MANLY ART SHOW

I have been given the use of an extraordinary space to display artwork.. on a jetty.. over the waters of Moreton Bay in Manly! Here is the poster with the info. I’ll be there in person on Sundays doing some live art and answering questions from 9:30am to 3:00pm. Come for a view and a chat and then stay on to enjoy the sea breezes over a drink and some great foo at the Tide Wine Bar which is right next door.

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BRISBANE MORNING PAINTS WELL

There's no doubt that we under appreciate how attractive our city of Brisbane really is with it's sub-tropical river setting. So here's another painting of mine from my 'River City Art Series', titled "Brisbane Morning". Early morning from the Kangaroo Point cliffs, where I loved the way the rising sun sparkled on the high rise towers. Enjoy.

MERLA'S PRINT HAND-OVER

This is Merla who is looking happy with her purchase of the pastel 'Red-tailed Black Cockatoo' which has now been made rather famous as it is the piece produced in the recent FB time lapse video I posted a few weeks back. At last count the video has been viewed over 3500 times. It would certainly make for a different conversation piece when you can say to visitors that you can actually see this very artwork being created before your eyes.

PEEWEE HOMESTEAD

I enjoy painting the old Queenslanders, here's another titled "Peewee Homestead". It use to exist 10 minutes out from Boonah on the Ipswich Boonah Road, as I use to drive past it regularly on the way to my favourite bushwalking haunts. Here, the female Peewee is wooing the male [ he's the one with the distinctive white eyebrow ] through the splintered fence, drawing the viewers eye through to the rusted old building slumped in a classic rural Australian landscape.

FROM A YOUNGER ME

Who is this young boy?. A photo to give you an idea of how long I've been playing the role of "Artist". Myself in our first house, an old Queenslander Carrol and I had removed and slowly renovated [ ahh, the energy of youth ]. I'm pictured here with my studio assistant, Scotty, a short billed Corella, who was pretty good company for me, until babies came along and got way too jealous. We found another home for Scotty.[ He wasn't much of an assistant anyway.....kept chewing up my paint brushes! ]

A CALM MOORING

Having been brought up near the waterfront in the Bayside area, I regularly enjoy painting pelicans. Here's another titled "Calm Mooring". Looking at this painting you can almost feel yourself starting to relax. Enjoy.

THE ART EXTRAVAGANZA AT CLEVELAND STATE SCHOOL

Here's a bit of a community post. One of my art students, the energetic Cathy [ dressed as the bearded lady in the pic ] is the Art's Coordinator at Cleveland State School. She recently asked me to be the judge of the students artwork that is on display as part of their biannual Art Extravaganza which had a circus theme titled 'The Greatest Showcase'. It's certainly no chore presenting prizes and awards to delighted children, but I also find it interesting how natural talents can be very apparent, even in the very young.


WATCH IT COME TOGETHER

Be there with me and watch it come together. Before your very eyes, I produce a striking pastel portrait of one of my favorite Australian birds. A time-lapse video so you can see just how I do it. Contact me if you are interested in this original or similar.

AUSTRALIAN ARTIST MAGAZINE

Watercolor Wedge-tail Eagle Head Study. There's a lovely story that goes with this artwork, and that is the juvenile eagle depicted was injured and was taken to Currumbin Bird Sanctuary to be cared for. I then heard sometime later it was going to be released from Canyon Lookout, Springbrook National Park, and thought I'd like to witness that. So after a time of getting up close and personal with this magnificent raptor, it was then very moving to watch it being released and soar into the wild from the lookout. A simple head study but I was delighted when the magazine "Australian Artist" decided to use it as the cover image for an edition where they featured wildlife art. They did a six page article on my art which I may put in a post at a later date.

ONE GIANT LEAP

This is a post for you to share with all the frog lovers out there. A painting of mine titled "One Giant Leap" is of a 'White-lipped tree frog', also known as the giant tree frog, and is the largest tree frog in the world [ grows up to 14cm long ] and is native to northern Queensland. I came across this fellow when I was in the outskirts of Cairns, one night on my way to the backyard dunny of the house I was staying [ no he wasn't in the toilet....other frogs were though! 😳 ] and spied him about to have his evening dinner, see if you can see them.......some unsuspecting green ants.🐸🐜🐜🐜🐜

A SOARING SEA EAGLE

A landscape painting depicting memories of a magical day spent on Moreton Bay. Perfect glassy water conditions to make the boat journey across to Moreton Island where we climbed the sand dunes to enjoy the view back to the mainland. And as you often see cruising the coastline , a soaring Sea Eagle becomes my focal subject matter.

MY LARGEST CANVAS PAINTING EVER

I'm still very happy with this recent commission "Nightfall", which portrays the twilight view of the Kookaburra Showboat Cruises and the Story Bridge from George's Paragon Seafood Brisbane. I even organised a film crew to interview me in front of where the original now hangs, to share the story of how it all came together. If you like this one please share and leave a comment below. This print and more available in the shop.

ATTACK OF THE PEEWEE

The subject matter of old houses and wildlife combine for this painting titled "Window Reflections". An old double-hung window with it's galvanised iron window hood that is unique to the Australian weatherboard house. The focal point is the male PeeWee attacking its own reflection [ see detail pic ].

Love the old Queenslanders with the challenge for the artist to convey the effects of time with the cracked timbers and peeling paint. It's during the breeding season that the male PeeWee [ Australian Magpie-Lark ] becomes aggressive and sometimes attacks it's own reflection in windows in an attempt to scare off the apparent intruder.

CYCLING UPOLU

Back to posting on my artist page. Last month I was away on holidays cycling around the island of Upolu, Samoa. A great way to experience the country and its people. But being an energetic trip and we had to pack light, I didn't pack my sketchbook and pencils. But I do enjoy my photography, and some of those images you bring home are too irresistible not to do some art from them. Here's a sample - of some of the local kids we met.

A great way to truly experience Samoa. From the jungled mountain passes [see pic] down to the dreamy coastal beaches. I'm standing on Lalomanu Beach which Lonely Planet rates as one of the top 10 beaches in the world. As we cycled through the villages, it was often to this chorus of 'Hello' and lots of 'Bye Byes' , and the occasional high five from the children. A brother and sister inlaw and eight other friends made up our cycling group for what turned out to be a special holiday. Stay tuned for other art pieces from the trip.

THE TEA PARTY

Sharing with you a painting from the past when I like to give myself 'the detail' challenge. Really it's a portrait piece of my niece having a tea party in our back yard. The stitching of the rag doll, the sunlight catching a curl of blonde hair, no detail was too difficult, mind you, these were the days when I didn't need glasses!. Please enjoy the "Bush Tea Party".

THE ABORIGINAL DANCE

Years ago while visiting Cairns, a worthwhile attraction to see is the 'Tjapukai Aboriginal Dance Theatre'. Part of the presentation includes the traditional 'Brolga','Cassowary' and the 'Kangaroo' dances. Afterward, I got one of the dancers to model for me with the idea of doing a series of art pieces showing the dancer along side the animal he is mimicking. The results were these simple charcoal sketches combining the human form and my usual wildlife subject matter. I have often thought about developing this idea into full colour paintings..... so I would be interested to hear from you out there as to whether this would be something you would like to see? Feel free to comment.