THE POWER OF LANGUAGE

A few weeks ago (ie mid-May) I read this headline:

‘Some of the coldest temperatures of 2025 so far to hit southeast cities this weekend.’

Without thinking about it, that sentence suggests something a little out of the ordinary and yet, when mid-May comes around, here in Sydney, in the southern hemisphere, we’ve had summer and are nearing the end of autumn, so of course we’re going to be feeling colder temperatures than we’ve had in the year to date. Now, had we been in the northern hemisphere, that sentence might have been worth writing.

And so it got me thinking about the power of language. I have no doubt that the aim of the writer was to sensationalise something that was really very ordinary; to make a story where there wasn’t one. And that sort of thing is happening all the time. This is just one small example, but I can’t help thinking that the damage being done to young people as they’re exposed to this kind of sensationalist language must be contributing to the despair they’re feeling at the world they’re growing up in. I despair at the world they’re growing up in, but not because of the things we’re being warned about, rather the people who are doing the warning.

But I’ll move on, because trying to make sense of the world and so many of the people in it does my head in!

As for my art, all is going well! I was thrilled to win the Hangers’ Prize at the Members’ Exhibition of the Hornsby Art Society recently, with a new little painting I’d done called ‘Windjana Gorge’. The comment from the hangers, which read: ‘Which just goes to show that good things come in small frames!’, was lovely!

At the same show, one of my little paintings from The Gumleaf Collection (‘The Three Sisters’, pictured above) was also awarded a prize, and it came with another lovely comment from the judge: ‘A fascinating design that presents a familiar subject in an enchanting new light.’

And so while there aren’t too many shows I’m exhibiting in right now, there are certainly many that I’m working towards, so no doubt when I return next month there will be more dates for your diary!

For now …

A4 Art Australia, Herring Island Gallery, Melbourne (Vic.), online until Monday 31 June

Small Packages, Sherbrooke Art Gallery, 62 Monbulk Rd, Belgrave (Vic.), Saturday 19 July to Saturday 23 August

Until next month!

CONNECTING

Back in February I wrote about a trip I’d made up to Tea Gardens, to experience their art gallery (both inside and out) before I painted something to enter into their Anderson Art Award. Last night I received an email from the coordinator of that art award – Ian Morphett – to let me know that the painting I’d submitted (pictured above) had sold, which in itself was wonderful news. Then this morning I received another email from Ian:

‘You may like to know that the buyer is Lee Anderson who owns the building that the Gallery operates in and makes it available to our cooperative of about 50 artists for a nominal rent. Lee was so taken with your depiction of the building, she HAD to buy it. Yes, the Anderson Art Award is named in honour of Lee and her late husband Rob for their contributions to art on the Myall Coast.’

The strong sense of both gratitude and joy I feel when a painting of mine connects with someone enough that they decide to buy it is something I don’t think I’ll ever take for granted, but to receive that kind of acknowledgement is next level entirely and was more than I could have hoped for!

The exhibition in Tea Gardens is on for another week, so if you happen to be up that way, do stop by at this gorgeous gallery in the gardens. If you’re not heading quite so far from Sydney, however, perhaps one of the others listed below might be better suited …

The Gumleaf Collection: Beyond the Great Divide, at The Village Kitchen, 83 Old Bells Line of Road, Kurrajong (NSW), until Friday 16 May

Anderson Art Award, Galleries in the Gardens, 81 Marine Drive, Tea Gardens, until Sunday 11 May

Australian Society of Miniature Art Pop-up Exhibition, St Ives Shopping Village (NSW), Monday 12 to Sunday 25 May

LYOX Gallery Exhibition, 17 Lyons Rd (next to the Oxford Hotel), Drummoyne (NSW), Thursday 29 May to Sunday 22 June

A4 Art Australia, Herring Island Gallery, Melbourne (Vic), online until Monday 31 June

Until next month!

IT TAKES A VILLAGE ...

A couple of weekends ago I attended a workshop run by a man whose watercolours I have admired since I first saw them only a couple of years ago. He has an incredibly loose and simple style (something I’ve never been able to achieve) and yet there’s nothing simple about the results he achieves. His name is Andrew Duffin (his website https://andrewduffin.com.au ), and the image above is one of the paintings I completed at this workshop under his instruction. Thanks Andrew!

Right now I’m preparing to get my latest collection of works together to take up to Kurrajong, at the foot of the beautiful Blue Mountains west of Sydney, where they will be on show for a number of weeks at The Village Kitchen (for details, see below). This is such a lovely venue, so why not think about heading out there and enjoying a meal, or even just a coffee. It’s well worth the visit!

Also about to kick off is Sydney’s Royal Easter Show, and once again I will have a number of pieces on display and for sale. So if you’re at the Show, stop by and enjoy all there is to offer in the Arts and Crafts Pavilion.

But that’s just a taste of all that’s happening or about to happen. Read on …

A4 Art Australia, Herring Island Gallery, Melbourne (Vic), until Monday 21 April (check website for open dates), then online until Monday 31 June

Lifeline Art Show, Fred Hutley Hall, 200 Miller St, North Sydney (NSW), from Friday 4 to Wednesday 9 April

ArtXtra!, Gallery Lane Cove, 164 Longueville Road, Lane Cove, from Wednesday 9 to Wednesday 23 April

The Gumleaf Collection: Beyond the Great Divide, at The Village Kitchen, 83 Old Bells Line of Road, Kurrajong (NSW), Friday 11 April to Friday 16 May

Sydney Royal Easter Show, Sydney Olympic Park (NSW), from Friday 11 to Tuesday 22 April

Anderson Art Award, Galleries in the Gardens, 81 Marine Drive, Tea Gardens, from Friday 11 April to Sunday 11 May

Northern Beaches Art Society’s Autumn Exhibition, Tramshed Arts and Community Hall, 1395a Pittwater Rd, Narrabeen, from Thursday 17 to Tuesday 22 April (see below)

Drummoyne Art Society’s Awards Exhibition, Drummoyne Civic Hall, cnr Lyons Rd and Marlborough St, Drummoyne, from Friday 18 to Sunday 27 April

Australian Society of Miniature Art Pop-up Exhibition, St Ives Shopping Village (NSW), Monday 12 to Sunday 25 May

LYOX Gallery Exhibition., 17 Lyons Rd (next to the Oxford Hotel), Drummoyne (NSW), Monday 26 May to Sunday 22 June

Until next month!

