Tag: Sydney

Things That Attract My Eye – Part 20

Featured by communicatingcreatively, posted in Photography

This article’s images come from a number of different outings:

  • Local walks
  • A trip into the City to see Penn & Teller at the Sydney Opera House
  • Our garden

Hope you enjoy them. Some are natural, a few are man-made. Beauty is all around us. If only we would take some time to practice awareness. This exercise can bring a bit of peace to your day. 🙂

Till next time!

Written & Photographed by

David Johnson

28 January 2025

Artists In Action

by communicatingcreatively, posted in Painting

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.

Till next time!

Written by David Johnson

31 March 2024

Things That Attract My Eye – Part 10

by communicatingcreatively, posted in Photography

The images below were taken last week when my Wife, Susan & went into the City (Sydney) for lunch to celebrate our 27th Wedding Anniversary.

After a long lunch, we took a casual stroll around Circular Quay just relaxing and enjoying the views.

“Seeing Double” – The Sydney Harbour Bridge reflected in the windows
of the Sydney Opera House.
“Mosaic” – Reflections in an office building at Circulay Quay. Taken from the Cahill Expressway.
“Design” – Part of the large sandstone tiles at the front of the Sydney Opera House.

Beauty is all around us. We just need to be ‘aware.’

Till next time!

Written & Photograpghed by David Johnson

29 February 2024

Things That Attract My Eye – Part 9

by communicatingcreatively, posted in Photography

We have moved house since the last instalment and so that opens up new opportunities for image-taking. Please the comments on each of the 9 images below.

Sunrise – Taken from our back deck.
Taken from our backyard. Have always enjoyed photographing clouds.
I was on my way to the gym one morning and had to stop the car three times to take Sunrise images as the Sunrise was so beautiful that morning.
Taken on a recent trip to the Sydney CBD to buy Art supplies and do some en Plein air sketching/painting. Always pays to look up!
I remember (as a child & not often as an adult), I used to lay on the grass and stare at the sky and watched as the cloud formed into different shapes. A very relaxing experience. Must do it again.
Lake Burragorang Lookout. This is a very popular picnic spot that is now only 10 minutes drive away from where we live. 🙂
This was another image I took that morning on the way to the gym. There are photo opportunities everywhere, so remember to look down as well. 🙂
Taken from the backyard again. Tempted to call this ‘Fingers of Light’ or ‘God’s Fingers.’
This one was also taken that morning on the way to the gym. So glad I stopped three times on the way… P.S. I did actually make it to the gym in the end! 🙂

I hope you enjoyed my latest selection.

Till next time!

Written by David Johnson

30 January 2024

Urban Sketchers Sydney – September Sketch-meet!

by communicatingcreatively, posted in Painting

Yesterday, myself and approx. 50-60 other Urban Sketchers attended the September Sketch-meet. Our destination was the Sydney Opera House, which in a month’s time will have been open for 50 years.

I remember watching the opening in October 1973 on a Black & White TV set from our home approx. 13km/8 miles from the Sydney CBD. I still remember running up to the bridge over the railway line half-way between my suburb and the next so we could see a whole mass of balloons being sent into the sky from the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Of course we could not see the bridge itself, but we did see the the a mass of balloons rise in the distance.

The Sydney Opera House is one of the most uniquely designed structures in the world.

I must say I was very pleased to attend this Sketch-meet as this the first standalone Sydney Sketch-meet I have been able to attend this year.

Rather than try to sketch the whole building, I chose to do a section of it and am very happy with the result.

As you can see from the first photo, it was perfect weather and it was quite a relaxing experience. I find the whole experience of sketching/painting, meditative, particularly when I do minute details, like the tiles in the ‘Sails.’

One of the things that I really look forward to at the the Sketch-meets is the ‘Throwdown’ as seen in the photos below. It’s wonderful seeing all the different styles and mediums that people use to create their Art. So inspirational.

All-in-all it was a great morning of sketching. It is so great to get together with a group of creators.

The ‘Urban Sketchers’ are a world-wide movement which is in over 60 countries, 394 cities with over 120,000 members. For more information, check out their website https://urbansketchers.org/ so you can find a chapter near you.

Till next time – Happy Sketching!

