More artwork - not mine.

Showing some interesting artwork I either come across in my travels,
have in my collection, or my student's work.

 A very skilful charcoal sketch by Murdo Morrison - Central Coast artist. Showing details below.

Good use of highlights and shadows.

 This amazing graffiti art by Steve, or Erthrebil, seen at Wallarobba Art and Cultural Centre.

My private art student Rodney's pastel of the Queen Mother.

Art In The Everyday

Looking at the world with an Artist's eye. Seeing the beauty or lyricism, visual poetry
in even mediocre or mundane subject matter.

Using a camera makes you focus and frame images, crop and select what to capture.

What interests me won't necessarily interest all people. Perhaps I have a skewed view
of the world. Or am merely engaging my creative self.

Some won't get it, no matter - it is important to me.

Here I will post very random photos and themes. Enjoy if you choose.

 Room with a view, kitchen studies.

New Job

Thinking of a new job, not very employable for anything else other than art.
No retail experience, no computer skills.

Was at Vets yesterday, and thought again of Pet Portraits. I had a commission,
years ago, for one that turned out quite well.

I'm doing animal art fairly regularly anyway, going through a real 'bird phase'
at the moment.

I've drawn most types of animals over the years. It's something I started as a
child. Always drawing mice and bunnies.

I teach portraiture of humans, so not much of a stretch...

Buried Treasure

'The Girls' are always unearthing things. Sifting over the soil, looking for
tasty live morsels.

A couple of days ago I found an encrusted coin. I cleaned it off - it was
a 1956  Australian halfpenny. That's a few owners ago.

The house dates back to 1930, because they placed a coin under all the
layers, of old newspapers and carpets, in the oldest section of this house.

Another 10 feet or so from the hen enclosure, is a domestic midden we
have been digging up.

Lots of interesting things dating back through the decades, when rubbish
removal wasn't formalised. There still existed an outdoor concrete block
incinerator on the property when we arrived 32 years ago.

Otherwise before that, just take your rubbish to the edge of the reserve
and dump.

Some family china, which was older from England, childhood cups etc.
was found and very charming.

  

'The Girls'

Okay, finally the chookie girls on Blogger. 5 little Chinese Silky Bantams, given to me by Mum
across two clutches.

One left from first 2. Lots of roosters in first batch.They went to a rural pound, to be re-homed
onto country properties, where they were needed. Regulations say, we are not allowed roosters
or more than 5 in a suburban situation.

Looking a bit rustic now, it started out with proud curved roof. 

Then the Brush Turkeys used it as a highway and it got trampled in.

I had one more glorious looking girl called Princess, a blonde bombshell of a chicken, like a
Marilyn Monroe. She got sick and passed away. She was never very strong, but sure was a
pretty girl.

The kids named them all sorts of silly names. Most of the first lot were boys and went off. Like
Crunchie, and Bounty. We still have Oreo.

We also have Daffy, Minmi, Josie and Checkers. Checkers is still a mystery, the most crazy
looking plumage, all the colours together, and not possibly a girl?

They line up at the gate in the morning eager for their feed.

I'm keeping all this lot, because occasionally, you hear this strangly noise, which may or may
not, be a rooster crow, but not often and not early.

So who could seriously complain? By the time you've been inundated by all the day's dawn
chorus, particularly noisy cockatoos!

Probably the world's laziest chickens, they take turns at laying.  Most ever in one day is 3,
from 5 chooks. Yet they are the best golden eggs, and a steady supply.

Oreo my eldest now.

 The hard surface is actually a painted hopscotsh section of paving we recycled.

 Nature has moved in, we keep this native vine as it gives shade.

 Another visitor, a cicada's shell.

 Rustic gate that leads to the reserve.

 Was given a bulk water cylinder for Xmas last year.

 Looking outwards, towards pool pavilion.

 Inside showing nesting boxes.

 Checkers.

This morning's egg. Plus a collection of glass shards they keep digging up.

Our painted tyres for growing potatoes and other produce. 

Painted with leftover housepaint, and free tyres. Sustainability!

Kid's size rake and hoe for cleaning up.

They eat up all the kitchen scraps, process most of the leftover bread. We use the newspapers,
hand torn for their laying boxes, and we get chook manure.

The coop and hen yard was a challenge to build, the concept being to do it as cheaply, and
using as many recyclable materials as possible. The house is a giant cedar doghouse with tin
roof, which my daughter Sam painted, because she'd seen the Hannah Montanna movie.

It's pretty cosy, being all weatherbords, facing away from drafts. Ramps up to it, and off the
ground. Lots of yard, both soil to scratch in, and a hard path area. Sun and shade, are offered,
and it's fully contained.

Had to be fully locked up and secure, because next to the bush reserve, a vast valley system,
everything would want to eat them.

I only need feed and water each morning, and they look after themselves.

Nature's Mark

Went down to Hawkesbury river for a little time out. the water is always so calming.
Did some little self indulgences, like buying an icecream and a pen and pretty notebook
to perhaps write or do poetry.

Had the dog with me, who always draws people to us, for a chat about dogs. A little boy
there loved the dog.

Took this photo of a gumleaf stain on the path.

I like the quirky things you find in nature, 

or how nature affects man made stuff, like concrete.

Crumbling Ruins

There is poetry in abandoned buildings, domestic, or industrial. Nature starts
to overthrow by degrees.

You can get lovely, atmospheric shots with an edge of mystery. History marches
on, not all can be saved, at least there is the visual record.

 My Mother and son Ben were with me this day.

Collage - recycling the staircase

After the staircase installation for the show 'Indigo', was dismantled, I had all these lovely
materials left over.

I thought it would be nice, to form them into collaged thank you cards, and artworks.
For those who contributed in some way, large or small, to make it all happen.

It had been a unique project, the blue staircase, 'a real one off' '.

It was a fun exercise, in colour texture, placement, and variety. One other member helped
with a couple too, there were a lot to do.

 Such a diversity of material, textiles, papers of all kinds, prints of many themes and methods.

 Using Lilly Pilly ink, from the grand old tree out front of the Art Centre itself.

A selection of some finished ones.

Beautiful and ethereal botanicals.

 Taking it down, the grand staircase.

Silk, tulle, paper, denim, wool, raffia.