train to the other side of melbourne yesterday

Alighted at Laverton Station and walked to the trail that runs the Laverton Creek. The beginning of our journey was not a pleasant one; our senses being dominated by the crude sounds of traffic along the freeway, and overhead aircraft associated with tullamarine airport. The noise however was to be short lived, as we persevered along the trail, eventually, only the sounds of the water gently rippling and the calls of so many different types of birds were our reward. Egrets, plovers, ibis, black swans, pardalotes, swallows, pacific ducks, cormorants.......and the best part was, no one else was in sight. I took the opportunity to sit by the laverton creek and managed a quick 10 minute sketch, and another when we reached doug grant reserve in altona. 

But most men, it seems to me, do not care for Nature and would sell their share in all her beauty as long as they may live, for a stated sum – many for a glass of rum. Thank God men cannot as yet fly and lay waste the sky as well as the earth! We are safe on that side for the present. It is for the very reason that some do not care for those things that we need to continue to protect all from the vandalism of a few.

-Journal entry, 1861 Henri David Thoureau

Watercolor sketching at Jawbone Reserve, Williamstown Beach. Walked right around Point Gellibrand, along Williamstown Beach until we reached Jawbone Reserve. Very warm, 31 C, and at the last of my water supply, had to made do with spittle and watercolor 'til I got home , and touched up as needed. Spotted a strange bird, one I hadn't seen before. After a bit of research, discovered it to be a spotted crake. Depicted here in my sketch, pottering about in the rock pools.

The environmentalists view of Cape Royds, Antarctica. Arm chair travelling -ipad sketch.

From my sketchbook

Revisiting winkarlin beach.
Well , I wasn't there in person so I painted while sitting in front of some moving footage .

sketching on the ipad.....pure escapism.....need a decent work space where I can put my ideas onto canvas

 managed three watercolor sketches duting our stay at yanakie. that's one a day. the most difficult of these was the darby beach scene, as the glare was very hard on the eyes.

patiently handmade and  smoothed stones. 

arranged in various compositions. 

featured timber - hakea, callistemon, plum.

 timber retrieved from fallen branches 

another version....

a bit of escapism from the furnace that is 41 degrees outside. today.

the paper is not suited to watercolor, so had to add definition by adding ink line.

sketching outside today

experimenting on a small scale 

vistas condensed inside a shell

Walking the  Mornington Peninsula National Park trail yesterday. Rested beneath the shade of  the cliffs, and managed a brief  5 minute sketch. Drinking water as precious as gold in this heat , so resorted to spittle with watercolor. Plenty of salt water about but that wouldn't do much good to my materials. Pretty soon , the waves started encroaching on my safe little hideaway, so  thought it best to  move on.

prom dreaming

recent ipad sketch

to the top of a hill

a vast sky

a sea of clouds

to see space above

and beyond

opened the cage

vision was hindered not 

by tall concrete 

blocks of invasion

I could see.

various drawings made in the garden

ipad sketches of

the neighbours tidy weatherboard

and

the old outhouse

to reach the top of a hill while walking the burbs, and be presented with a vast panorama of sky and clouds abovea grey and depressing urban landscape.

the mind needs to see space above and beyond for mental clarity.

the spread of high rise buildings into the urban landscape and the subsequent claustrophobic atmosphere will pose further threat to the mental health of the population. 

seems to be the essential plan of the controller.

round organic shapes make their appearance  in most of my paintings so i'm playing around with various compositions using this three dimensional method to explore the possibilities. 

 another rendition to add to the series  - white clouds drift

this version acrylic on canvas 100 x 70 cm