Category: Plein air & sketching

Hamish the sheep thoroughly enjoyed the attention of those Safarians brave enough to take on Jeff’s challenge to frottage a woolly portrait. At least we think Hamish enjoyed it. Or rather he enjoyed the extra rations of sheep cubes tossed in his general direction in hopes of getting him to stand still. An old poddy (a bottle-reared sheep) Hamish is thoroughly tame and didn’t mind the easels at all. The results were as varied as the materials found to create texture – leaves, twigs, wood, rocks and simply the ground. We were all working on fairly light paper (newsprint, butchers paper and light cartridge) using as many types of media as could be found with a good rummage in the kit: charcoal, graphite and in the image below powdered pigment which was applied with brushes.

Lots of fun,
Amanda

Come back… we’re making frottages that immortalise your portrait not wrapping you in newsprint and charcoal. There might even be a really big bucket of sheep cubes to help you stand still.

Yup, Art safari is heading out this way to take on one of Jeff’s crazy challenges…

Should be fun,
Amanda

Sunday last saw the usual bunch setting out on Art Safari to draw under the Narrows Bridge at the South Perth end. Yes, I did say under the bridge – it’s easy to get to, it’s shady and there’s even a carpark right next to it. I’m not in the photo because I’m behind the camera. To the right, however, there is evidence of my attendance in the form of coffee…

Why draw under a bridge? Lots of reasons: it’s different, it’s cool on a hot day, fresh air, the boats ranged from rowing tubs to fancy motor boats with many of their inhabitant taking the time wave but none able to gawk at our work, and very few walking gawkers who could. There’s also practice at handling perspective – I can hear you groaning from here – and maintain that’s exactly why you should have been with us. My own efforts (in spite of a distant history in drafting) were so cruddy I’m not showing you. My excuse was the stress of previous days meant all I could do was sit and stare, occasionally waving the charcoal at the paper. On which, the other reason to draw under a bridge – stress relief – thanks to both the peaceful surroundings and the congenial company.

And too looking right or left interesting compositions…

And the very, very best bit. Here we are, working well up the Swan River and just metres away the rise and fall of dolphins – mama and baby. What more can one ask for? Made my day and dropped my blood pressure to almost normal. Proof indeed that life can be good. Really good. Attempt at a photo by Jeff Bryant. In his words “Buggers kept ducking under the water – wouldn’t smile for the camera.”

Next week Art Safari are making the trip out here to attempt frottage of sheep. That is frottaged pictures of sheep – I really don’t think Hamish will stand still enough to be frottaged. Unless of course we provide a big bucket of pony cubes. Pony cubes are more expensive than sheep cubes – and Hamish reckons they taste better. Also there will be no tours of the studio or house because both are in a horrible state of decay (see comments on stress…) so everyone will have to make do with an overgrown garden, a rusty old bobcat abandoned in disgust in long grass, chooks, ducks, sheep, the neighbours’ cattle and maybe horses if the one’s that live on the property at the bottom of our hill are out grazing.

G’day Hamish… (bribed him with pony cubes to get him to stand still for the camera!)

Have fun.
Amanda

This week’s art safari is at a point on the Swan that has cliffs overlooking a bend in the river, the marina in North Fremantle and, hopefully,a boat or two. Jeff put the street view up on the Artist Safari website so I’ve pinched his effort (all in a good cause) to entice you to go take a look… come join us at 3.30pm Sunday 19th April in Rule St Nth Fremantle. Call 0410216074 if you’re lost.

View Larger Map

Suggested to bring along: Drinking water, light easel and materials as well as some protection against the sun (or a brolly depending on the day).

Amanda

Yesterday saw two Artist Safari events in the one day – the first being an experimental weekday visit to the museum. Then this, the second, a mid-evening virtual meeting. Lots of fun. Organised (ok sprung on us) by Jeff Bryant , the idea was that we all turn up at the Artist Safari chatroom at 8pm, with drawing materials in hand, to await instructions. What then? He announces that we’re off to Italy to draw the Basilica… “Click here,” the screen said. I did:

Then, in between lots of chatting, we drew what we could see. It’s actually really good ‘cos the Google map can zoom and pan pretty much instantly.

I went in a bit and panned until I was more or less looking at something that was one point perspective. I know, I know what happened to the clause in the manifesto about getting out of one’s comfort zone? Well I was. I had chattering family, a cat winding around my monitor, two dogs scratching at the door (undecided, at five minute intervals, as to whether they wanted in or out) and a grumbling tummy – no dinner yet. It’s amazing I drew anything at all. In fact it was amazing that I was there at all. (After the hour and a plus drive home from the city I’d gotten straight back into Winckelmann forgetting about the promise to be online at 8pm…)

The Basilica, it turned out, was more or less a warm up drawing followed by another link, this time we were standing on a bridge in Firenze.

