July 8, 2015 by Leonie Andrews

In print, hooray!

I’ve known about it since this time last year, but to hold the real thing in my hand is something else completely. Yep, there’s now an article in the current issue of Craft Arts International about my work! The current issue being No 94, pps 105-107.

A quick peek at the article

The article is written by Peter Haynes, a Canberra-based curator who I worked with in 2013. It focuses largely on work that was in my 2014 solo exhibition and also includes other works that have appeared in group shows over the last few years.

I hope you enjoy seeing the ‘other side’ of my work!

June 7, 2015 by Leonie Andrews

Canberra Sketchers Group – June outing

What with the fog and the 4 degree C temperature at 10.00 am we weren’t sure just how many sketchers would make it to our monthly outing today. It turns out that Canberra’s sketchers are made of stern stuff, in all 9 people met to draw in the Canberra Beijing Garden on the shores of Lake Burley-Griffin.

A gift of the city of Beijing to Canberra to mark our Centenary in 2013, the garden was completed late in 2014 and is starting to look quite settled. The garden displays some of the key aspects of Chinese garden culture, including an entrance gate, pavilion, sculptures and an ornamental stone. Several of us drew the bronze replica of the famous Eastern Han Dynasty sculpture, Galloping Horse on a Flying Swallow. The heavenly steed is at full pace with just one hoof touching down on the back of the flying bird. I liked the view from the front of the horse rather than the often seen side-on position. But from any angle this sculpture is a dynamic masterpiece of design.

Galloping Horse on a Flying Swallow, watercolour, 7 June 2015

Further up the hill others were struggling with the tricky shapes of the Crane-Viewing Pavilion. I opted to make a second sketch of the Entrance Gate, from below, looking past the Stone of Appreciation from Lake Tai.

Stone of Appreciation from Lake Tai and the Entrance Gate from inside the garden, watercolour, pen and ink, 7 June 2015

As always we gathered at the end to have a look at what had been drawn, discussing our various approaches and sharing tips. Sadly our scout had told us that our plan to have coffee in the nearby Hyatt Hotel wasn’t possible as it was jam-packed with Sunday brunchers. Thankfully one well prepared sketcher had brought along a fantastic carrot cake which they kindly shared with the rest of us – now that’s what I call an incentive!

Some of the hardy band that came along for the June Canberra Sketchers Group outing, 7 June 2015

June 5, 2015 by Leonie Andrews

Westside Acton Park Containers

The most recent attempt to put some life into a neglected part of the city of Canberra is to establish an area of cafes and pop-up activities on the unlamented Futsal ground. Known now as Westside Acton Park, the venue is a precursor to plans to better integrate the city centre with Lake Burley Griffin. More permanent structures will follow at some time in the future.

The temporary structure is made up of a collection of containers, some of which are raised up on scaffolding (well quite substantial metal beam supports actually) and others that surround the futsal slab. We dropped by to see what the fuss was about after a non-local politician was bemoaning the negative impact of the structures on the picturesqueness of the lake shore. Poor possum, far be it that the people who live in the national capital should have something to enjoy.

We stopped by early in the week which meant that only the Damn Fine drive through coffee van was open. The good thing is that they do live up to their name. Suitably fortified we had our pick of locations to draw from. We decided to have a crack at the stack of containers. While the sun was shining we had had a -7 degree C overnight temperature, so prolonged sitting in the one spot wasn’t possible. I managed to get this far before numbness overtook me!

The big container stack at Westside at Acton, watercolour, 2 June 2015

There is going to be a big market at the site this coming Saturday and a big BMX jam on the Sunday so the place will be jumping.

June 1, 2015 by Leonie Andrews

Random Cafe Drawings

Here are some sketches from the past few weeks, no theme other than they were drawn while drinking coffee!

I was just getting this portrait started when the man finished his coffee and left. I decided to fill the rest of the page with a sign I could see out the window.

Part portrait and sign, pen and ink and watercolour, 19 May 2015

At least this next subject wasn’t going anywhere!

Garbage skip, 24 May 2015, watercolour and Copic marker

Garbage skip, 24 May 2015, watercolour, pen and ink and Copic marker

last but not least a blind drawing of the scene across from the cafe with lots of wheels in it. A forklift, a shopping trolley, a wheelie bin, two flatbed trolleys and a car. (Please excuse the image quality, the page wouldn’t sit flat on the scanner and I had some bleed through from the previous drawing on the other side of the page).

Lots of wheels, pen and ink 26 May 2015

May 27, 2015 by Leonie Andrews

Saturday Extra

Last Saturday the some of the Canberra Sketchers met up with Angela from the Melbourne Sketch group at the National Museum of Australia for a couple of hours of drawing.

Sketchers united at the National Museum of Australia, 23 May 2015

We started over a cup of coffee and not surprisingly talk soon turned to favourite tools and tips. I really liked Angela’s solution to finding extra boxes for her watercolours. She bought a ‘seven day’ pillbox at a $2 shop and put her half pans into it. You can also just add tube paint in directly and mix on the lids!

Clever paint solution!

Down to work and the unusual architecture of the museum was the focus for many sketches.

I chose to go into the Museum’s central courtyard, The Garden of Australian Dreams, where a stand of white barked gum trees were beautifully highlighted against the black museum wall.

Gum trees in the Garden of Australian Dreams, watercolour and graphite, 23 May 2015

This wasn’t what I’d intended to draw but it caught my eye. What I did want to capture was The Loop, which springs up from the forecourt of the museum and arcs back into the central courtyard. I liked this view which also encompassed the Black Mountain Tower. I only had a short time to capture this before I met back with the rest of the group.

The Loop and Black Mountain Tower, watercolour, pen and ink and graphite, 23 May 2015

We met in the entrance foyer to compare notes. It was clear that we could have spent the whole day drawing at the museum so it will be another venue for a repeat visit.

The collected works on the day, 23 May 2015

A quick reminder that the next meeting of the Canberra Sketchers group will be held at 10.30 am on Sunday 7 June at the Chinese Gardens, Flynn Drive, opposite the rear entrance of the Hyatt Hotel in Yarralumla.

leonieandrews

Tag / urban sketch