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

One of today’s main news items is that residents of south-east Queensland are preparing for Cyclone Alfred’s arrival – something we should be spared down here in Sydney, but I’ve been thinking about it because it was apparently to be called Cyclone Anthony. The decision was made to find an alternative ‘A’ name, however, so as ‘to avoid any confusion’ with our current Prime Minister, according to the Bureau of Meteorology! I’m not sure who might confuse a sitting PM with a cyclone, but there you go.

So I’ve been thinking about other famous Alfreds – Alfred Hitchcock comes to mind, as does Alfred, Lord Tennyson. There’s also Alfred Nobel and Alfred Pennyworth (the butler in Batman), and my favourite, Alfred E. Neuman from MAD magazine. But having done a little Google searching, I see that Al Pacino is really Alfredo, and that just doesn’t seem right! It’s interesting how people – the whole package we know them as – become a sort of fixed image. Al Pacino fits him perfectly; Alfredo Pacino not so much!

The picture above is one of Sydney’s lighthouses – Robertson Point Lighthouse – and forms part of my current series, The Gumleaf Collection. It’s now hanging at Mosman Rowers Club, a really lovely venue overlooking Mosman Bay, as part of their Art@TheRowers exhibition. So why not head over there for breakfast, lunch or dinner, enjoy the water views and the exhibition! Details of that and other shows I’m taking part in follow …

Artists of Mosman: 2088, Mosman Art Gallery, 1 Art Gallery Road, Mosman (NSW), until Sunday 16 March

Art@TheRowers, Mosman Rowers Club, 3 Centenary Drive, Mosman (NSW), until Friday 21 March

A4 Art Australia, Herring Island Gallery, Melbourne (Vic), until Monday 21 April (check website for open dates), then online until Monday 31 June

KAS Autumn Exhibition, St Ives Village Shopping Centre (NSW), from Monday 10 to Sunday 23 March

Port Stephens Art Prize, Port Stephens Community Art Centre, Cultural Close, Nelson Bay (NSW), Friday 14 to Sunday 23 March  

Lifeline Art Show, Fred Hutley Hall, 200 Miller St, North Sydney (NSW), from Friday 4 to Wednesday 9 April

The Village Kitchen, 83 Old Bells Line of Road, Kurrajong (NSW), Friday 11 April to Friday 16 May

Sydney Royal Easter Show, Sydney Olympic Park (NSW), from Friday 11 to Tuesday 22 April

Australian Society of Miniature Art Pop-up Exhibition, St Ives Shopping Village (NSW), Monday 12 to Sunday 25 May

Until next month!

TEA GARDENS

About a week ago I drove up to the self-described ‘sleepy township’ of Tea Gardens, situated on the mid-north coast of NSW, between Port Stephens and Myall Lakes. My reason – to visit an art gallery located on Marine Drive, which, as its name suggests, sits on the village waterfront.

It was lovely wandering in and around the gallery (on what was a really beautiful summer’s day), something I’d wanted to do for some time, as I hope to be part of their biennial exhibition, The Anderson Art Awards, coming up a few months from now.

A few kilometres on from Tea Gardens is Hawks Nest, a coastal town I last visited in 1980, just after finishing my HSC. There was no such thing as Schoolies Week back then, but I went with a few friends to stay at Hawks Nest for about a week once our exams were over.

A lot has changed in those 44 years! I looked for the house we’d stayed in, which I remembered being just a block from the beach, but it seems those old beach houses have been replaced by much more substantial buildings in the intervening years (and even if they hadn’t, I’m not sure I would have remembered it).

The exhibition at Tea Gardens is one of many I’m working towards at the moment, as the art year is back in full swing again. So as always, if you’re wanting to see some art (perhaps specifically mine!), read on.

Oh, the photo above? It has nothing to do with anythng here, but is one I took many years ago at Canberra’s Floriade, and have loved it ever since.

Coming up …

HAS Volunteers’ Exhibition, Wallarobba, 25 Edgeworth David Avenue, Hornsby (NSW), on now until Sunday 23 February (closed Mondays)

Artists of Mosman: 2088, Mosman Art Gallery, 1 Art Gallery Road, Mosman (NSW), from Saturday 15 February to Sunday 16 March

Art @ The Rowers, Mosman Rowers Club, 3 Centenary Drive, Mosman (NSW), from Saturday 1 to Friday 21 March

A4 Art Australia, Herring Island Gallery, Melbourne (Vic), from Saturday 1 March to Monday 21 April (check website for open dates), then online until Monday 31 June

Port Stephens Art Prize, Port Stephens Community Art Centre, Cultural Close, Nelson Bay (NSW), Friday 14 to Sunday 23 March  

The Village Kitchen, 83 Old Bells Line of Road, Kurrajong (NSW), Friday 11 April to Friday 16 May, 2025

Sydney Royal Easter Show, Sydney Olympic Park (NSW), from Friday 11 to Tuesday 22 April

Australian Society of Miniature Art Pop-up Exhibition, St Ives Shopping Village (NSW), Monday 12 to Sunday 25 May

Until next month!

BANANA, ANYONE?

Did you hear the one about the banana, taped to a wall, titled ‘Comedian’ by its creator, artist Maurizio Cattalan, and then sold as a piece of art at a Sotheby’s auction in New York for a reported $9.6 million? But wait, there’s more! It was bought and subsequently eaten by a cryptocurrency entrepreneur called Justin Sun.

