last portrait of  the year

a recent one still to be finished

yesterday's plein air sketch at Tizzana Winery

plein air and Life

Our Plein Air group went back to the same location this week, and I did intend to do a little more to last week's painting, but as the sky was cloudy I started another from a slightly different view

I made the trek into the city by train to discover what the Julian Ashton Sketch club was like, and now I know the routine will probably try and make it there again...
these are from the batch of 1 and 2 minute poses from Glenbrook on Friday

Derryn

Saturday's portrait at Richmond Art Supplies, Oil 16 x 20

Castlereagh plein air

started a plein air painting this morning with the Nepean/MTAS group by the old Methodist Church at Castlereagh, and spent quite a bit of the time talking to the caretaker of the Church about the history of the place, including this building which is the old schoolhouse built in 1878 and the cottage that went with it.

more to Angelique

a few more adjustments to a Angelique, and it may be time to leave it alone

Plein air and Life

an on location shot of Thursdays plein air  at Richmond

and some life drawing at the Blue Mountains Life drawing group

Sketches

Saturday's oil sketch of Donna, 24 x 18

and a some 1 & 2  minute  figure studies during the week

Art Thoughts #1

An article in my ArtDaily newsletter the other day, announced the upcoming auction of a Cy Twombly painting, it stated that this masterpiece, which was housepaint on board with chalk scribbles was expected to bring $35-$55 million US dollars, and it caused me to ponder on the thoughts and conversations I have about Art, the state of it, what it is and why we do it etc.

Art is certainly not high on the agenda of current governments, at least here in Australia, as Art programmes and Art funding is progressively being cut or abandoned in place of more useful and productive subjects that focus on the more important matter of making money.

It does seem rather paradoxical that while art is seemingly of little practical value to everyday life... at the same time obscene amounts of money are being spent on art which is out of all proportion to the quality of the work or actual skill involved in producing it.

dictionary definitions of Art  are ambiguous “the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance”.

“Art has had a great number of different functions throughout its history, making its purpose difficult to abstract or quantify to any single concept. This does not imply that the purpose of Art is "vague", but that it has had many unique, different reasons for being created “

“Few modern scholars have been more divided than Plato and Aristotle on the question concerning the importance of art, with Aristotle strongly supporting art in general and Plato generally being opposed to its relative importance”(Wikipedia)

The state of art today is a reflection of the world that we live in, with its crazy values and priorities!

While many live in poverty, and defenceless peoples are terrorised by evil men, we have become a world of tribalistic hero worshippers paying fortunes for entertainment. It seems that India can send a scientific rocket to Mars for less than than it costs to produce a modern entertainment film... or it could have bought a Rothko painting and had a few thousand left over.

One of my thoughts on art is that it is an essential part of the human experience, it is descriptive and expressive, it is communication, it could bring beauty and pleasure, awareness and thought and discussion.

Art is also work, and all work is worthy of some reward, but that reward should not be out of proportion with reality... and should not be the prime motivation for producing it..

In my opinion the works of Banksy, done in the form of graffiti, in public places for any to see, are better value than many daubings  on boards... that the gullible are conned into spending a fortune for!

plein air

Thursdays is the day that the keen plein air painters from the Nepean and Macquarie Towns Art Societies get together at a pre-determined location for a bit of plein air painting, this week most of them have gone up to the Capertee Valley for a few days... but two of us still managed to meet at the lagoon in Richmond today for a bit of painting.

Life Drawing around Sydney

I was compiling a more up to date list of some of the Life Drawing/Portrait groups and venues around the Sydney region that I might possibly attend... and in the process came upon this comprehensive list of life drawing venues around Australia!

http://www.artmodeltips.com/life-drawing-sessions/australia/

a recommended facebook page https://www.facebook.com/SydneyLifeDrawing

My list

LIFE DRAWING AROUND SYDNEY

Alexandria

Monday/Tuesday 10 am-1pm

Cnr Brandling Street & Ellen Ave

Blackheath

Monday 1pm-3pm $10.00

http://www.blackheathart.com/studiogroups.htm

Diana Dwyer 4758 9897a
PHONE: 4758 9897

Blacktown Sketch Club

Varied by terms

http://www.artscentre.blacktown.nsw.gov.au/

02 9839 6247

Bullaburra

Wednesday 7.00 – 9.00

http://bullaburralifedrawing.wordpress.com/

Castle Hill Art Society

CASTLE GLEN, LOFT

Portrait 3^rd Thurday 10 – 12

Rosalie Neef 9680 1283

Janice Moorey 9639 6552

Life Drawing 1.00 – 3.00

Last Friday of the Month

Janice Moorey 9639 6552

Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre

Liverpool Art Society

Tuesday nights

Kahee Song on 0409 303 753, or Pamela Rodoreda on 02 9601 6078.

http://www.casulapowerhouse.com/programevent/life-drawing-classes.aspx

Darlinghurst

TAP GALLERY

Tuesday 6.30 -9.00 PM

278 PALMER ST (BURTON & PALMER )

0415 254 793

Epping Community Centre

Tues 9.30am-12.30pm

Robyn Biviano (0403) 450 330, email: Robyn Biviano
http://www.hornsbyartsociety.com.au/lifedrawing.html

Glenbrook, Hare & Moore St’s Fri 10am -1pm
Blue Mountains Creative Arts Centre,

Hurstville, Sth Hurstville Bowling CLub 3rd Tues 7.30 - 10 pm
Southern Cross Art Society, Ray 9522 6698

