Jervis Bay

A few months have passed since my last blog, in which I've been very active! I will concentrate this
blog on a week I spent in Jervis Bay on the south coast of New South Wales with my brother Alan. The bay formed 11,000 years ago after the last ice age, so the traditional owners, The Jerringa People would have witnessed the event, as they have had a presence in the area for 20,000 years!

Moona Moona Creek Jervis Bay

I attended a Plein Air course conducted by Alasdair McGregor. Alasdair demonstrated the use of gouache paints to a small class, a medium I have never used before. It was a wonderful way to get a deeper understanding of the Shoalhaven District. We met at the Moona Moona Creek near Huskisson and Alasdair demonstrated the technique then set us loose! Here is my own attempt:

The 1 day course was organised by Alison's Artworks in Jervis Bay and I thoroughly recommend it.

Alan and I stayed in a self contained bush cottage at Worrowing Heights, a lovely little place surrounded by native fauna and flora.

Worrowing Heights Cottage

Throughout spring I have been busy painting. I've completed another picture for my daughter Karlie of an ocean wave. The technique is not dissimilar to painting a flower,  in fact a wave's edges are akin to the edges of a petal:

The Magic of Waves.

My other recent paintings are again taken from nature, whilst having a sundowner at the Huskisson Pub, we watched the treetops change colour as the sun set. The two painting show the last of the sun's rays, then dusk.

Apart from my painting I have kept busy with family, especially  my beautiful grand children.

Until next time,

LotsaluvVal x

Toorak Village Sculptures.

Five kilometers south east of  Melbourne's CBD  is Toorak Village. It was named after the residence of James Jackson who built Toorak House in 1849, The merchant probably took the name from the Woiwurrung language and possibly means 'reedy place' as Toorak lays on the south bank of the Yarra River.

Every year through May and into June, the village hosts a sculpture exhibition, where local businesses link with the arts to present sculptures along the streets and in shop windows. It's fantastic, and if you happen to be near by I recommend a stroll.

I enjoyed just such a stroll last Friday with my Granddaughter Paige. On our way for a bite to eat at favourite restaurant, Quaff.  Paige took control of my Iphone with the following results.

Spooky Witch Woman

This hare looks keen on something in the Chemist!

Very elegant

A Puzzle?

From the Fashion Deli (Paige's favourite shop)

Winter has really hit Melbourne this week, with snow settling on the Dandenongs and an Antarctic blast battering the coastline. I have been quite snug working on my latest painting, 'Windflower' which is really a Japanese Anemone. I plan painting a triptych based on this, for my daughter's home.

  

I will leave you a Wintery thought,

“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” 
― John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America

Do you think this is strictly related to the seasons or does Steinbeck really refer to life itself?

Lotsaluv,

Val x

February in Torquay

From the blue hills of the Dandenongs to the sea side town of Torquay - once the home of the Wathaurong Aboriginal people (for 25,000 years!) and known as 'Spring Creek' to the early Europeans. The area is famous for it's surf beaches of Jan Juc and Bells Beach, and is the start of the breathtaking coastal drive of the Great Ocean Road. Its natural sandstone sculptures are continuously being shaped by the rough seas of Bass Strait, their great work forming the 'Twelve Apostles' which rise like earthy cathedral spires.

photo of the Twelve Apostles

My Torquay view, The Esplanade

Having spent many summer holidays in Torquay the view has inspired me to paint a few scenes..

'Cozy Corner Torquay'

'Cozy Corner Two'

Torquay's beaches are a magnet for families and moving along the Great Ocean Road, adrenalin junkies! Throughout summer a wide section of society congregates, Surfies, Free Spirits,  Mum's and Dad's and of course children.

The American artist Mary Cassatt captures the sentiment of children beautifully in her painting 'Two Children at the Seashore' painted in 1884. Born in 1844 she was the only American and one of very few women who were at the forefront of the French Impressionist movement, I had the below painting pressed from a poster to canvas and it hangs in my bedroom in Torquay, a reminder that the beach will always be a playground for children.

 'Two Children at the Seashore' Mary Cassatt'

That's it for now!

Lotsaluv, Val x

January in the Dandenongs.

On the outskirts of Melbourne lies an extinct volcano, Mt Dandenong. The Mountain Ash slopes, the quaint villages and abundant ferns make it a wonderful place to visit for the day or even the weekend, as I did recently. To wake up to a sun rise over the Warburton Ranges and the calling of King Parrots and Kookaburras, is as refreshing as the mountain air itself.

Some of my flower painting have  been inspired by the flowers in the Dandenongs, the little bit of extra rain the slopes receive aid the agapanthas the hydrangeas that no amount of watering can match.

'Agapanthus' Mt Dandenong

Work in progress 'Windflowers'

Whilst my two painting above are not natives of Australia they are certainly abundant in the hills!

My latest painting is taken from a photo of a hydrangea, the natural blue comes from the acidity of the soil and not the variety of the plant. In some corners of the garden the hydrangeas are white or pink, my painting is 4ft x 4ft, mixed media oil and acrylic on linen, it's the largest painting I have worked on and the blues and lylics are extremely calming and I find myself looking forward to my time at the easel. 'Bouquet de Bleu' is a real joy to create, its still a work in progress.

Bouquet de Bleu

Throughout European settlement painters have been drawn to the Dandenongs, some very famous like Arthur Streeton who was a keen environmentalist and lamented the enormous Mountain Ash being logged, something that took down some truly huge examples, rumoured to exceed in height the American Redwoods.

An example of Arthur Streeton's work

So impressive are the Mountain Ash, or Tasmanian Oak, that I am looking for an example to paint, hopefully I will find said example on my next visit to the Dandenongs!


Of course spending a weekend among nature goes hand in hand with chickens, fresh eggs, clucking hens and newly hatched chicks!  Here is a sample of cute 'Backyardians.'













Finally here are my grandchildren with their Uncle Andrew at his home on Mt Dandenong, note his pet chicken below. Another painting project?

That's it for now,

Love Val x