I don’t know about you, but when art stories like this surface, as they do from time to time, part of me thinks that if there’s someone willing to spend that amount of money on something so absurd, good on the artist. Seems to me the joke’s on the buyer. Mostly, however (and in this case in particular), my thoughts turn to all the good that could have been done – all the people who could have been helped – had Mr Sun instead donated his many millions to a good (or several good) causes.

The other interesting thing is wondering how much I might be paid were I to tape a banana to a wall, and the answer to that is immediate – nothing! Sotheby’s would not even take my call. And that, in a nutshell, tells us something about art and the ridiculous, inexplicable nature of human beings.

I can link that story in only one way to my current series of watercolours! The little landscapes I continue to enjoy creating (one of which is shown above) are painted in an area that is the shape of a gumleaf, and that gumleaf is roughly the length (and even more roughly the shape) of a banana!

Bananas aside, the year is up and running with the following …

Willoughby Art Centre’s Members’ Exhibition at Ewart Gallery, 33 Laurel St, Willoughby (NSW), on now until Saturday 18 January (closed Sundays)

HAS Volunteers’ Exhibition, Wallarobba, 25 Edgeworth David Avenue, Hornsby (NSW), from Tuesday 11 to Sunday 23 February (closed Mondays)

A4 Art Australia, Herring Island Gallery, Melbourne (Vic), from Saturday 1 March to Monday 21 April (check website for open dates), then online until Monday 30 June

The Village Kitchen, 83 Old Bells Line of Road, Kurrajong (NSW), Friday 11 April to Friday 16 May, 2025

Sydney Royal Easter Show, Sydney Olympic Park (NSW), from Friday 11 to Tuesday 22 April

Until next month!

WHO WOULD'VE THOUGHT?!

Our Christmas markets have now been and gone and, apart from some works hanging in exhibitions in Hornsby and Willoughby (details below), I’m done for 2024! With less than two weeks until Christmas, I feel I can take a breather and unwind a little before I start all over again in the new year.

Art aside, I’ve been telling people recently about my interest in the Australian version of ‘Top Gear’, which in turn has made me think about another couple of shows that have piqued my interest this year. These have no doubt come as much of a surprise to my friends as they have to me, because although I’ve believed for a very long time that we never really know anyone – not even those we’re closest to, not entirely – I was pretty sure I knew what I did and didn’t like!

The other two shows are on the radio. First is ‘The Continuous Call Team’, and second, ‘The Big Fish’. It’s fair to say I have very little interest in cars, football or fishing, and yet I’ve been going back again and again to listen to and watch each of these three shows. Without a doubt it’s all about the presenters: ‘Top Gear’ (Australia) is hosted by Jonathan LaPaglia (actor), Beau Ryan (footballer) and Blair Joscelyne (musician). They couldn’t be a more entertaining trio and it’s a joy watching the three of them and the way they interact.

‘The Continuous Call Team’ are on the radio during the football season and again, they’re just a magic mix of Aussie blokes who, in the time they’re on air before the game starts, talk about all sorts of non-sensical, spontaneous subjects. Their banter is great fun and I look forward to those afternoons when I can sit listening to them as I paint here in my studio.

Then there’s ‘The Big Fish’, on the radio early on a Saturday morning, so if I’m awake to hear it, it’s something I listen to in bed. Each week they talk to a man who goes by the name ‘Stinker’ (though having Googled him I see his real name is John Clarke). He has a uniquely lyrical and entertaining voice and seems to know everything there is to know about fish and fishing and, as a result, he hooks me (ha ha!) with his passion and that voice!

Reflecting on these shows, I think back to my school days and wonder how my enjoyment of those years could have been immeasurably greater had I been taught by teachers who could inject the same kind of passion and enthusiasm for their subjects as these radio and TV men do in theirs. That’s something I’ll never know, but it’s been an eye-opener to realise that there may be all sorts of things I could be more interested in, given the right delivery.

Anyway, as for those last couple of exhibitions for 2024 …

Christmas Exhibition and Sale, Wallarobba, 25 Edgeworth David Ave, Hornsby (NSW), on now until Sunday 22 December, 10am to 4pm (closed Mondays)

Christmas Show at Ewart Gallery, 33 Laurel St, Willoughby (NSW), on now until Saturday 18 January (closed Sundays)

Merry Christmas to you all.

Until next year!

WARATAH TOTES

Another year is fast disappearing, and with that comes much reflection on the year that was, as far as my art practice goes. I’ve just done the count and 2024 has been both busy and full, with my work appearing in 34 art shows. I’m looking forward to more of the same in 2025!

This year, however, I decided to take a break from my annual end-of-year Open Studio weekend, and instead will be taking part in a couple of markets, where a large range of gifts for Christmas (and beyond) will be available. Something new for me is the tote bag (pictured above), with one of my waratah paintings on it. These will be available at both events.

The first market, at The Cottage in Brooklyn, is on Sunday 1 December and I’ll be sharing a table with friend and glass artist Karina Vallins. The following weekend I’ll be setting up again with Karina, as well as our friend and ceramic artist Romanda Newman, with a pop-up store at Gallery 161 in Cromer. Please come and say hello!

Currently showing is the Northern Beaches Gallery’s Summer Art Prize, and then the final show for me for the year will be the Christmas Exhibition and Sale at Wallarobba, with the Hornsby Art Society.

Coming up …

Summer Art Prize at the Northern Beaches Gallery, 161 South Creek Road, Cromer (NSW), until Saturday 30 November

Christmas Markets at The Cottage, 10 Dangar Road, Brooklyn (NSW), Sunday 1 December from 10am to 3pm

Pop-up Christmas shop at Gallery 161, 161 South Creek Rd, Cromer (NSW), Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 December, 10am to 3pm

Christmas Exhibition and Sale, Wallarobba, 25 Edgeworth David Ave, Hornsby (NSW), from Tuesday 10 to Sunday 22 December, 10am to 4pm (closed Mondays)

Until next month.

