Photography

Morning thoughts

/ Robert / 2 Comments
morning sky

Curiosity is one of my traits.

The following self observations led me to take an online Obsessive Compulsive Disorder quiz; I have possible signs of OCD.

  • I avoid looking at advertising and signage unless I absolutely have to because my subconscious annoyingly, urges me to examine and read ad nauseum.
  • At work I attempt to clear all of my emails and red work items every day, answer and return every call. Failure to do so, I believe is a sign of not being in control.
  • I check the bank balance and the level of Saltwater Creek frequently every day.
  • We have floor tiles throughout the house. I assume they are imitation slate due to their dark colour and random repetition. When seated, I have to consciously stop gazing at them. Patterns form into spectral images: a faceless being wearing a jauntily placed broad brimmed hat and an off-the-shoulder bawdy bodice. Ghastly eyeless grinning orbs on stalks. Sea creatures emerging and vanishing. Duck bills, frost, damp.
  • There is a rap song I like, First Class by Jack Harlow, why do I hear butt crack up in the sky, a for the arse?

Abstract avocados

/ Robert / 4 Comments

Even with the air conditioning on twenty five degrees centigrade on Wednesday night, I was sweaty and had a restless night. I awoke too many times to count. I went to sleep seeking inspiration for my next painting, perhaps featuring airhead or more ovoids.

The dream

One of the dreams included a back garden of the house we are living in. Noticing a fallen orchid branch, I stuck it into the soft earth below a tree whose trunk was too wide to get my hands to meet while hugging it.

I assumed the tree was very old. The gnarled serpentine roots appeared to be breaking ground as far as the eye could see. I wondered if this was the reason the concrete pad next to the carport was lifting.

Noticing an avocado on the ground, split open to expose the green flesh and stone, I looked up. Whole fruit hanging tantalisingly from the branches above. Feeling hungry and needing to prepare breakfast, I went to get a dark honey finished high, backed bar stool, setting it below one of the lower branches.

Upon climbing onto the stool, it wobbled frightfully, backwards and forewords. Gaining balance, extending to my full five feet and seven inches, I could not reach the prize. I grabbed the nearest branch, giving it a vigorous shake, I imagined a deluge of heavy thuds.

Nothing happened.

They are not ready to fall, I thought. The vendors of the house must have harvested before we moved in this time last year. Excitedly, I rushed towards the house to tell husband, M. about the bountiful tree.

The reality

We do not have a high, backed bar stool in our household. We do not have an avacado tree growing in our garden. I have only seen and walked under an avocado tree while holidaying in Port Douglas, Far North Queensland. I remarked the other day it is coming up to ten years since we last visited. I miss it.

The avo stone is an ovoid within the flesh ovoid within the skin ovoid; Russian doll springs to mind.

The loops in this picture are each three colours in pencil plus ink on top. As I was completing them, I thought, why did I start this? Later on I thought of Faberge styled avocados.

Mis en place

/ Robert / 3 Comments

I trained in hospitality. Our practical cookery lecturer, Edwin Fellows was a stickler for mis en place and clean as you go. Over forty years later I employ both ethe when creating food and art.

Perhaps it has taken on the flavour a of ritual, getting everything ready before starting and keeping the workplace clean and tidy. I can appear a bit of a headless chook, during the process.

Morning commutes and stilling my mind before Morpheus leads me away brought forth the inspiration for this week’s picture.

Ovoids of citrus lemon and orange paired with turquoise from the sea. The black ink pen is running out and I have not sought out my fountain pen and 1980s black Quink ink from the shed. The bubbles are drawn in coloured pencil.

Anniversary

/ Robert / 12 Comments
native jasmine

Today, I have taken a bank day from work. Tomorrow is the anniversary of the day we moved into our new home.

bird of paradise flower

My husband, M. Took these photographs around the back garden, last week.

bromeliad

Living in a regional area has enabled us to tick off a number of requirements from our house wish list. This in turn has led to an improved standard of living for us and Stan:

  • escape from the nightmare of townhouse living
  • detached single storey house
  • enough space within
  • large covered outdoor area
  • garden large enough for Stan to run around
  • sunshine to grow herbs and tomatoes

Over the past year, we have lived frugally without a credit card. We have learned to notice and appreciate the activity of crows, magpies, lorikeets, and miner birds. Also, we understand the significance of severe weather warnings and the levels of flood alerts.

bromilead

Unfortunately, we are further away from friends. They know they are always welcome to visit and they do.

