Month / November 2015

by Leonie Andrews

See my work over summer

To those of you living on the east coast of Australia, there are two opportunities to see my work during December and January.

Firstly I am exhibiting my textile work at the Gosford Regional Gallery, along with two artists from my home town of Newcastle (NSW) Eleanor Jane Robinson and Mandy Robinson. If you can make it to the opening on Friday 4 December at 6.00pm I may see you there.

Well Worn
4 December 2015 – 13 January 2016

Leonie Andrews, Eleanor Jane Robinson
and Mandy Robinson

GOSFORD REGIONAL GALLERY, FOYER

36 Webb St, East Gosford NSW

Otherwise you can see one of my textile works that was selected into the Gold Coast Art Prize. The opening is on 5 December also at 6.00pm, but sadly I won’t be able to make the event.

Gold Coast Art Prize
5 December 2015 – 31 January 2016

THE ARTS CENTRE GOLD COAST

135 Bundall Road, Surfers Paradise

by Leonie Andrews

An imagination of Nasturtiums

Some weeks back I was chatting with Drawing Connections about nasturtiums. We were talking about memories of seeing these plants in the Himalayas. I have since pulled out my photos that I took of the nasturtiums twining up wires at the Kumbun in Gyantse, in Tibet.

Nasturtiums in Gyantse

Nasturtiums in Gyantse

Now I haven’t quite got around to making a painting of that scene, but I did get inspired to drag out my Japanese paints, which sit in their box from year to year – too good to use, you know – and make this picture of nasturtiums, using all the colours in my paint box.

Spoiler alert, nasturtiums don’t naturally occur in all these colours.

Nasturtiums, Japanese watercolour paints

Nasturtiums, Japanese watercolour paints

by Leonie Andrews

Fun, fun, fun

I was at the Beach Boys concert Friday night, I’ve turned into such a rabid sketcher that I even took my small sketchbook along. Before the show started I drew some backgrounds in so I only had to add the figures when the time came.

I managed this sketch, from the side of the theatre. The watercolour was added afterwards.

The Beach Boys on stage, pen and ink and added watercolour,13 November 2015

The Beach Boys on stage, pen and ink and added watercolour,13 November 2015

I even managed a second drawing of two of the band, Jeffrey Foskett a band regular and Bruce Johnson, who joined the Beach Boys in 1965.

Beach Boys concert, pen and ink and added watercolour, 13 November 2015

Beach Boys concert, pen and ink and added watercolour, 13 November 2015

So my figures are turned out more ‘stick’ than realistic but hey its hard to dance and draw at the same time.

My biggest regret was that this version of the band doesn’t include Brian Wilson or Alan Jardine – but we had fun nonetheless. The music was great and the musicians were all really good. John Cowsill (of the ’60’s pop group, yes those Cowsills) was a total crazy man on the drums and he’s nearly 60! No time for further drawing I just had to dance for the rest of the concert!

by Leonie Andrews

Coffee Wednesday – new grounds

It’s been quite wet over the past few days so rather than go to our usual coffee shop, which has largely outdoor seating, we opted for a drier setting.

From Chris’s cafe in Weston Creek you get a view of the carpark and rear entrance to the Cooleman Court shopping centre. Nothing shattering, but something to draw at least. All the drawing was done on site, the colour was added later.

Cooleman Court, brush pen and watercolour, 11 November 2015

Cooleman Court, brush pen and watercolour, 11 November 2015

by Leonie Andrews

The Big Draw at the NGA

Today was the annual Big Draw event held at the National Gallery of Australia. Several members of Urban Sketchers Canberra met up for the event and joined the crowds. Just inside the front door patrons were serenaded by the Ukelele Republic of Canberra band, singing and playing their way through a wide ranging repertoire.

The Ukulele Republic of Canberra at the National Gallery of Australia, pen and ink, 8 November 2015

The Ukulele Republic of Canberra (most of them), at the National Gallery of Australia, pen and ink, 8 November 2015

There were eight activities on offer and per usual it was impossible to get around them all in the three hour timeframe. First stop for me was Garden Country, in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art section. Here the work of Gertie Huddlestone was used as a starting point for a group work on the floor, or for some of us some individual inspiration.

Sketch after Gertie Huddlestone, We all share water, 2001, coloured pencil

Sketch after Gertie Huddlestone, We all share water, 2001, coloured pencil

I started to walk through to some other areas of the gallery, stopping to talk to the staff members overseeing other areas such as House and Garden, where some urban houses were being put together.

House and Garden, in the Australian Art section of the Gallery

House and Garden, in the Australian Art section of the Gallery

I only managed to get to one other activity before the agreed meet-up time. At Is your face a mask, people were given an I-pad to sketch themselves over a ‘selfie’. This proved to be popular with everyone as you could get a print-out of your efforts at the end.

Self-portrait with masks, I-pad

Self-portrait with masks, I-pad

Our group decided to get together for lunch over at the National Portrait Gallery where the crowds were not so busy. Here are our collective efforts from the morning.

USk Canberra sketches from the Big Draw

USk Canberra sketches from the Big Draw