SIX DEGREES

I came across some old emails the other day, and found one that was written as life was returning to normal, post-Covid. I’d sent a birthday message to someone I’d met in 2009, after a day at the theatre – a day that will forever be one of my life’s most memorable. I’d been to see a show called ‘Gatz’, which was essentially a performance/reading of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic, The Great Gatsby, in its entirety. It was the most extraordinary piece of theatre I’ve ever seen and, to cut a very long story short, soon after that, I met the man who had played Nick Carraway, the story’s narrator. Not only did I meet him, but I spent a fabulous day with him here in Sydney.

In response to my email, when I’d asked how things were in New York (‘Gatz’ was a production by an experimental theatre company – Elevator Repair Service – based in New York), I received the following from Scott Shepherd:

‘Theater in New York is only just beginning to come out of hibernation. I've seen a couple of in-person shows announced. Downtown I mean. Broadway's still closed until Sep 14. I'm in Oklahoma all summer with Martin Scorsese and the Osage Indians. Oklahoma's greener and lovelier than I thought it was going to be. I guess I was expecting a dustbowl. But it's all rolling bluestem-grass prairies and cattle and horses and bison.

‘Plus a lot of roadkill, possums and armadillos mostly, feasted on by buzzards. Nature!’

And I was reminded again why I love that wonderful concept of six degrees of separation. I’ve never received anything that even closely resembles the sentence, ‘I'm in Oklahoma all summer with Martin Scorsese and the Osage Indians’ (Scott was there filming ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’), and somehow over the past few years I’d forgotten all about it, but when I came across it the other day it made me think of the quote I have on my home page, by Gerald Murnane:

‘If you could fill each square on a calendar with a picture instead of a number, and if each picture could show clearly some event or landscape or recollection or dream that made each day memorable, then after a long time and from a great distance the hundreds of pictures might rearrange themselves to form surprising patterns.’

I lead a very ordinary life (which, for the most part, I consider a blessing), but there have been moments (both good and bad) that will always be highlights in my pictorial calendar. Those good memories help sustain us, the bad ones make us stronger – and hopefully wiser. 

None of that is reflective of the past month in my studio, but listed below you’ll see where my work is, or will be, showing. 

Lane Cove Art Awards, at Gallery Lane Cove, 164 Longueville Rd, Lane Cove (NSW), until Sunday 6 October

NBAS Annual Awards Exhibition, at The Creative Space, 105 Abbott Rd, Curl Curl (NSW), until Sunday 13 October

DAS Members’ 60th Exhibition, at Drummoyne Civic Hall, cnr Lyons Rd and Marlborough St, Drummoyne (NSW), from Friday 4 to Sunday 13 October

CASS ‘Art at the Royal’, at the Royal Art Society of NSW, 25–27 Walker St, Lavender Bay (NSW), from Friday 11 to Sunday 27 October

KAS Spring Exhibition, at The Gallery, St Ives Shopping Village, St Ives (NSW), from Monday 14 to Sunday 27 October

Until next month.

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

Last month I mentioned a new series I’ve been working on – something I didn’t plan to talk about or show anything of for a while yet, but who’s to say I can’t change my mind! The picture above offers a preview. If you’ve read the little piece on my biography page, you’ll know that my watercolour adventures began with a photo in a newspaper. And although I painted that picture long ago, this is another version. The catalyst? An exhibition I have lined up for the latter part of 2025! Yes, it’s a long way off, and it’s very exciting news, but any more than that will have to wait.

Also exciting is that I am a finalist in the Lane Cove Art Awards, coming up very soon at Gallery Lane Cove. There’s so much happening over the next couple of months, and so no shortage of things to be done. If you’re out and about, celebrating the end of winter and enjoying these beautiful spring days we’re having, here are some exhibitions where you’ll see my work and that of many others!

Coming up …

ASMA ‘Small Matters’ Exhibition, at Grace Cossington Smith Gallery, Abbotsleigh, Gate 7, 1666 Pacific Hwy, Wahroonga (NSW), from Thursday 5 to Saturday 28 September

Lindfield Art Show and Fair, at Mary McKillop Hall, Holy Family Catholic Primary School, Highfield Rd, Lindfield (NSW), from Friday 6 to Sunday 8 September

Ewart Art Prize, at the Willoughby Arts Centre, 33 Laurel St, Willoughby (NSW), from Saturday 14 to Saturday 28 September

Lane Cove Art Awards, at Gallery Lane Cove, 164 Longueville Rd, Lane Cove (NSW), from Wednesday 18 September to Sunday 6 October

NBAS Annual Awards Exhibition, at The Creative Space, 105 Abbott Rd, Curl Curl (NSW), from Tuesday 1 to Sunday 13 October

DAS Members’ 60th Exhibition, at Drummoyne Civic Hall, cnr Lyons Rd and Marlborough St, Drummoyne (NSW), from Friday 4 to Sunday 13 October

CASS ‘Art at the Royal’, at the Royal Art Society of NSW, 25–27 Walker St, Lavender Bay (NSW), from Friday 11 to Sunday 27 October

Until next month.

REVISITING JAPAN

I’ve been wondering what I might write in this month’s entry – sometimes ideas come so easily and other times, well, I’m stumped! But I’ve just glanced at a little painting here on my desk (pictured above) – it’s sitting there waiting to be turned into a card for an old family friend who will be turning 80 tomorrow, and who will be celebrating that birthday next weekend. What do you give someone when they turn 80? It’s not the first time I’ve asked myself this, and so on this occasion I turned to his sister. She didn’t hesitate to suggest a card – a card made with one of my paintings. This is, of course, something I should have thought of myself, as I have been planning to make a supply of cards for some time. Like so many things, however, I just haven’t got round to it.

I chose this painting because the recipient has enjoyed many wonderful holidays in Japan and so I know it will be of some significance to him – and that’s what we aim for, right? It’s a little painting from my ‘Postcards from Lockdown’ series – a return visit for me to Japan, from my studio during that lockdown period (and doesn’t that seem like a lifetime ago).

