Love That Surrounds…
Author: communicatingcreatively
My main interests are:
Sketching; Watercolour; Line & Wash
Poetry/Writing; Oil Painting
Photography;Judging Photography
Public Speaking/Toastmasters
Member of Toastmasters International, Gledswood Toastmasters Club -
Distinguished Toastmaster
Other:Cacti & Succulents, Reading, Walking.
Member of:
Red Point Artists Association;
Cacti & Succulent Society of Australia
Macarthur Art Group;
Urban Sketchers Sydney
Co-owner of Finance4Growth-Mortgage Broker
Member of BNI Energy (Business Network International)
Shadows & Light
Internal Courage
Silent Moments
Gallows Gate
Traces & Memories
Bumboras Beach – Norfolk Island
In February this year, Susan and I visited Norfolk Island for the 3rd time, this time to celebrate our 25th Wedding Anniversary.
The first 2 times we went there (1997 & 2007), I was deeply entrenched in Photography. Whilst I took photos again on my DSLR, I also took a lot of reference photos on with my phone camera for when I returned.
The image below is one such image.
On Saturday last, I chose this image as my reference photo for Day 1,220 of a Watercolour Sketch a Day.
In 3 visits to Norfolk Island, this was our first visit to this popular picnic spot. The island in the distance is Phillip Island.
Materials used:
- Moleskine 200gsm Sketchbook
- Staedtler Pigment Liner 0.05
- Winsor and Newton Artist Quality Paint
- Neef Watercolour brushes
I think I am getting better with my sketching/painting of rocks/boulders and am happier with the bottom half of the image than the top half.
I will have another attempt at this on a small scale and then would will aim to do an A4 size.
If you are ever on Norfolk Island, don’t wait until your 3rd visit to visit this beautiful spot.
Till next time!
David Johnson
6 June 2022
A Space To Learn, Create & Express!
As I’m not a full-time Artist I need to be organised enough to find those capsules of time that enable me to play and create. From 1982 to say 2014, Photography was my ‘vehicle of creative escape’. In 2010, I completed a 6-week Drawing course and over the ensuing 8 years Drawing/Sketching/Painting (Oils) and Photography jockeyed for the position of my No. 1 ‘escape from life’ method.
In late 2018, Watercolour came storming back (along with Line and Wash) and, they became an increasing part of my existence. With the commencement of my Watercolour Sketch a Day/Daily Art Practice on 26 January 2019, both of these forms are the predominant way I like to express myself in terms of Art.
In-between though, Oils have been present although my Oil habit has been in hiatus this year, until last week. I intend to do more in Oils and have several ideas in mind for paintings.
Back to my initial sentence.
Not only do I need to find capsules of time, I needed to have a proper space. No actual studio here however. Over time, I have been re-purposing our 3rd bedroom.
On Thursday I purchased an Art and Craft desk which has an adjustable drawing surface. I used for the first time today and love it.
I now have a desk dedicated to Watercolour/Sketching, a desk dedicated to Oil painting and my computer desk. No more re-purposing desks/clearing space for something else and wasting time in the process.
Whilst I do most of my sketching/painting on weekends (apart from the Watercolour sketches that are done each day), I am now looking to schedule some nights during the week when I can avail myself of my ‘creative space’.
There is also a comfy 2-seater cane chair where I can sit back, pick up my Fountain Pen and write Poetry, read or just contemplate…
A space to learn, create and express.
Written by David Johnson
4 June 2022
PS: After writing this I came across the following great article about Artist’s Studios by Judith on her site, Artistcoveries.
Illuminate!
A local Festival not far from us that has been going every year since 2016, (except for the Covid-19 years in 2020 and 2021) is the Illuminate Festival.
It is held in Picton, New South Wales, Australia which is located 90 kilometres/56 miles South West of Sydney. Picton is about 10 – 15 minutes drive from where we live.
You may have heard of or seen the Sydney Vivid Festival, where works of Art are projected onto buildings and other structures at night.
Picton is a much smaller version of that, and it also has Art and Craft market stalls, food stalls and all manner of other stalls plus live bands and the Annual Wollondilly Art Exhibition. It is held late May and Susan and I attended it recently.
The Art Exhibition and the projected lights are the biggest drawcard for me however, on the day/night a live local Blues group called, ‘Monkey’s Uncle’ was a definite delight!
Here are some iPhone images from the Festival.
Written by David Johnson
3 June 2022
Moments – The Car Wash
Are we grabbing opportunities when they arrive?
In our lives, there are many ‘moments’ that we have the opportunity to do something different with that moment, but we don’t think of ways how we can use those moments better. I’ve been thinking over time ‘how I’ve used some of my moments?’
I’m talking about those moments when you are waiting… it might be for an appointment, waiting to go somewhere or sitting in your car in a car wash, like I was on late Sunday afternoon.
To be sure, we could just sit and think and watch the spray etc. Instead, I used the opportunity to explore the car wash with my phone camera. I did this before, many years ago with a car wash that used brushes however this was a brushless car wash.
Below are the results.
Next time you are sitting in a car wash, pull out your camera and see what interesting images you can come up with.
Looking forward to my next visit to the car wash!
Written & Photographed by David Johnson
31 May 2022
Communicating Creatively 