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)
On the weekend closest to the 19 November we head down to Berrima as it is the anniversary of us ‘going out to dinner for the 1st time.’ We have done this every year since 1994.
Why Berrima (as we actually went out to dinner to the River Canyon restaurant in Parramatta 19.11.94)?
Berrima was the place where Susan & I went on a day trip (as Friends) and she (finally) said ‘Yes’ to going out to dinner with me (having previously said ‘No’ 5 times…).
We did our usual stop at Berkelouw’s Book Barn and came away with some more ‘treasure’; had morning tea at The Courthouse Cafe; browsed some more shops then had lunch at Josh’s Cafe & Restaurant before discovering more shopping treasure at an antique shop.
Here are a few images from another wonderful day spent celebrating our, ‘Other Anniversary!’
Last Friday week I was given the opportunity to part of a function called, “Open For Business” which was run by ‘Good Morning Macarthur’ a local production in the Macarthur Region of NSW at Oz Funland.
It featured four business owners who made up a panel and they shared their knowledge to enhance the local business community.
Also featured was a Samoan dancer called, ‘Tito’ and a selection of my Art, consisting of both Oil and Watercolour.
As with any region, business functions are common, however, due to Covid-19, business functions had been online mostly this year and often they feature only business-related activities.
The team at Good Morning Macarthur decided to do something a little bit different and it worked well mixing in a bit of entertainment and art.
Thank you to the team at Good Morning Macarthur for allowing me to display my Art. This is the first time multiple examples of my Art have been on display. We had a wonderful night!
Since I started my Watercolour Sketch a Day aka daily Art practice on 26 January 2019, I haven’t used Oil paints. I love painting with them, it’s just that I’ve been so focused on Watercolour they seem to have disappeared from view.
That was, until last weekend.
I thought I’d start again and decided to paint two subjects that I had previously painted some time ago and see ‘how I would approach them now?’
The earlier paintings were painted with Student quality paints, the latter with Artist quality (Art Spectrum) paints.
The first one is of a Sand Dune:
2014 & 2020
In some ways I like the first version better (top shadow effect – dune) though I like the sky in the 2020 version better.
The second one is of the ocean:
2012 & 2020
This one is ‘no-contest’ as far as I can see! I love everything about the 2020 and not much at all about my earlier version.
I shall continue with my Watercolour Sketch a Day practice but Oils will not be disappearing into the background again, in fact, I’ve just started another one, a shipwreck.
I love the freedom Sketching and Painting gives me.
One basically starts off with no image on canvas or paper. You might have an image in mind and then you set about creating it from your imagination or a memory, or indeed a combination of both.
If you are using a reference photo you already have a basic framework though, generally speaking and unless you are into Photo Realism, you will come up with an interpretation of the image at hand.
The Photographer has a scene before them. Certainly, (they can create an image in Photoshop from other images) but they don’t have to create shadows or the image when they are ‘live’ to a scene.’ Many scenes are already presented.
They choose the composition and begin shooting.
The Painter on the hand has to sketch/draw (mostly) the contents of the image, creating the effect of shadows, light, shape, texture and form with essentially 3 things, canvas, brush, pigment and a skilful hand.
Painting en Plein Air is the closest relation to Photography, I feel. Both the Painter and the Photographer have a scene in front of them and it is up to them what they distill from that scene, composition-wise to come up with an image.
The Photographer manipulates through camera, lens, lighting, angle, filter and later Photoshop or similar, using their imagination as well.
The Painter manipulates with their choice of canvas/paper, brush, pigment, line, angle, light and uses their imagination as well.
Back in the studio both can finish off their piece.
I’m not trying to say that Painting is better or is more creative than Photography though as each medium is irreplaceable. Painting cannot replace the immediacy of Photography. Photography can capture that ‘moment in time’ in less than a second, Painting cannot.
On a personal level, I have been photographing since the early 1980’s, although not as much these days. Sketching and Painting has certainly taken over, particularly in the last 2 years.
One of the things that I love about Sketching and Painting is the freedom it gives me and also the challenge of creating an image using basic tools.
In an article a while ago I wrote called, ’There Are No 36 Megapixel Brushes’ I wrote about how someone can take a photo with something as simple these days as a phone camera and, due to the technology available, come with a technically decent image. Composition/imagination is another story, however.
As a Sketcher/Painter, we cannot go out and buy a Brush and Pigment that will give us a technically brilliant sketch or painting.
Yes, there are electronic Sketching and Painting apps but you still have to have the technical and artistic skill to create the image.
I still love Photography but it takes up a different place in my life these days. Equipment-wise, I’m heading towards Mirror-less cameras and a high-end compact that I can take anywhere.
I’m thoroughly enjoying my journey in Sketching and Painting and I can see myself continuing this journey for many years to come.
Communicating Creatively 