Apart from that I’ve been keeping busy on a new series of works – details of which I will be keeping under wraps for some time yet. Suffice to say I’m really enjoying them and at this stage see no end in sight!

As well, the opportunities for exhibiting continue, and at the moment, my work can be seen (or is about to be seen) at the following:

‘Small Packages’, at Sherbrooke Art Gallery, 62 Monbulk Rd, Belgrave (Vic), from Saturday 3 to Saturday 24 August

Breakfast Point Art Show, at Breakfast Point Community Hall, 50 Village Dr, Breakfast Point (NSW), Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 August

‘A Celebration of 60 Years’ (HAS Spring exhibition), at Wallarobba, 25 Edgeworth David Ave, Hornsby (NSW), from Tuesday 20 August to Sunday 1 September

ASMA ‘Small Matters’ Exhibition, at Grace Cossington Smith Gallery, Abbotsleigh, Gate 7, 1666 Pacific Hwy, Wahroonga (NSW), from Thursday 5 to Saturday 28 September

Lindfield Art Show and Fair, at Mary McKillop Hall, Holy Family Catholic Primary School, Highfield Rd, Lindfield (NSW), from Friday 6 to Sunday 8 September

Ewart Art Prize, at the Willoughby Arts Centre, 33 Laurel St, Willoughby (NSW), from Saturday 14 to Saturday 28 September

Until next month.

THERE’S SO MUCH MORE TO IT THAN JUST THE FUN BIT

This was one of the fun bits! This picture shows a tiny leaf I picked up many years ago and kept, thinking one day I’d find a use for it. Now not much more than a skeleton, and painted gold, it forms part (the central part) of a little collection of miniature paintings I did after my few days in Blackheath back in May.

Today, however, I’ve packed up a few miniature paintings to send down to Victoria, for an exhibition at the Sherbrooke Art Gallery. When I started this full-time painting gig, I was ignorant of all there is to do, apart from actually painting! But then I imagine it’s the same whatever our day jobs are – the fun bits are only part of it. In fairness, I didn’t know how my art practice would unfold, and despite all that has to be done, I do enjoy it – all of it.

Yesterday I submitted entries for another three shows, which brings the total to 26 so far this year (about one each week on average). And to give you an idea, with each one there are forms to fill out, photos to be taken, measurements to make, sale prices to be decided, sometimes a trip to the framer (and back again for pick-up). And speaking of pick-up, the exhibitions I take part in that are within a couple of hours of home mean I’m not using Australia Post, but I’m dropping the works off in person, and then (for those that don’t sell) picking them up again.

There are dates to keep track of (closing dates as well as those drop-off and pick-up dates), payments to be made, files to be corrected so they adhere to the particular competition’s Terms and Conditions (because although all these Terms and Conditions are similar, they are all unique, and so must be read carefully and adhered to exactly; when you’re as technically inept as I am, this can be a mind-numbing challenge). When it comes time to prepare the painting itself (and if it isn’t one for the framer), it means I have some reframing to do, labels to make, glass to clean … the list goes on, and on, and the time keeps ticking away.

This is why being accepted in art competitions is always exciting (there are so many of us out there trying for the same shows), and selling is even more exciting!

For now, my work will be showing at the following:

ASMA Awards Exhibition, at Willoughby Arts Centre, 33 Laurel Street, Willoughby (NSW), from Friday 12 to Sunday 28 July

Rotary Club of Upper Northern Beaches Art Show, at Mona Vale Memorial Hall, 1 Park St, Mona Vale (NSW), from Friday 19 to Sunday 21 July

KAS Awards Exhibition, St Ives Shopping Village (NSW), from Monday 22 July to Sunday 4 August

Singleton Art Prize, at Singleton Civic Centre, Queen Street, Singleton (NSW), from Saturday 27 to Tuesday 30 July

‘Small Packages’, at Sherbrooke Art Gallery, 62 Monbulk Rd, Belgrave (Vic), from Saturday 3 to Saturday 24 August

Breakfast Point Art Show, at Breakfast Point Community Hall, 50 Village Dr, Breakfast Point (NSW), Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 August

ASMA ‘Small Matters’ Exhibition, at Grace Cossington Smith Gallery, Abbotsleigh, Gate 7, 1666 Pacific Hwy, Wahroonga (NSW), from Thursday 5 to Saturday 28 September

Lindfield Art Show and Fair, at Mary McKillop Hall, Holy Family Catholic Primary School, Highfield Rd, Lindfield (NSW) , from Friday 6 to Sunday 8 September

Until next month.

JUNE GLOOM

My sister-in-law mentioned the term ‘June gloom’ the other day, and it’s a term that springs to mind as I write. For those in Southern California, it’s a weather pattern that means overcast days and cool temperatures, as they head from spring into summer. But it could just as easily be describing Sydney, as we leave autumn behind and brace for winter, particularly on a day like today. But these are good days to stay here in my studio with a rug on my lap and paint! They’re also good days to meet with friends for lunch! The wonderful ladies I used to spend Thursday mornings painting with each week now instead meet once each month for lunch, and it’s something I always look forward to and enjoy. And it’s today.

As far as painting news goes …

I was thrilled to be one of only 16 members from the Hornsby Art Society to have a painting (one of my Waratahs, pictured above) selected for the Hornsby Westfield exhibition. This is in celebration of Global Wellness Day, with the exhibition running for a couple of weeks. The paintings are on display just along from Berkelouw Books, overlooking the fabulous fountain, so it’s a perfect reason to head to Hornsby, grab a coffee (and cake!), enjoy the artworks and do some browsing in the bookstore!

