Seems a great day to catch up on a few things, as, in Sydney, South-West it is 43C /109.4F today. Yesterday, it was 41C and the day before, 39C. Tomorrow, It’s supposed to be only 24C. Phew!
The following selection of images were taken across two walks I did this week in the same vicinity, one in that beautiful time of day before Dusk, and the others were taken earlier this morning (before the heat of the day arrived).
Last Wednesday, I walked 4.6 km / 2.86 miles & this morning I walked 7.25km / 4.5 miles.
Recently, I had the pleasure of attending the above workshop. It was held at the Alan Baker Gallery in Camden, NSW, which is about a 20-minute drive East of where we live.
The workshop was facilitated by talented local Natural History Illustrator Esther Bolz. It focused on capturing the flora and fauna of the Nepean River, celebrating World Rivers Day.
We were asked to choose from a selection of flora or pick out an animal from an image, and draw from that. I chose flora, namely, “Australian Indigo”, as seen below.
Chose to paint it in Watercolour. Quite happy with it.
Last Sunday, I had the pleasure of being part of ‘Artists In Action’ again.
My first appearance at this event, last year was so enjoyable I thought I would do it again this year.
Some 30 or so local Artist’s, some professional, some semi-professional, and some enthusiasts, all combined to showcase their art and craft at the Camden Civic Centre in Camden, some 60km (37m) south-west of Sydney, Australia.
It was such a fun event again. People of all ages came in to view our art and craft. There demonstrations and workshops, and people could enjoy having a go at creating art.
At my table, I had some my art on display and in between talking to people, I went about doing a couple of watercolour sketches, including my, ‘Watercolour Sketch a Day’ that has been going for over 5 years now.
As I did last year, I encouraged people who
‘had always wanted to try sketching and/or painting’ but hadn’t,
‘those that had been doing it but had stopped’, or
those who think that they don’t have time’ to go ahead and try it/take it up again, as it offers:
some great mental health benefits
it’s fun and relaxing
All-in-all a fun day! Looking forward to next year’s event.
Last night, my Wife, Susan and I decided to attend ‘Cultural Fusion’ which is an event put on by the local Council. It features Art and Craft stalls, Art for sale and local musicians.
Visitor numbers seemed a bit down however, this could have been caused by the fact it was the Thursday before the Long Weekend here in New South Wales. I’m sure visitor numbers will pick up closer to Christmas.
We found it delightful and had fun catching up with some of the Artists I know personally and it was great to make new connections.
It is on every month for the next five months and there is a chance for me to have a table or put some of my Art up for sale so I’ll certainly be investigating those. 🙂
Last Sunday, late in the afternoon I had just finished off an A4 Watercolour when I looked out the window and saw the beautiful Spring light. It was too much of a temptation and I knew I had to get out there and go for a walk.
I finished up walking 3.3 km (2 miles) down at the Camden Bike Track which runs along a major river in the Sydney Basin. The track is about two minutes walk from where live which is great.
Here are some images I shot on my walk with a phone camera. Such a relaxing walk to cap off my Sunday.
Last Sunday, I was one of 30 ‘Creative’s’ that assembled down at the Camden Civic Centre to display our creativity. All manner of arts and crafts were on display.
There were:
Painters
Sketchers/Drawers
Mixed Media
Photographers
Japanese Martial Arts
Floral creations
Chinese Brushwork
Charcoal
Pastel
Bonzai
Ballerinas
Couture
Live Demonstrations
Talks
Kids Competition
and more!
Ho Yee Wong (Jo), the President of the Macarthur Art Group (of which I am a member), asked me if I would promote my ‘Everyday Art Practice’ aka my ‘Watercolour Sketch a Day’? I said I would be glad to.
We were there for 8 hours (and open to the public for 6), and I completed a couple of Watercolour Sketches whilst chatting to interested onlookers.
I asked them whether they practised any form of art and/or craft and often, they would say that ‘they didn’t have time’, or ‘they were not talented enoough.’
Wanting to help them, I advised them that I wasn’t very good drawing as a child, or even up until into my 50’s( all true), however, it is a skill that can be learnt. As far as ‘time’ goes, most people have a certain amount of time that is wasted during our days.
We stand in queue’s or sit at the Mall eating lunch or having a cuppa. There are miniature sketchbooks available and you only need one pen. Instead of pulling out your mobile phone, use your sketchbook. You don’t even have to show it to anybody, it can just be your personal hobby.
The simple of act of sketching takes your mind off other things. It can be the ‘mental break’ that you need when you are trying to solve a problem, when you are stressed out or when you are bored.
Communicating Creatively 