Still in Italy it seemed really appropriate when a family member took pity on my trying to draw, chat, read notes and type an essay (simultaneously) all on an empty stomach, and dropped a plate in front of me with, you guessed it: pasta. So that was it. A scratchy warm up Basilica and an unfinished Firenze. Oh, an evening with Wincklemann. Ciao.

PS. Try Google maps. You’ll never be stuck for a bit of landscape to draw again.

Trying for a bit more peace, an intrepid few Artist Safari attendees decided to tackle the museum again. Maybe it would be quieter on a Tuesday afternoon? Maybe…

You know that feeling? The one where you just know that someone is standing right behind you looking over your shoulder? Drawing in public has it’s moments. The ones when the public forget their manners.

What about when you’re drawing with a small sketchpad practically tucked under your jumper, facing into a corner trying to look really, really inconspicuous (‘cos you hate people looking over your shoulder) and just know they that someone is doing just that? How did I know someone was doing just that? Because I could see their reflection in the glass. Grrr…

Jeff reckons I get it more than the guys do ‘cos I look more approachable. They’ve suggested a nose ring, leather jacket, copious bits of chain and a scowl. It would help to be taller too. I’ll work on the scowl.

We gave up after an hour… and headed to the coffee shop for a conference. Conversation inevitably turned to materials and revelations of the interesting inventory of a nearby Asian newsagent… I came home with a bunch of stuff: a “writing” brush, ink and huge sheets of drawing paper that, I find, takes the ink beautifully. The ink is really different – it’s slightly thicker and smoother flowing than India ink – rich, dense and indelibly black. The paper is amazing as well – soft and incredibly absorbent but not hint of bleeding at the edges of marks. Held to the light there a very fine gridded watermark. Kind of tissue paper, but not, if you you what I mean. Fascinating.

The best thing though (for the ever curious) is a what I think is a kid’s calligraphy practice book. There are pages of figures interleaved with sheets of paper not unlike the drawing paper. Just thinner and transparent enough to see and draw the figures underneath. What a great toy! I imagine by the end of the book I’ll get a (bit of a) an idea on handling the brush and ink even if I can’t read a word of it…

Artist Safari is on again tomorrow. This time for a go at the museum in Perth. Sketchbooks will be out to snare anything which captures the imagination and pushes the creative envelope. You’re welcome to join us. We start at 1pm. It’s not the first time I’ve headed there – it’s a great place when the great outdoors is too inclement – yeah as keen as I am to get out – there are times when it’s not happening.

 

Exquisite Corpse is an old parlour game which was at one time reinvented by the Surrealists and last Sunday taken to new heights by an intrepid few on Artist Safari. Our version saw the visage of the old power station in East Perth take an interesting twist. Or two.

The basic premise of the game is that each player takes a turn at drawing a collaborative monster. The paper is then folded to hide the effort before passing it along to the next person. All that is showing is a clue at the edge of the page to allow the next part to be added. See Wikipedia for a more eloquent insight.

Our effort saw nine sheets of paper circuit between three players. Judge for yourself how much fun we had…

 

A bit late notice for anyone reading but I’ll try anyway…

Artist Safari is off to East Perth Power Station again tomorrow – with a difference. To save some creativity for the event itself (why not when it’s been said so eloquently already) I’ll just pinch both pic and blurb off the site.

We’ve been here before, but not like this. The difference this time is that in addition to the normal titanic endeavors of artistic expression we are going to become surrealists for a day and play a special version of Exquisite monster that your esteemed host for this expedition has devised. You will need charcoal, compressed charcoal and all the charcoally bits and pieces this time.

See the official AS site for meeting details should you be game to join us.

The Artists’ Safari timing for the Whistlepipe Gully outing was beautiful. Warm without being hot, light against shadow without being too glary and, as always, the fascination of the old house. Or rather, the foundations of the old house. Did it really straddle the rushing water and the rocks? Can’t be certain but sure looks that way. Local rumour has it that it was built without a permit and ordered to be pulled down. Or was built without ownership of the land and ordered to be pulled down. Or built so badly it fell down… All depends on who one asks! Whatever, the rockwork was rather good. Well worth the hike up the steep track.

My efforts this time amounted to a bunch of studies of planes – rocks are good for that. Then right at the end, tired of rocks, I returned to my favourite genre, for a quicky sketch of another artist engrossed in his own drawing. Just charcoal on cartridge, giving up when another companion looked over my shoulder and said something along the lines of “don’t touch it, all that needs is a date and a signature”. Fair enough. Especially as a wind was picking up and whistling over the water to make staying any longer an uncomfortably chilly proposition.

Next week we’re headed for the Metro Grain Centre for a go at the silos. An entirely different kind of landscape and one that, I have to say, is far more to my liking.

Amanda