Happening now, or soon …

Westfield Shopping Centre Exhibition, Hornsby (NSW) (on the Link Bridge between the two buildings, overlooking the fountain, and just outside Berkelouw Books), until Sunday 16 June  

A4 Art Australia, continuing online until Sunday 30 June, having been at the Herring Island Gallery, Melbourne (Vic)

Hornsby Art Society’s Members’ Exhibition, at Wallarobba, 25 Edgeworth David Ave, Hornsby (NSW), from Tuesday 18 to Sunday 30 June

ASMA Awards Exhibition, at Willoughby Arts Centre, 33 Laurel Street, Willoughby (NSW), from Friday 12 to Sunday 28 July

Rotary Club of Upper Northern Beaches Art Show, at Mona Vale Memorial Hall, 1 Park St, Mona Vale (NSW), from Friday 19 to Sunday 21 July

Singleton Art Prize, at Singleton Civic Centre, Queen Street, Singleton (NSW), from Saturday 27 to Tuesday 30 July

ASMA ‘Small Matters’ Exhibition, at Grace Cossington Smith Gallery, Abbotsleigh, Gate 7, 1666 Pacific Hwy, Wahroonga (NSW), from Thursday 5 to Saturday 28 September

Lindfield Art Show and Fair, at Mary McKillop Hall, Holy Family Catholic Primary School, Highfield Rd, Lindfield (NSW) , from Friday 6 to Sunday 8 September

Until next month.

AUTUMN ESCAPE

It’s the first day for a couple of weeks that the sun is shining here in Sydney. It’s tried to peek through a few times this month, but with very little success. As a dog owner, I don’t enjoy the rainy weather (particularly when it’s cold as well), so today both my dog and I are grateful for the blue sky, and the warmth coming from that sunshine.

I’ve just returned from a few days in the beautiful Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, and despite it also being overcast and a little dreary, it’s somehow different out there. Not only is it more or less expected, but it seems to add to the whole mountain-getaway experience. It’s atmospheric rather than depressing!

I stayed at a gorgeous place in Blackheath – the photo above is one I took from inside the car as I was leaving to come home! But it was such a nice little escape. The colours of autumn were so beautiful, despite thinking I might have missed the best of them. That said, I was too late for the golden poplars.

So I feel as though I had a triple dose of The Wednesday Project last week, and have arrived home inspired and ready to paint from across the Great Divide. For now though, there are always exhibitions to enter and so I’ve been getting myself organised for a few of those coming up. Read on …

A4 Art Australia, continuing online until Sunday 30 June, having been at the Herring Island Gallery, Melbourne (Vic)

Hornsby Art Society’s Members’ Exhibition, at Wallarobba, 25 Edgeworth David Ave, Hornsby (NSW), from Tuesday 18 to Sunday 30 June

Rotary Club of Upper Northern Beaches Art Show, at Mona Vale Memorial Hall, 1 Park St, Mona Vale (NSW), from Friday 19 to Sunday 21 July

Lindfield Art Show and Fair, at the Mary McKillop Hall, Holy Family Catholic Primary School, Highfield Rd, Lindfield (NSW) , from Friday 6 to Sunday 8 September

Until next month.

IT’S A WRAP

Another Easter Show has now been and gone, summer is but a memory (I had my last swim of the season a few days ago), and this weekend the clocks go back again. These things that come and go from one year to the next really bring to mind how fast the years go by. It’s the in-between seasons that are certainly my favourite – the gorgeous colours that come with autumn, and the beautiful new growth that appears during spring; and of course the temperatures are generally more moderate than during summer and winter. The one thing I don’t like about autumn, however, is that it means winter is just around the corner. And yet at the same time I know that it too will pass relatively swiftly and the warmer weather will be with us again in no time!

Most recently I’ve been painting a little series from my visit up to Norah Head Lighthouse some weeks ago. With no other visitors when I arrived there, I was taken on my own private tour with a lovely volunteer guide by the name of Terry, who mentioned the lighthouse had been freshly painted only about six months earlier. I’d been lucky to be there on a day when there wasn’t a blemish in the sky, and as we stepped out onto the platform part-way up the lighthouse, we could have been looking out across the Mediterranean from Santorini! The lighthouse’s stark-white feature domes against the cobalt sky and turquoise waters were far more beautiful than I could ever have anticipated. Added to that, a subtle rope motif had been painted on the platform at the edges of the domes and the doorway – a small and simple addition and yet it really gave an exquisite finish to this breathtaking moment. Without doubt my paintings won’t live up to the beauty I was able to capture in my photos, or indeed the real thing, but I had to at least give it a try!

A handful of these lighthouse paintings are ear-marked for an exhibition the Australian Society of Miniature Art will be holding at the Grace Cossington-Smith Gallery later in the year. That same society is currently holding an exhibition at Yapang – the Museum of Art and Culture in Lake Macquarie (although it will be ending tomorrow). I visited the gallery a couple of weeks ago and was so impressed with how the exhibition had been curated – it looked fantastic – and, as always, the quality of the work that so many artists are capable of doing on such a small scale! I was especially excited to see that all three of my pieces there (three miniature Gymea Lilies) had sold, and I thank those people who had liked them enough to buy them!

Yesterday I collected the paintings I’d submitted to this year’s Easter Show that had not sold. I was really thrilled to know that four of the seven works I had for sale had sold, and also that the one piece I’d entered ‘NFS’ had won an award. That’s Izzi above, with her ribbon!

Coming up, or showing now …

‘Anthophilia’ at Marie-France, Philip Mall, Kendall Street, West Pymble (NSW) until Saturday 27 April

ASMA’s ‘A Closer Look’ at the Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie, First St, Booragul (NSW), until Sunday 7 April

Art@TheRowers at Mosman Rowers, 3 Centenary Drive, Moman (NSW), from Saturday 6 to Friday 19 April

‘artXtra!’ at Gallery Lane Cove, 164 Longueville Road, Lane Cove (NSW) from Tuesday 9 to Saturday 20 April

Drummoyne Art Society’s Annual Open Art Awards at the Drummoyne Civic Hall, cnr Lyons Rd and Marlborough St, Drummoyne (NSW), from Friday 19 to Sunday 28 April

A4 Art Australia, now online until Sunday 30 June, having been at the Herring Island Gallery, Melbourne (Vic)

Until next month.

