Class 2 watercolour

On an unexpectedly wet day Susie was held up in traffic so everyone had a go at their own painting. Here is my Wylies special.



When she did turn up, we painted portraits. This one should have been a woman but looks mannish. Oh well....

More watercolour with Susie

When Jennifer from ArtEst rang to offer me a place in Susie Murphie's class, I was surprised as the term had already started. However not one to look at a gift horse in the mouth, I immediately accepted.


It was a colour mixing class - this was to be painted using only magenta, burnt sienna and ultramarine blue.


So many lessons I've forgotten- and of course Susie is a pleasure to spend time with.

Valleys and mesas

Having painted one version of the Blue Mountains in a hurry I decided to reproduce it but in a larger and longer format.


Every time I go up the mountains, I am again reminded of its grand scale. It really is a series of mesas and valleys, each one further away wreathed in a blue mist. It's a lush place, despite the awful fires ravaging now and again.

Days of leisure

Recently attended a work conference at Coogee and visited the north Coogee baths. This is a narrow strip of rocks sheltering a glorious little bay.



I spied this girl floating on her back and just enjoying the waters on a hot spring day. She was probably a university student or backpacker - what a life!

Golden afternoon

I finished the second painting begun at Kerrie Lester's workshop- this one is of the enjoyment on a golden afternoon.


It is almost sunset on a summer's day and so beautiful basking in the glow of the sunshine that has lost its searing heat. What could be more idyllic?

People in landscape

On a stinker of a day I attended a workshop by Kerrie Lester a well known expressive painter.


It was quite fabulous despite the heat. The main advice I took home was to work the entire painting and no outlines etc. People should be incorporated in the picture from the start and not plopped in as an afterthought. Also being expressive means to interpret what you feel from the scene. The freedom to actually paint gesturally - I always thought that my life drawing was best when it was gestural. No need for fine detail- leave it to the viewer to fill in the dots.

The added bonus is that it's finished so quickly- I actually did two and gave myself an early mark to recover from the heat.

Greenway Art Prize 2014

As it happened, I managed to get the Cooks River Reflection painting finished and sent in an application on time.  Whew! And guess what folks? I was told that the painting was chosen as a finalist! Yay!  Here is the invitation to the Opening Night if you can come.  Should be fun!