I realise that this is only my second coffee shop sketch of 2017! I have been busy doing many things, not the least applying for exhibitions so the sketching has gone somewhat by the wayside.
Here is a sketch of a dried flower arrangement that was on the end of the bench where I was sitting. 
While I was in Japan last year I took to collage as a fast way to get new ideas out and into the world.
Image from ‘The Beauty Series’
I’d dabbled a bit with this approach, earlier in 2016, combining simple collages and watercolours in a concertina book.
World Watercolor Month, watercolour and collage
The latest manifestation, an ‘altered’ book, has come into existence during the masterclass I participated in last week. I think it was apt when someone commented that my book was not so much ‘altered’ as ‘interfered with’.
An early entry in my ‘Travel Diary’
I didn’t realise how coming back home from my art residency only a few weeks before Christmas would impact on my work flow. At the time there was a real lag in my energy levels, not surprising given that day to day life and concerns were back in my face again.
With the new year comes the need to get moving on making new work. I aim to pick up some of those ideas that came, as always, in the final days of my residency. In particular I am working on having a more direct interaction between the photographs I have taken, or have found in old books and my stitching.
Stitch experiments on old photographs
This process has been assisted by another activity I am currently participating in, the 365 day handstitch challenge (on Facebook and Instagram), where participants undertake to stitch one thread every day of 2017. I’ve chosen to work with fabric and thread that I took to Japan, but didn’t use. To make sure that my work stays loose I’m working with a favourite technique ‘stitching with my eyes closed‘. As you can see the challenge is having an impact on my other work.
Today the Urban Sketchers Canberra group met for its first outing of 2017 at the Mt Stromlo Observatory. I wasn’t sure how many people would come along as the forecast was for 34°C, thankfully it didn’t get that hot while we were there and we had a breeze for a fair part of the morning.
While we were gathering I spotted my first choice for sketching. This fire hydrant is a rather folorn reminder of the devastating firestorm that swept across Mt Stromlo and down into the suburbs of Canberra in 2003.
Fire hydrant remains at Mt Stromlo, watercolour, 8 January 2017
The ruined mounts for the telescope now make for very dramatic sculptures inside the shell of the building.
Inside the ruins of the Yale Columbia telescope, Mt Stromlo Observatory, watercolour and graphite pencil, 8 January 2017
Mount for the Yale Columbia telescope at Mt Stromlo Observatory, watercolour and graphite pencil, 8 January 2017
We were happy to retreat inside to the cafe for our sketchbook ‘throw down’ and compare notes after several hours of sketching.
You can see more sketches from this morning on the USk Canberra Facebook page and on this blog by fellow sketcher Michelle.
My previous visit to the observatory can be found here.
I’m in a watercolour sketching phase at the moment, sketching people in general and portraits in particular. Mostly I work in coffee shops trying to get a quick sketch done before the subject inevitably leaves at the critical artistic moment. However I am also really ‘over’ drawing people with cups or mobile phones in their hands. Given that I don’t attend regular life drawing classes I need a way to find some interesting models.
So what to do? ‘Cheat’ I happily reply. I notice that I am not alone in drawing sculptures, by way of a substitute for a live model. Art galleries or even local parks can be good places to find interesting subjects.Here are some sculptures I drew while I was in Japan.
Two sculptures and an attendant in the Churyo Sato wing of the Miyagi Museum of Art in Sendai
Here’s another.
Shade, Churyo Sato, Miyagi Museum of Art, Sendai
When even the sculptures are lacking I turn to another source, photographs. 
The Boss, belting out a number (original photo Getty Images)
I find that newspaper photographers are particularly talented at capturing interesting positions of sportspeople or dancers.
Aussie swimmers, Kyle Chalmers and James McEvoy (original photo AP)
leonieandrews 