Every sketch a story

Australia is a land of birds. They are numerous and diverse, with almost half of them being found nowhere else on Earth. I could easily spend a year just painting and describing my own personal encounters with different birds, but I'll keep it to a two page spread for brevity: Left page, top left. My … Continue reading Every sketch a story

Draw, paint, repeat

It would make sense to me to fill a whole sketchbook with sketches and paintings of giraffes - I just love their ears and lumpy faces, their earthy tones and big dark eyes. Drawing them gives me joy, but I also love illustrating many other subjects, and besides, this homemade watercolour sketchbook is for all … Continue reading Draw, paint, repeat

Crikey . . .

Last year in September the authorities in South-east Queensland, where I live, told us to prepare for water restrictions, as previous wet seasons had failed and the dam levels were getting low (under 50% for our largest dam). Two months later, the Bureau of Meteorology predicted a wet summer and Australia recorded its wettest November … Continue reading Crikey . . .

Every day is tree day

I once worked for a bush regeneration project in which I planted thousands of Australian native trees over the course of about six months. Despite the stinking heat and creature-invested dirt (including some rather deadly spiders and snakes), I loved every minute. I'll never get tired of trees. I love looking at them, being near … Continue reading Every day is tree day

Mindful doodling: Am I doing it right?

In keeping with my 2022 Intentions poster I've been putting my pens and pencils to good use and filling a sketchbook with art for fun. Ok, so these aren't exactly absent-minded scribbles, but they aren't showpieces either. This is as close to doodling as I've been able to get. It's really hard to create art … Continue reading Mindful doodling: Am I doing it right?

Challenges of nature journaling

One of the challenges of any nature journaling for the purposes of learning is finding a balance between enjoyment and enlightenment. So far I'm achieving both, but not without some conscious decision-making. This has not been a passive sketching project. There are thousands of species of ferns, from many different groups - many I've never … Continue reading Challenges of nature journaling

Ferns: a continuation of a visual journal

I have an appreciation for the diversity and charm of ferns, but I'm not a botanist, so defining their form isn't always easy - understanding their taxonomy and phylogeny even less so, but that matters less to me than the act of journaling. My homage to ferns is mostly meditative, and it is lovely to … Continue reading Ferns: a continuation of a visual journal

More bovines, plus some wonderfully weird goats

Living bovines (from the family Bovidae, subfamily Bovinae) come in many shapes and sizes. Some of them could be mistaken for antelopes, which occupy a seperate subfamily (Antilopinae) within Bovidae. From musk ox to ibex and barbery sheep, members of the subfamily Caprinae, on the other hand, are unmistakable and just a bit more difficult … Continue reading More bovines, plus some wonderfully weird goats

Bovine appreciation

I have been busy with painting doors and walls, and making concoctions on with a newly installed cooker so there hasn't been a lot of time for art. Nevertheless, I managed to find a little time at night for journaling; I decided to draw something simple, but enjoyable - sketches of bovine heads in coloured … Continue reading Bovine appreciation

What tinnitus tastes like

I produce a lot of monochromatic (sometimes two-hued) artwork, such as in the top three recent entries in various sketchbooks. Mostly, I think this is just aesthetic preference, with a side order of apprehension over colour-coordination. I have always had an unusual relationship with colour, mostly because what makes sense to others doesn't necessarily make … Continue reading What tinnitus tastes like