My favourite building in Melbourne

Just back from a week in Melbourne - love that city and especially its most iconic building, Flinders Street station (which I sketched a number of times.)

It is such a grand complex building - so many details to get lost in and it has such a commanding presence in the city. This was my first sketch of it this trip… I just wanted to have fun exploring its richness… pen in hand and then splash some paint around.

More about my trip later and other sketches later….

Trip to the Mater Hospital i Brisbane

I had a visit at the specialist centre, at the Mater Hospital today.

Luna Park Sydney

Front Entrance - Ethna Gallacher

Luna Park Sydney is an amusement park situated near the North end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The park was originally constructed in the 1930s and although it has undergone various rebuilds it still holds an old day charm. Keen to play with colour last week, Ethna Gallacher, Suzi Poland and I (Chantal Vincent) found this a fun place to explore and discover unusual structures and a lively vibe.

 

Luna Park's prime location - looking back from the front gate

 It felt a little strange to turn our backs on two of Sydney's famous icons whilst sitting to sketch the garish face.

 

Ice Cream and the Big Dipper - Suzi Poland
 

Once we'd sketched the main entrance we each ventured inside and were happy to find further bright colours and fun designs. 

 

Coney Island - Chantal Vincent

 Mostly unchanged in concept, games and décor style since being built in 1935, Luna Park's Coney Island is the only operating funhouse of it's era left in the world.

 

Having only just scratched the surface of what can be sketched here we are all looking forward to returning on another day soon.

 

Australian Federal Election & Blowin' In The Wind

Hi, Friends, how have you been? We had a federal election last Saturday and now, have a new Gov. "The answer is blowin' in the wind," is my honest impression of political debates on tv.

None of politicians well answers the questions in the song, "Blowin' the Wind." Anyone will do. We need someone who really thinks of us and acts on behalf of us at parliament. Also, without art, our life will be so poor and no taste. But sadly, art is neither appreciated nor valued in society.

Voting at Town Hall 

Blowin' In The Wind        by  Bob Dylan

How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man ?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand ?
Yes, how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned ?
The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

Yes, how many years can a mountain exist
Before it's washed to the sea ?
Yes, how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free ?
Yes, how many times can a man turn his head
Pretending he just doesn't see ?
The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
Yes, how many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky ?
Yes, how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry ?
Yes, how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died ?
The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

*                   *                *

This song always provokes a listener's imagination on what sort of context -- a conversation between a kid and an adult? Or adults?  What about a gender, an age, a social status etc, etc? Yet, it shares a universal empathy. A great masterpiece.

Even though the song could fit any contex, one clear message for me is, Friends, let us bequeath a bit better world to our next generation, of course with art! I want to see kids smiling and to hear their laughing.


Friends, Happy, Painting!!!

Barcelona Symposium Debrief

Monthly USKSYD meeting this month was a BCN debrief!

Alissa, Chris and I shared our symposium experiences and described the workshops we did and what we got out it. Here is a combination image of all the sketches I did during the workshops (I didn't do anything on other pages or in another sketchbook …but most of the notes have been added since I got home)

It was then lunchtime …so no sketching got done as a group today. Still it was great to get the USK buzz going and have friends to share our experiences with (non sketching friends don't quite understand what the fuss is about!) It was a lovely warm day of about 30C so lovely to spend a morning in the gardens! Wow - warm weather for early spring.

On the way out I did a quick crazy sketch… couldn't come to the Botanic Gardens and not sketch! Then I had to remember to vote on the way home!  I was planning to sketch the queue to vote but at 2.30pm there wasn't queue at all (so no sketch)…

Urban Sketching in Melbourne

I was fortunate enough to spend a few days in Melbourne.It was even more wonderful that Melbourne Urban Sketchers were having a Sketchcrawl. I had met four of the sketchers separately on my last visit to Melbourne, Jodi, Evelyn, Kym and Angela and now I got to see them all in one place and with another 12 or so sketchers. It was inspirational and motivational to sketch with the group and to meet a new group of sketchers.

The weather was sunny and warm and the day could not have been more perfect. 

I started with a coffee from Brunetti's (we were meeting there) in Lygon Street . I sketched the staff and then took the cup home to draw it later

Then we all  walked just around the corner to the back of La Mama, where there was a courtyard, with LOTS to sketch and seats as well. 

my sketch

I was fascinated by the rooftops and brickwork of the back of the shops. We were going to be there for two hours and I quickly realised that I was not going to have time to be able to get a lot of the scene onto the page. I think I decided (sort of) to feature a bit of texture and colour.  I  used my watercolour pencils (decided not to use ink) in my Moleskine accordion style watercolour sketchbook (special Barcelona edition) . This style of book let my lines wander across the pages . 

some of our sketchbooks 

We kept sketching through lunch, with the tables covered dominated by sketchbooks more than food at times

my pencils overtaking my plate

lunch at the Lygon Food Store

The rest of my Melbourne urban sketching ........

after lunch we visited urban sketcher Jodi Wiley's exhibition at a cafe/gallery (and sketched it)

and then  Melbourne ... everyday life