Free stuff

/ Robert / 7 Comments
multi media abstract foamed ovoids

I will brazenly prostitute myself for the chance of being rewarded with free stuff. I am delighted if a free cloth bag contains paper and pens. And boy do I hoard them.

Around a decade ago in Sydney, the local office supply company, Office Works were giving customers a bag weighed down with pencils, pens, pencil case, and bookmarks.

The pink, green, and purple ink pens used in today’s mixed media abstract picture are from that boon. I used the pens to outline the ovoids, washed over with watercolour and drew the shapes again on top.

The stamped circles were outlined in Lipton’s decaffeinated tea with paint added while wet.

Flow freely

/ Robert / 4 Comments
subtropic autumn

This week’s watercolour and ink painting is inspired by the autumnal colours of nature in the garden.

The following poem recounts the words that flooded my mind this morning as I made coffee; before starting to paint.

Flow freely

Refreshingly delicious fragrance

of freshly cut green blades springing back

after an autumnal shower

flow freely upon the softly caressing eastern breeze

wafting from bay to shore

drenched with less intense intermittent rays

between fast floating fluffy whites

illuminating tropical greens pinks purples reds oranges

and curling fronds swish as they wave

turning towards swaying saplings

with tantalising glimpses of ancient gargantuan branches

frantically rustling in their dance further inland

Pink and green

/ Robert / 4 Comments

In my mind during the week leading up to this week’s mixed media painting, I thought dark green flowing into yellow. When it came to mixing the colours yesterday, I loved the green so much, I felt pink was needed.

I started the painting in portrait to encourage the colours to flow and mingle.

Last week’s stamped rings were achieved by applying watercolour to the rim of a drinking glass with a brush. This week I dipped the edge of a deeper rimmed glass into paint in a saucer, resulting in more strongly defined circles.

My husband commented the colours looked subdued. I explained they were step one.

With the picture turned around to landscape, I added green, pink, red, and black bubbles. This draws out the creative process and extends my enjoyment.

As it was a warm sunny Autumn day, I took a break yesterday so that we could spend a couple of hours in the spa.

Coming back to the painting this morning, there was very little to add.

Flight of fancy

/ Robert / 8 Comments

My first watercolour and ink abstract; flight of fancy.

I painted the watercolour first then overlaid purple ink. I also had a go at watercolour stamped rings using the rim of a drinking glass.

I may go back to add some more bubbles.

More bubbles and yellow pencil outline

Gossamer consonance

/ Robert / 2 Comments
My ‘80s sister, Wimbledon day party, very heavy false lashes

This year my sister would have been sixty. As Mardi Gras is in the air, I authored the following poem in their memory, Gossamer consonance.

There is a photo of me from the same event at the end of this post.

Well my friends the time has come
All night long fond memories
Of us boogieing on down
In Blackpool of ‘84
My wistful sister dreams as
Lionel Ritchie serenades
Confident dragon hearted
A helping hand and support
With impish sense of humour
The eighties is our time to
Raise the roof and have some fun
Throw away the work to be done
Curious invert spirits joined
Relishing life’s offerings
And let the music play on
Play on play on
Everybody sing everybody dance
Lose yourself in wild romance
Australia with my soul mate
French lorry driver for Sis
Our gossamer consonance stretched
Ten thousand miles forty years
I imagine them beyond the veil
Forever young partying under
Perpetual mirrorballs
Yeah once you get started
You can’t sit down
Come join the fun
It’s a merry-go-round
Everyone’s dancing
Their troubles away
Come join our party
See how we play

‘80s me, Wimbledon day party

Evolution

/ Robert / 9 Comments
Cheerios

This week’s watercolour started off in a similar vein as previous ones. A collection of five shapes overlapping.

I wanted to experiment with olive green, purple, and a caramel yellow. The yellow turned out more buttercup than browned sugar. I don’t mind the contrasting result.

Then I started adding Cheerio like hoops. My husband thinks I was subliminally channeling the cheerfulness surrounding the first Australian concert at the Melbourne Cricket Ground last night, resulting in a homage to Taylor Swift.