A WOMAN IN ART

Since last month I’ve received a couple of good bits of art news – the first was that one of my Waratahs (pictured above), from my Anthophilia series, was accepted as part of the ‘Women in Art’ exhibition at the AAD Gallery (in collaboration with Shazia Imran Gallery) in Sydney’s historic Rocks. The gallery itself is in one of The Rocks’ most noted heritage sites – the Old Coroner’s Court (look for the beautiful old red phone box outside!), and the exhibition will be a collection of 21 pieces of art, all created by emerging or established female artists, to celebrate International Women’s Day. Just a short walk from Circular Quay Station, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Overseas Passenger Terminal, and with The Rocks being such a favourite for visitors and Sydney locals alike, I hope you might be able to head in while the exhibition is showing (8–22 March). If you do, and you’re partial to a delicious French pastry (as I am), I would recommend La Renaissance in Argyle Street!

The other bit of news was the Hangers Award, which I received from the team of hangers at Wallarobba, where the Hornsby Art Society was hosting their annual Volunteers’ Exhibition. This award was for a miniature (Capertee Valley), which I’d done for my series ‘From Parkes to Paris’.

For now, I’m preparing for my next show at Marie-France, which will be a number of the paintings from ‘Anthophilia’ (details below).

Coming up, or showing now …

A4 Art Australia at the Herring Island Gallery, Melbourne (Vic), from Saturday 2 March to Monday 1 April, then online until Sunday 30 June

ASMA’s ‘A Closer Look’ at the Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie, First St, Booragul (NSW), until Sunday 7 April

Women in Art at the AAD Gallery/ Shazia Imran Gallery, 104 George St, The Rocks, Sydney, from Friday 8 to Friday 22 March (open 7 days from 10am–5pm)

KAS Autumn Exhibition at the St Ives Shopping Village, St Ives (NSW), from Monday 11 to Sunday 24 March

Sydney Royal Easter Show at Sydney Olympic Park (NSW), from Friday 22 March to Tuesday 2 April

Northern Beaches Art Society’s Autumn Exhibition at the Tramshed, 1395A Pittwater Rd, Narrabeen (NSW), from Thursday 28 March to Tuesday 2 April

Magenta Art Prize at the Australian Inland Botanic Gardens, Buronga (NSW), from Friday 29 March to Monday 1 April

‘Anthophilia’ at Marie-France, Philip Mall, Kendall Street, West Pymble (NSW) from Tuesday 2 to Saturday 27 April

Art@TheRowers at Mosman Rowers, 3 Centenary Drive, Moman (NSW), from Saturday 6 to Friday 19 April

Until next month.

KANDINSKY, BANKSY AND LOST IN PALM SPRINGSKY!

Okay, so that last one was actually ‘Lost in Palm Springs’, but ‘Palm Springsky’ gives my heading a fun twist! And it was a fun exhibition – 14 different artists (from both Australia and the US) offering up their own interpretations of the Californian desert town. One of the artists whose work I particularly loved (Rosi Griffin) is holding a workshop at the Manly Art Gallery next week and I’m excited to say that I’ll be there!

The Kandinsky exhibition was good to see, but abstract art just doesn’t do it for me. I suspect I lack the depth to understand it, and don’t have the patience to try. I did love Louise Bourgeois’ Maman at the entrance to the Art Gallery (pictured above), and the Banksy exhibition was both interesting and disturbing. Seeing things where we’re not expecting to see them can be unexpectedly confronting. But no doubt that’s part of Banksy’s success.

I was really pleased to learn that I made the finalists in Art@TheRowers (at Mosman Rowers, in Sydney), but that’s just one of many exhibitions coming up. My art year is certainly well underway! First up, opening today, is the Australian Society of Miniature Art’s exhibition ‘A Closer Look’ up in Lake Macquarie. But here’s more, if you’re looking to get out this month to see some art for yourself.

Coming up …

ASMA’s ‘A Closer Look’ at the Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie, First St, Booragul (NSW), from Saturday 10 February to Sunday 7 April

HAS Volunteers’ Exhibition at Wallarobba, 25 Edgeworth David Ave, Hornsby (NSW), from Tuesday 20 February to Sunday 3 March

A4 Art Australia at the Herring Island Gallery, Melbourne (Vic), from Saturday 2 March to Monday 1 April, then online until Sunday 30 June

KAS Autumn Exhibition at the St Ives Shopping Village, St Ives (NSW), from Monday 11 March to Sunday 24 March

Sydney Royal Easter Show at Sydney Olympic Park (NSW), from Friday 22 March to Tuesday 2 April

Northern Beaches Art Society’s Autumn Exhibition at the Tramshed, 1395A Pittwater Rd, Narrabeen (NSW), from Thursday 28 March to Tuesday 2 April

Art@TheRowers at Mosman Rowers, 3 Centenary Drive, Moman (NSW), from Saturday 6 to Friday 19 April

Until next month.

TWENTY TWENTY-FOUR

Already! Time is such a strange concept. It seems almost impossible that we’ve clocked off and farewelled yet another year, and yet if I (and I’m sure you) stopped to think about the year just passed, and all we enjoyed, accomplished (and maybe even survived), it doesn’t seem that strange after all. Before Christmas, I caught up with a few friends I’d been at teachers’ college with, back in the early 1980s. After we’d finished our studies we all went our separate ways, seeing less of each other as the years went on until (for me at least) I saw nothing of any of them after those first few years out of college. There’s no way we could ever fill each other in on everything that had happened in our lives during those forty years, and yet being with them again was as easy as it ever had been.

One constant across these past few years, however, has been my painting - something I see continuing for a long while yet. Despite having avoided flowers as much as I have since I started painting many years ago, I’m enjoying my series ‘Anthophilia’ immensely. I put this down to the particular flowers I’m choosing to paint - the ones that display a definite boldness and drama.

