. Next time I'll have to take better notes to help freshen the scene in my mind or paint a little closed to the time of my sketches.

Everett and I have found ourselves back in Sydney after 3 weeks of traveling the coast. It was a short trip but quite a good one! The first thing on my agenda is to find a job because I now only have $17 in the bank. I have played around with the idea of selling my work at markets and putting it up in coffee shops but I'm not too sure at the moment. I have a feeling of shyness that I sure most Artists have felt before they sell their first piece and officially make their self known in the art world. But more so, I feel like most of my works so far have been an oil sketch or rough draft that I never get around to finalizing--A precursor with no sequel. Don't get me wrong though, I have learned heaps and improved from each painting I've done, but I don't feel like I have really completed one yet. Each could use a bit of this or a bit of that. Maybe I am just being hard on myself and maybe my paintings would sell. I guess when it comes down to it, I will never know what might turn out unless I take the chance. So, I guess we'll see.

There is no Hustel and Bustle on Russle

"Sketching is a means to satisfy the impulse for expression, just as whistling of bursting into song satisfies an inner urge for emotional release. How many times have you heard someone say, "i wish I could draw that," or "If only I could paint this scene?" Since he feels the beauty of the scene or object sufficiently to be articulate about it, why doesn't he do it? The difference between the artist and the layman lies not in intensity of emotional response but in understanding of the laws of beauty. The layman has a sort of abstract reaction, whereas the artist looking at the same scene reacts concretely. He organizes, or designs, his impression. Because he relates tonal values, lines, and color so as to create a composite effect, he can later recreate the scene from memory so accurately that the layman believes that the picture is a faithful reproduction of what he saw, too." -Arthur Black

I think I'm still a layman unfortunately. Lately i have been reading this great book on landscape sketching and have learned heaps! I think I will try sketching for a while focusing on composition and value before I tackle my next piece. It seams that lately i have been painting exactly what I see. I would like form a bit of a plan from now on, make several sketches and compose the piece well before the oils even come out.

Here on Russell Island the slogan is, "There is no hustle and bustle on Russell", but between you and me, there isn't much much of anything here. Sadly this island lakes beauty strange enough, but fortunately Everett and I will be kayaking around the many islands East of Brisbane tomorrow. Hopefully we find a bit of visual excitement on the open water away from the mangrove crowded island we now call home. I'll sketch you something beautiful, focusing mostly on value trend and composition. yeah!

Brissie!!

This is the beautiful view we had of Brisbane’s Victorian Bridge from a bench on Goodwill Bridge but I am somewhat frustrated with how it has turned out. It’s my tools that are getting to me! All I have with me are large brushes which have been working well for most of my paintings, however in this situation I could have really done with a few finely tipped ones to work in a bit of detail. There was also quite a lot happening in the scene and I’m afraid that in my attempt to simplify the picture I caused it to become a bit dull. Mostly it needs a good subject, perhaps a boat or two in the water and more or less emphasis and detail in the bridge/city area—depending on which I decide to be the subject. This is something I probably should have figured out before I started (Haha!). I plan to work more on it and will be sure to post an updated version of the painting when I feel it’s complete. Gosh! These city scenes are so frustrating with their enormous buildings equip with hundreds of tiny windows, roads running every which way and crowded waterways. Maybe I will stick to clouds and hills and faceless figures. On the contrary, I am proud of a painting I did yesterday at the Botanic Gardens. I painted a picture of a few boats in the warm sun but it will need a little playing with as well.

Everett and I went out tonight in search of a used bookstore. After an hour of searching the crowded streets of Brisbane’s CBD (these people never sleep!) we arrived at a lovely little back ally shop where I found an old book on landscape sketching and one on the basics of oil landscape paintings. I am hoping that by learning how to sketch properly, my trees might look more like trees and less like green blobs. Ah! I forgot to look for a small paintbrush while I was out!

Tomorrow we are checking out of Bunk Backpacker and making our way to Russell Island where we will be wwoofing for the next week or so. An Island! How cool is that! It’s has its own small community and I’m sure there will be heaps to paint. Our host, Dianne, sounds like a really nice woman but I’m mostly excited to just get out of the city. Fresh air!