Ingleside, Sculpture Shed uncertain
Christine 9970 8619

Lavender Bay

Royal Art Society

Friday 10am-1pm

http://www.royalart.com.au/index.php

Mortdale

Sothern Cross Art Society

3^rd Tuesday evening of the month

http://www.scag-art.com/ouractivities.htm

Newtown

Sando Sketch Club

Free every Monday 8pm-10pm

387 King St Newtown

9557 1254

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sando-Sketch-Club/169027636494247?v=info

Parramatta Art Society

Tuesday 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
$ 15.00/ session
Margaret Stephenson 9871 4292 or 0410 603 023

Pennant Hills

Every Tuesday, 7pm - 10pm

Stuart 0435 517 157 or Graeme 9629 2532

email: phdrawinggroup@gmail.com

http://www.hornsbyartsociety.com.au/lifedrawing.html

Redfern 107 Projects

Tuesdays 8pm-10pm

107 Redfern Street Redfern

$15/$10

http://107projectsinc.camp8.org/event-1768830

Ryde, 770 Victoria Rd Ryde Thur 9.30 - 12.30
Willandra Art Centre 9898 2554, enq,9809 3326

Richmond, UWS, K13

Life drawing Thurs 7 -9pm resumes next year

Portrait last Saturday of the month 10am-1pm
Hawkesbury Community Arts Workshop,

Richmond,

Richmond Art Supplies

Life Drawing 3^rd Tuesday of the Month 7pm-9pm

Portrait 2^nd Saturday of the Month 1pm-4pm

Macquarie Towns Arts Society, Deidre 4578 3446

Surry Hills, Knot Gallery, 342 Elizabeth St

Sydney

ARTHOUSE HOTEL

MONDAY NIGHTS 630 – 8.30 $4.00

DR SKETCHYS

TUESDAY NIGHTS

ATTIC BAR

LEVEL 2, 275 PITT ST

https://www.facebook.com/drsketchysyd

The Rocks

JULIAN ASHTON

MONDAY & WEDNESDAY NIGHTS 6.15 – 9.00pm

http://julianashtonartschool.com.au/products-page/day-evening-classes-rocks/

Willoughby, Workshop Art Centre, 33 Laurel St Fri 10 -12 noon
9958 6540

my system for saving paint

as a natural penny pincher, and because I like to use a brand of paint  for some colours that is not available in Australia, ( Vasari paints from New York ) it concerned me that I was wasting a lot of paint because it was  hardening on the palette in between uses... so I devised a system where I have virtually no wastage at all nowadays. I have shown this to quite a number of people and have even set some up with it.

I bought some laminex offcuts in a neutral grey colour from a kitchen maker (cheap)  and cut them to a size that fits neatly into a plastic A4 office container. (cheap)

I clip the flexible  laminex palette to a larger palette to use, and when I've finished painting put the whole unit neatly into the freezer compartment of the fridge and it is fresh and ready for use whenever I take it out... it's clean and with no waste.

I have one for portrait painting and one for landscape painting, and though it is not always practical to take one for plein air I can still preserve the paint onto it when I return to the studio.

Wally

Saturday's portrait group at the Richmond Art Shop was well attended... in fact it was a little bit crowded! I managed a 20 minute colour pencil drawing, a 60 or 80 minute oil, and then switched positions for a 35 minute oil sketch

Angelique II & self

I have progressed a little with the second portrait of Angelique that I painted on Saturday

and have started a self portrait to follow up on the one I did last year

Earthcare

next weekend will be the final days for this year's annual exhibition at the Piggery Lane Studios, and Saturday will also be the day of the Hawkesbury Earthcare  Centre Spring Fair ...this is a little oil sketch of the Earthcare Mudbrick building painted from the Piggery  the other day.

Life Drawing

life drawing has dropped off round here lately due to a seeming lack of interest and I'm travelling a little further to get  some much needed practice. I went into the city to attend some free sessions put on by a model friend who was helping aspiring models to 'give it a go'
this is a pencil sketch of a first time model

and a couple of Conte sketches from yesterday's regular Friday session at Glenbrook

Angelique

one of the two portraits I attempted of Angelique at Saturday's group portrait session.

Oil 16 x 20

Body & Soul

The Blue Mountains Creative Arts Centre Life Drawing group is having its annual life drawing exhibition  'Body & Soul' at Glenbrook this weekend.


this is one of the flyers with some of  my drawings featured

Piggery Lane Studios Exhibition 2014

At the Piggery Lane Studios we decided to have an annual Art Exhibition and to be open on weekends over a month period, 13/09 - 12/10  to link in with other events that are on around UWS Richmond.

The opening on the 13th coincided with the Secret Garden Spring Fair on the campus grounds.  I sat in there  in the morning and sketched some 10 minute portraits... all children!

We had the official opening in the evening, music was provided by artist/actor/musician 'Jimmy Parbuckle'

  and  Greg Hansell gave a talk about the value of independent art groups and galleries

some photos of my studio area is it looks at present.

 and on October 11th, Earthcare, which occupies the same block as us will be having it's Spring Fair and the
  Piggery is open until on weekends until 12th October.

We are also grateful for the fine article that the Sydney Weekend Notes has been running for us

Springwood Art Show

I took these paintings to Faulconbridge in the pouring rain yesterday for this weekend's  Springwood Art Show   ... I think they have done a great job with their new display stands!

Open Studio

this weekend my studio in  the  Piggery Lane Studios was open as a part of the Hawkesbury Artists and Artisans Trail

 

Rae

today's 16 x 20 Oil Portrait of Rae at Richmond Art Supplies

Yarramundi plein airs

plein air paintings this week at Yarramundi

Portrait and figure study

from the Saturday group at the Arts Workshop
Oil 20  16 

oil 16 12

Donna

July portrait of Donna

June Portrait

June portrait of Owen at the Community Arts Workshop