Insightful Meditation
Month: November 2018
Canowindra & The Arts!
One of the Towns that we visited whilst we were away recently was Canowindra, which is pronounced ‘ka-NOWN-dra’ and is a Wiradjuri Aboriginal word for ‘Home or Camping Place.’ It is located 307km West of Sydney, Australia.*
It is often referred to as the ‘Balloon Capital of Australia’ due to a Hot Air Balloon Festival that is in held in April every year.*
We stopped in there on the way home from Wyangala Waters and found it to be a delightful town with a small but enchanting main street dotted with many historic buildings and friendly town-folk.
When we are away touring it is a delight to come across the local Art and Craft Gallery or indeed a second-hand bookshop. It’s also good to have a friendly chat with the locals.
We were indeed delighted to come across a display of the Canowindra Arts Society who are currently displaying their creativity in a B & B (Bed & Breakfast) which happens to be in an old two-story Bank building.
They have a wide range of creative ventures on display such as: Oil, Watercolour, Acrylic paintings, Drawing/Sketching, Pottery, Sculpture, Textile and Wood-related Art/Craft.
The Canowindra Arts Society are currently looking for a permanent home (a challenge that a few Art Societies have) to display their Art and Craft and they hope to grow their Society along the way.
If you are visiting Canowindra, make sure you drop in and experience their creativity and have a chat with some friendly locals.
Click on the link below to find out about more of the things that you can see and do in this lovely little Town.
Written by David Johnson
24 November 2018
Imprinted On The Surface
En Plein Air – A First For Me!
My learning to paint journey has been somewhat intermittent. It started shortly after I did a basic drawing course in 2010. Given that my pursuit of Art is not a full-time career, I have been attempting over time to ‘fit-it-in’ amongst everything else I do.
Having had a dabble initially in Watercolour, I then moved to Acrylic at the encouragement of a well-meaning relative (my Mother-In-Law, who has been painting in Oils for 40 years, and coincidentally, we share the same sense of humour)! From there, I moved onto Oil on a whim one day and found that I loved it! Earlier this year (after playing around with Aquawash Pens and Watercolour Pencils), I found myself being drawn back to Watercolour, in the form of sketches. Along the way, I started a Mixed-Media Art/Poetry Journal as well.
On average, I get to paint for 2-3 hours a week, usually on the weekend, though I do sometimes find some more time to do it. That time includes both Oils and Watercolour.
My Mother-In-Law, Judy, has been endeavouring to encourage me for some time to ‘get out of the house’ and do en Plein Air painting. I have been hesitant to do this over time as still class myself as a beginner and had been painting off reference photos or from my imagination.
As mentioned in other articles, recently, we went away and spent a few days at Wyangala Waters State Recreation Area. Wyangala Waters (when full) holds 2 & 1/2 times the volume of Sydney Harbour. It is a magnificent place to stay.
Whilst there, I ventured out with my Sennelier Watercolour 1/2 Pans and (finally) did some en Plein Air painting.
It was a magical experience. I was in spot where there was no human activity and apart from the sound of birds, there was no sound at all on a beautiful Blue sky day. I found it to be a spiritual experience and enjoyed being out there for some 2 1/2 hours.
I managed to experience en Plein Air painting on two other occasions during the trip. The sketches/paintings are not finished yet. When they are, I will put them on this blog.
I can see myself do a lot more en Plein Air painting. Why did I wait so long!?
If you haven’t tried it yet, I wholeheartedly encourage you to do so.
Written by David Johnson
4 November 2018
One With The Spirit
Poem #4 from when we were away on a short break last month. A moment I know I can keep going back to…
Ingleburn Photography Club
Last month, I had the pleasure of judging the images at Ingleburn Photography Club.
Ingleburn Photography Club is located SW of Sydney, nestled between Liverpool and Campbelltown and was formed on March 12, 2015.
Meetings are held at:
Ingleburn R.S.L. Club, 70 Chester Road, Ingleburn
3rd Thursday of each month (excepting December) at 7.15pm for a 7.30pm start.
They have approx. 30 members and unlike some photographic clubs/societies, they have opted for digital images only.
I had been to the club once before to judge and upon being invited again, I eagerly awaited receiving the images from the President, John Alessi. I was pleased to receive the 61 entries for an Open Competition.
The first two images below are two of the images that received Merits on the night. The third image was judged by me as the Image of the Night. Congratulations to all those who received an award.
As with my last visit, I was impressed by the members’ professional approach to their images; the varied subject matter and the skill with which they communicate with their Art. They are also eager to share their skills with newer members and go on some very interesting field trips as well.
A great club doesn’t only exist because of the images they produce. Having been a member of two clubs/photo societies for a total of 30 years, it is the camaraderie of the members of the organisation that can make or break a club.
If you are looking for a club that is prepared to help those who are new to photography; whose members are willing to push their own creative boundaries and who are a great bunch of people to be around, pop in for a visit.
Visitors are always welcome! Contact the Club via the Facebook link below.
Written by David Johnson
3 November 2018
https://www.facebook.com/groups/256950174960524/
Circuit Breaker
Poem #3 from when I was away recently. Sometimes, we just need to get away and recharge. 🙂
From Distant, Great Times Passed…
A Little Town Called Boorowa
Last month, my wife, Susan and I decided to take a short, 5-day break from our small business and head up to Millthorpe and Wyangala Waters State Park in country NSW, Australia.
They are both inside 4 1/2 hours drive from where we live. On the way, we stopped for a picnic lunch in a little town called Boorowa.
‘Boorowa’ (originally called ‘Burrowa) is an Aboriginal word meaning ’Turkey’ and it purportedly comes from the Wiradjuri tribe. It has a population of 1,694 (@ Census 2016) is a tidy, friendly little town with a lovely picnic spot beside a small river.
As I like to do, I had a chat with a couple of the locals and took a wander around the streets. One store we went into was a second-hand bookstore that was connected to an Op-Shop (charity store). The lady there told me that in the space of 12 months that (from sales), they were able to donate $26,000.00 to 10 charities in the area. Pretty impressive from such a small town.
It was a very hot day so in terms of ‘optimum photographic light’ the light was quite harsh so I took a few images on my phone and only a couple on my DSLR. There were a couple of buildings that I wanted to sketch/paint later so I took a few reference photos of them.
We enjoyed our brief stay in Boorowa. A picnic by the river and some time spent in a small country town is the perfect way to recharge when on a driving holiday.
For further information on Boorowa, visit the link below.
Written by David Johnson
Communicating Creatively 