Written by David Johnson

3 September 2023

The Sydney Urban Sketchers

by communicatingcreatively, posted in Poetry
NB: They are actually known as ‘Urban Sketchers Sydney’ however, Sketchers rhymes well with ‘adventures’
and it is the ‘adventure’ I’m writing about.

First Time at Urban Sketchers Sydney!

by communicatingcreatively, posted in Painting

Last Saturday-week, I went on my first Urban Sketchers Sydney ‘Sketch-meet’. It was held in Surry Hills, literally 5 minutes walk from the southern reaches of the Sydney CBD.

I had joined their Facebook group late last year after it popped up courtesy of Facebook’s algorithm however, life came up in one form or another between then and this month which prevented me from attending the monthly outing.

Sydney turned on some beautiful Winter weather for the day with 19C/66F forecast and predominantly Blue skies. A warmer day than we can usually expect.

I arrived a bit earlier and met up with one of the sketchers, who had already started sketching. As time went by, more and more sketchers turned up until there were approximately 40 people in attendance.

One of the leaders of the day, Julie informed us where the important things were like local amenities, cafes and pointed out buildings and other places of interest that we might like to sketch.

We are then given 2 1/4 hours to sketch/paint and once finished, we all met as a group and enacted a ‘throw down’ as they call it. This is where everyone puts their creations in a group on the ground so that we can all see the different interpretations of the scenes being sketched/painted.

After that, a group photo is taken and posted on the Urban Sketchers Sydney Facebook page.

I chose a subject with too many windows I think and it was certainly a challenge perspective-wise. It certainly was relaxing, sitting there in the glorious sunshine. One of the attractions of sketching is that it is such a meditative experience.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable morning and I am looking forward to the next one!

Thank you Urban Sketchers Sydney for a great Sketch-meet!

Written by David Johnson

14 August 2022

Our Mental Fuse

by communicatingcreatively, posted in Poetry

A Beautiful Place

by communicatingcreatively, posted in Stories From Life

Last Sunday, after enjoying a nice afternoon tea at one of our favourite cafe’s in Picton which is about 15 minutes drive South from where we live, we decided to head out to Lake Burragorang which is part of the Sydney Warragamba Dam Catchment, Sydney’s main water source.

We are so fortunate to have such a majestic and beautiful spot that is only 32 minutes drive away.

Lake Burragorang is a man-made reservoir that was created by a Dam. Unfortunately, to create the reservoir, it was necessary to relocate residents who had lived farming towns in the Burragorang Valley since the early 19th Century. The lands actually belonged to Gundungarra Aboriginal tribe.

Construction of the Warragamba Dam commenced in 1948 and was completed in 1960 and is surrounded by a 3km exclusion zone to ensure the integrity of the water supply. It is sad that such a beautiful spot was created in this way, however, the end result is certainly a jewel to the eye.

My first visit there dated back to the 1980’s when I was just getting into Photography. I’ve been back there with social clubs and with my SLR/DSLR on a number of occasions. It has BBQ facilities, seats, amenities and is a great place for a picnic.

My previous visit was back in 2018, a year before those horrendous bushfires ripped through various parts of the state, including the Burragorang Valley. Even the though a lot of the green has returned in the past year, down in the valley, you can still see clear through to the ground where there is still little or no undergrowth. It will take time, but it will eventually recover.

The only camera I took this time was my phone as I wanted to concentrate on sketching and also writing some Poetry (if the mood captured me). My wife, Susan took her Crotchet with her, and after a brief walk we settled down to enjoy the surroundings for the next 2 1/2 hours.

The light was impressive throughout the afternoon as it danced and highlighted different sections of the landscape intermittently. I felt so relaxed.

I went away with the feeling that ‘I had indeed been away’ and not just been on a Sunday drive. The light, the ambience felt almost Spiritual.

We certainly won’t be leaving as much time between visits next time.

Written by David Johnson

16 February 2021

Sources of Historical information:

https://www.theland.com.au/story/5702018/painting-revives-rich-burragorang-history/ ; https://historyofaboriginalsydney.edu.au/south-west/location/burragorang-valley ; https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-03/how-sydneys-water-needs-drowned-burragorang-valley/9390170