A bit like our native birdlife (in that their song is often not the lovely melodic sound we might associate with the word ‘birdsong’ – think the kookaburra’s laugh, or the screeching of our cockatoos), our native flowers can be striking and dramatic rather than soft and pretty, and it’s these flowers I’m particularly drawn to. I started with the wonderful Gymea Lily, and then painted our Waratah. Then, moving off course a little, I painted a series within the series - our State and Territory floral emblems (above, the Red and Green Kangaroo Paw from Western Australia). And now (just because I absolutely love them), I’m working on flannel flowers.

As the new year has begun, so too have the year’s entries to some art shows and exhibitions. If you’re out and about (or looking for something special at an excellent price online), the following might be of interest.

On now, and coming up …

The Combined Art Societies of Sydney (CASS) Online Summer Sale, until Wednesday 31 January

ASMA’s ‘A Closer Look’ at the Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie, First St, Booragul (NSW), from Saturday 10 February to Sunday 7 April

HAS Volunteers’ Exhibition at Wallarobba, 25 Edgeworth David Ave, Hornsby (NSW), from Tuesday 20 February to Sunday 3 March

Sydney Royal Easter Show at Sydney Olympic Park (NSW), from Friday 22 March to Tuesday 2 April

Until next month.

CHRISTMAS IN SYDNEY

When my brothers and I were children, and Mum wanted to go to town to do some shopping, she’d drive us all in, park in The Domain, then we’d walk (or maybe then we had the enthusiasm to run!) along the moving footway, emerge in Hyde Park and head to David Jones. This was especially good in the lead-up to Christmas because we’d be able to see the famous window displays at DJs. Even better than that, however, was the stop she made on the way home (at a corner store called the Stud Burger Bar) where she’d buy us all hamburgers to eat when we arrived home.

As we all got a little older, and understood that teenage boys/young men would rather do just about anything than have to go shopping with their mother and sister, it was just Mum and me and, rather than heading into town, we started going instead to Warringah Mall, on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. The Mall was a relatively modest centre back then; it was never difficult to find a parking spot in what was at the time just a small area of outdoor parking, and it was easy to wander around the entire mall, accumulating gifts, stopping for morning tea or lunch somewhere along the way.

Older still, and for some reason (perhaps because Warringah Mall became so huge) we would return to the city – to Sydney’s CBD. We’d catch the train in, spend most of our time in the shops of the QVB and the Strand Arcade, and really enjoy seeing the city and the shops decorated for Christmas. And again, lunch or morning tea somewhere nice was as important as any shopping would have been.

Since Mum died some years ago, I’ve continued that tradition most years, taking myself into the city by train and wandering the same paths she and I walked together for so many years. It’s not the same without her, and as always I had those really sad moments when I wondered why I was doing it, but I still love the lead-up to Christmas – the decorations, the easy excuse to do a little unnecessary shopping, and the whole festive atmosphere.

So although I had a different journal entry prepared for this month, when I was looking for a picture to include above, I decided on this one I took in Martin Place last week (a combined ‘Wednesday Project’ and ‘day-in-the-city-before-Christmas’ day out), and as I got to thinking about those days out with my mum, it seemed only natural to write more of a Christmas-themed piece than the piece I had ready to go.

Of course all of this stems back to my painting, an ongoing joy, so if you have the time to take in a little art this festive season, here’s what I’m involved in right now (or will be very soon) …

Inner Wheel Charity Art Sale, Gallery 109, 109 Sydney Rd, Manly (NSW), from Wednesday 13 to Sunday 17 December

HAS Christmas Exhibition/Sale, Wallarobba, 25 Edgeworth David Avenue, Hornsby (NSW) until Sunday 17 December

The Combined Art Societies of Sydney (CASS) Online Summer Sale, from Friday 1 December 2023 to Wednesday 31 January 2024

ASMA’s ‘A Closer Look’ at the Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie, First St, Booragul (NSW), from Saturday 10 February to Sunday 7 April

Until next month.

ANTHOPHILIA

‘The problem with being with a commercial gallery, Stephen told us, is that they want consistency in your work, not variety. It can kill creativity.’

That’s a quote from the September 2019 newsletter of the Ku-ring-gai Art Society, and the Stephen they refer to was Stephen Hall, the artist who was demonstrating at one of their monthly meetings. What he said really resonated with me, because it seems that so often, artists who have made it (and by that I mean they have gallery representation) continue to produce work that never seems to change very much.

I was at an exhibition last week and was speaking to a man who, with his wife, buys paintings for their home simply because they like them. He said how really weird it is that an artist who is recognised in the art world could produce a piece almost identical to that of another artist – one no-one has ever heard of – and yet because one has a name and the other doesn’t, the prices of the two pieces can be vastly different.

That’s the art world!

I have recently painted a piece that was very different in both style and subject matter to the works I usually do. I didn’t set out to create something different – it just happened – but it has motivated me to continue, to paint an ongoing series which I am calling ‘Anthophilia’. Anthophilia is the love of flowers, from the Greek ‘anthos’ which means flower, and ‘philia’, or love. That first painting was a Gymea Lily, one of our most striking (and tall) native flowering plants, which have been looking so amazing these past couple of months.

So there is to be a new page in my Gallery – Anthophilia – and like the flowers I will be painting, the series itself will grow as time passes.

In the meantime, I’ve been painting quite a few pet portraits, which is something I’m really enjoying. And my ‘Wednesday Project’ continues, although other aspects of my art practice are slowing down as the year slips away. If you’re looking to get out to see some art, however, The Northern Beaches Gallery’s ‘Summer Exhibition’ is now open, or if you’re wanting to stay in and shop online, CASS (the Combined Art Societies of Sydney) is holding an Online Summer Sale throughout December and January. And don’t forget, my studio will be open across the last weekend this month, when I’ll be here with Kanak Kiran and Dee Jackson, displaying and selling some of our works. Details below.

Coming up …

‘Summer Exhibition Art Prize’ at the Northern Beaches Gallery, 161 South Creek Rd, Cromer, NSW, until Thursday 30 November

Open Studio, Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 November

CASS Online Summer Sale, from Friday 1 December 2023 to Wednesday 31 January 2024

Until next month.