For something different, I went to sketch at a home auction! House prices have dropped lately and the auction was passed in at 1.4 million dollars. It's a beautiful house on a large lot, worth closer to 2 million in my opinion. It drew a biggish crowd but people were mostly onlookers like me.
All over in 10 minutes! The auctioneer is the figure in the striped suit.
The Garden Journal which I started a year ago has gone well. The sketchbook is only three quarters full so I’ll keep going for another year!
After a very wet winter our spring garden is looking extra lush. This wasn’t planned but all the flowers in our courtyard are complementary colours (sort of).
It's been a bit hard going sketching with poor near vision but not too much longer now till I can get reading glasses after my cataract surgeries!
8am, the power is off in our house, our street is closed but there’s a lot of activity outside. 6 huge vehicles have rolled up! AUSNet is replacing an old wooden power pole. First a man is hoisted up to trim the oak tree next to the pole. It’s a heritage tree, one of 35 oaks planted in 1918 to commemorate those who served in World War One.
Then the old pole was pulled out on a winch, laid on a vehicle for removal and a new metal pole put in its place.
All the trimmed vegetation was then bundled into a big tarp, hoisted up and dumped into a vehicle. Then all the wiring had to be reconnected. A BIG job!
The foreman showed us the tag which was on the old pole (he’s keeping it as a souvenir). The tag says “30 GG 1928 (30 feet tall, a Grey Gum and installed in 1928)!!! The new metal pole is UGLY!!!
He said we’d all remember today - 9/9/22. Queen Elisabeth passed away.
These are my first sketches with 2 bionic eyes all done on location. I had my second cataract surgery done just 3 days ago and am pleasantly surprised with the impressive result!
Marker, coloured pencils, Handbook Journal 5.5" x 5.5".
After an uncomfortable 4 month wait after the first surgery, my second cataract surgery is finally done! It was a very short wait before being called from the waiting room so I hardly had any time to use my new Tombow marker. The people were sketched while in the waiting room and I filled in the solid shapes during the...sigh, unexpectedly long wait to actually hit the operating table. The whole hospital visit took almost 6 hours again!
The result of the second surgery is much better than after the first. I feel like I’ve had a missing limb replaced!
Now comes the long recovery...
Tombow marker. Handbook Journal 5.5" x 5.5".
After a very long wet and gloomy winter, I'd quite forgotten what blue sky was was! Pioneer Park is a favourite sketch venue of mine. It was the site of the Berwick Primary School from 1869 till 2003 when it was located to a new site. Donations and fundraising efforts by the local community eventually convinced the Council to acquire the old School House and site for a garden park (instead of the planned car park!). Generous contributions also came from various foundations and heritage societies. Opened in 2005 it's a small but very pleasant park much used by the local community (especially during the height of our Covid outbreak when meeting friends outdoors for coffee became very popular).
To read more on the history of the park, click here.
#Sailorfude pen, watercolour, #MoleskineWatercolourNotebook, 5 x 8.25”
#Pioneerpark
Sketching with my two very uneven eyes (one cataract operation done and still waiting for the other to be done) AND being sloppy obviously doesn't work for inorganic subjects! That is very wonky looking garden furniture! It's good to know what works and what doesn't with my present eye condition.
I'm enjoying the process rather than the product and this was a rainy day at-home sketch.
Not my usual (or preferred) subject matter but we had these two blood oranges crying to be sketched. They were a bit on the small side but I do like them and ate one as I was drawing it.
The painted version is badly overworked but I enjoyed the splashy bits.
#Sailorfude pen, watercolour, #Stillman&Birn Zeta Sketchbook, 7.5”x 7.5”