Everett on Bello Lookout

Everything seemed to go well in this painting except for Everett's face. I can paint an alright face if occupies the entire frame, but these small people with there small heads are really hard to do! Eventually I gave up and drew a smiley face on Everett. It illustrates his mood well. This painting was originally a photo I took of Everett at the Bellingen lookout off Hill St. It portrays the beautiful weather we had shortly after our arrival. Unfortunately the sunshine didn't hang around long and bad weather forced us indoors. It was amidst the boredom of a lousy day that I decided to turn the photo into a painting--So some good came of the rain. I call it 'Bello Lookout', how original! It's my first landscape painting including a person, but defiantly not my last. I enjoy painting people and including figures in my work because it adds a bit of a story to the scene. Facial paintings are also on my mind and not the kind you would see at the fair. No, I mean paintings of faces. My friend Ben Cook from back home volunteered a photo of his beautifully bearded face for me to have go at painting. Hopefully he doesn't come out a Picasso, though i'm sure he wouldn't mind. Its all a part of the learning process. You have to start somewhere and Mr. Ben Cook will be my starting point. Thanks mate!

We'll be leaving Bellingen tomorrow and heading to Coff's Harbor. I'm sure there's heaps to do in harbor but we only have one day to explore before our train departs. It leaves the following day at 12:30 AM and arrives early in the morning. Tomorrow night will be spent trying to sleep aboard the Country Link with an early arrival in Brisbane! weee!

Wharf St. Bridge

Just finished the bridge painting I did in Bellingen. Funny enough, after fixing it up a little rodent of some sort managed to scurry across the surface when I wasn't looking. If you look closely you can see his little footprints in parts of it. I decided to leave them there to add a bit of character. Thankfully it came out alright in the end, unlike a painting I just did yesterday. It was a river scene but I painted it on an overcast day, which sadly caused my painting to look rather overcast and dull. I will have to go back to the river and see how everything looks with better weather then maybe I can try to salvage the original .
I am in the process of painting Everett on a hilltop overlooking Bellingen using a different technique. By painting many thin layers of oil I can achieve a lot of depth in the landscape behind him. I plan to work up to a thick painterly finish to complete it.

Well, we will be leaving Bellingen on the 7ths and heading to Brisbane by train. I'm hoping it will be a bit more tropic up in those parts and that we'll have a chance to swim in the ocean. Shortly after Brissy, we will head a few Km's south to WWOOF on Russel Island. The place sounds amazing! and i'm sure there will be plenty to paint.

Man on the Moon

Lately I have been quite obsessed with Kid Cudi. I just bought his new album, Man on the Moon: End of Days a few weeks ago and fell in love with it right away. I think the album was released late last year but i've been traveling around OZ since November and haven't really been keeping up with the American music industry. Anyways, I enjoyed it. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I decided to paint its cover artwork. I really had a lot of fun painting Scott's face with vibrant colors apposed to the usual skin tones. It reminds me of stencil art you might see on the street but done over a rich florescent background. I think I will try this same style with photos of my own . I cant wait!

Everett and I met our WWOOF hosts today, an English chap and an Aussi lady living several Km's out of Bellingen in a place called Kalang. It was a thirty minuet drive through thick semi-tropic bush before we arrive at out new home. David and Jodie have a real beautiful piece of the land out here, secluded from the rest of the world with a cute little bush house nestled on a hillside. There's a lot of potential for painting out here. The view is unbelievable and there's a quiet river that cuts through the property that I plan to paint. and guess what! There isn't a bridge to obscure the view and ruin my painting! Unfortunately my vigor was put on the back burner soon after arrival because of the weather. Today was damp and overcast and the weatherman tells me to expect rain for the following few days. My next works will have to be composed indoors which will give me a chance to paint a few abstract Kid Cudi style paintings.

If you don't know what WWOOFing is, feel free to visit www.wwoof.com.au
I would highly recommend the wwoof organization to anyone interested in traveling. It's establish in most countries, free for members, and a great way to meet good people in unique places.