It was cold yesterday so we were huddled underneath the awning next to the reptile shop to drink our coffee. At least we got the ‘desirable’ table right next to the tank of Eastern Long Neck Turtles. I love watching them swim about the tank, but they are also adept at just sitting underwater for long periods of time. I was particularly enamoured of the turtle stack in the corner of the tank.
A tank of Eastern Long Neck Turtles, pen and ink and gel pen, 8 April 2015
This morning’s coffee break resulted in this set of portraits.
Patrons of the Italian bakery, pen and ink, 7 April 2015
We were out on Easter Saturday and because our regular coffee spot was closed for the holiday we opted for an alternative venue. Ah new scenes to draw. Out came the trusty pen (Lamy Safari) and ink and the somewhat dodgy pen (Duke 209). My attention was caught by the plane tree framed by the cafe door. I also liked the people sitting on the right. So far so good. Then I thought I’d better capture the person on the left before they finished their snack and left. I realised too late that I’d drawn the person on the left at the wrong scale.
The original drawing, cafe pen and ink, 4 April 2015
I couldn’t resist a little tweak using Photoshop to enlarge the figure on the left to get an idea of how the drawing might have turned out.
Re-jigged on Photoshop, the figure on the left enlarges to a more realistic scale.
I’ll console myself with the old saying that “the only person who’s never made a mistake is the person who’s never done a thing”.
Like many sketchers I always carry a small sketchbook in my bag for sketching wherever I go. These days I frequently take a larger book as well, that is if I remember it. Today I forgot the larger book so I sketched in the smaller one instead. In the small book I found two other drawings which I haven’t previously posted so here are two quick drawings and a slow one to finish off.
Firstly a sketch captured while I was scoffing fish and chips down the coast several weeks ago. Most people sit on the back verandah of this fish shop, solely for the view. Fending off marauding seagulls may also be necessary.
The Clyde River bridge (the other one) at Bateman’s Bay NSW, pen and ink, 16 March 2015
Yesterday I was sitting at the green waste re-cycling centre whiling away a few minutes while my partner tied a tarp over our load of soil. This is what I could see in front of me.
Red Hill from Corkhill Bros at the Mugga Lane tip, pen and ink, 30 March 2015
Finally I spent rather more time on this drawing of the pallets at the back of the fruit shop, Jabals Halal Market, at Mawson.
The back of Jabals Halal Market, Mawson ACT, pen and ink, 31 March 2015
There was sad news today that Betty Churcher, to date still the only woman to be the head of the National Gallery of Australia, died earlier this week at the age of 84. It was a cruel irony that, prior to her death, this champion of the visual arts was losing her sight, because of a melanoma in one eye and to macular degeneration in the other.
What will stick in my mind is her commitment to sharing her knowledge of art with the broader Australian public and her commitment to drawing. On realising that her eyesight was failing, Churcher determined to visit her favourite works of art both in Australian and international galleries. The result are two stimulating books, Notebooks and Australian Notebooks which include her drawn studies of works of art. Her studies were made with such close observation that her drawings often reveal elements of extremely well-know paintings that I for one have totally missed.
She was truly a national treasure. So so long Betty, we’ll miss you!
Betty Churcher’s drawing of The Sock Knitter by Grace Cossington Smith, 1915 in the collection of the Art Gallery of New South Wales
