Streets and Laneways

Spent another enjoyable day at the Made 'n' Thornbury market on Saturday.
I really appreciate the wormth and enthusiasm conveyed by the friendly crowd of mainly locals, who turn up to support our market.

This recent painting, (which has now found a new home) is in response to the more unkempt areas of my neighbourhood. I find the wild plants that grow in these places to have a certain strange beauty.



Here are some more examples from my series of concertina cards which I have come to think of as "cloud streets".

 

 

 

 

The images on these cards are 7cm x 7cm in a series of four.

These and other works will be available for purchase at the Abbotsford Convent Makers market on Sunday the 21st of October and also Sunday the 9th of December.

Nearby and Faraway

This urban image represents a scene that is local and very familiar to me.

The small paintings on this concertina card are about somewhere more remote, more imaged than real. Faraway in an absent-minded sense.

 

 

 

 

Views from the footpath

Watercolour of a well weathered weather-board home.

New Cards

The popularity of native plants in Australian gardens has provided me with inspiration for these hand painted cards.
Sometimes I like to ignore the big picture by focusing on small details such as the delicate patterns and colours of overhanging branches which can be seen on many a suburban street.

These cards and other art work will be available at the next Made 'n' Thornbury  craft market on the 5th of May.

Empty streets

This painting is based on a photo I took in New Zealand early last year. It was situated in a row of abandoned shops in a tiny settlement near Colac bay in Southland. There was a gold rush there at one time apparently, but now the place is a classic ghost town, apart from a few local fishermen and farmers.

I did try and paint one of the more elaborate buildings but it ended up looking more like a very fake stage set for a Western. So I choose this one, used a large brush and kept it loose.

Sometimes its more about the feel than the details.

Meanwhile back in Civilisation....






Small drawings on cards.

Shop and Dwelling

There are so many of these places dotted around the older suburbs.

It's not hard to imagine the sort of activity that used to flourish here - but now so quiet! (apart from those places that have been reincarnated as purveyors of exotic beans).

Some more examples of suburban skys.

New Year and New Work

On New Year's day I went walking on the deserted, baking hot streets hoping to find some inspiration to overcome that lazy (but lovely) summer feeling.
 Lingering in the shadows I took a few photos of  - well shadows actually, and did manage to find some images which I have used to create another series of very small paintings.