Cambridge Parade

Sketching with the Brisbane City Sketchers on Manly Parade in Brisbane.  Manly is a very old settlement , once the playground of the very wealthy.

European settlement of the Manly area first took place around 1860. In 1882 land was sold by auction for the Manly Beach Estate, apparently named after Manly, New South Wales beach in Sydney. By the early 1900s the area had become a popular seaside location. Very large holiday homes were built, and people flocked for healthy holidays by the sea.

Today is is still an expensive place to live, but not as popular anymore.  When cars arrived on the scene, all the holiday makes fled to the northside of Brisbane to Sandgate.

Celtic Corner is an Irish eating house.  Gorgeous old building with no history, apparently.

This is my friend John 

Explorer Inn

Lovely morning sketching with friends in the City.  we sat under the awning if the District magistrates Court and sketched the Explorer Inn in Turbot Street.  This art deco building is on the Heritage register and was built in 1916, that is all I can find out so far. 

A4 Holcroft Sketchbook lamy pen and watercolour.

Princess Theatre Brisbane

The Princess Theatre is a heritage-listed theatre in Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by architect John Beauchamp Nicholson and built in 1888. It is also known as South Brisbane Public Hall and Boggo Road Theatre.  It is now a LifeCity Church, with a barber Shoppe on one side of the main entrance and the Halo Cafe on the other side.

First sketch with my lamy pen

Such a beautiful building

The Barber Shoppe

Sketched from across the road.

Thank you for looking

New Farm Park - Jacaranda Time

New Farm park is a Heritage Listed Park in Brisbane. The park covers 15 hectares (37 acres) and is at the southeastern end of the New Farm peninsula on a bend in the Brisbane River.

The area was dotted by lagoons and waterholes, which the Aboriginals named Binkin-ba, meaning "place of the land tortoise".

The land on which the park now stands was initially a farm. A racecourse was built on the site in 1846, which operated until 1913, when the land for the park was acquired by the Brisbane City Council. Besides the historic Rotunda, built in 1915,  facilities included a croquet lawn, picnic areas, cricket wickets, tennis courts and football grounds.

The park  has magnificent Jacaranda and Poinciana trees.  (I think there are very few original Jacarandas left maybe only three (disease and storms being the culprits) a rose garden, and if you wish to know more look Here

 First sketch is of the New farm Ferry Terminal whilst I was waiting for the rest of the Brisbane City Sketchers to arrive.

oh-oh.  I forgot to put the M on FARM

These are two of the original Jacarandas planted around 1914

Sketching on a rainy day.....

I went to the State library of Brisbane today to sketch.  It was a very rainy day, in fact this evening it is still raining, but I had a blast.  I am a die hard Urban Sketcher..

First sketch, I was sitting at the Library cafe, waiting to see if anyone else in Brisbane City Sketchers was as crazy as me.  It has been 12 months there about since I sat here and sketched across river, and I was really taken by how much has changed and is still changing.  The only thing that really stays the same are the cranes..

After about 30 minutes or so, it was obvious that no one in the group was venturing out to sketch with me, so I headed inside the Library to the Red Box.

I drew this view looking to the left at the Kurilpa Bridge.  The Kurilpa Bridge is the longest tensity bridge in the world.

 This sketch, is of the Brisbane City Library Buildings across the river from the State library. The huge building built above them is the Brisbane City Council Building.

 I had a lovely mornng sketching, and after I had my lunch I spent 2 hours poking around the Art galleries right next door.

Lourdes Hill College

Fun morning with the Brisbane City Sketchers sketching in the rain.  Well, not really, we holed up in the Watt Restaurant at the power House.

Lourdes Hill College was so named by the Archbishop of Brisbane  after Lourdes in France, where Mary is said to have appeared to a young girl named Bernadette Soubirous. It was founded in 1916 by the Sisters of the Good Samaritan of the Order of Saint Benedict. 

The school still caters for approximately 970 students from Years 8 to 12 (12 to 18 years of age)

Howard Smith Wharves from Dockside

The Howard Smith Wharves were constructed 1934-early 1940s by the Queensland Government to provide relief work during the depression years of the 1930s. Initially known as the Brisbane Central Wharves, the project was undertaken in conjunction with the construction of the Story Bridge.

  My pen and ink morning this morning, for Ink Tober

Watercolour added

For this sketch, I used water brushes filed with diluted ink..

Brisbane Open House

Brisbane had their Open House today and it continues tomorrow.  Open House is a worldwide event, with cities opening their historic buildings to the public.

Brisbane City Sketchers has a yearly sketchout event on the Saturday, visiting as many buildings as we and and sketching where we can..  All my sketches are in my A5 Holcroft sketchbook, with various Lamy pens.

Criagston is Brisbanes first Cooperatively owned building. It is also the first reinforced concrete framed multi-storied building in Brisbane  Architect Arnold Conrad

Architect Richard gaily is a favourite of mine, he has designed some amazing buildings in the city.  He was a devout Baptist, and designed this building free of charge. Built at a time when the Gothic style was very popular, the tabernacle was designed in a contrasting Classical design.  It is magnificent inside as it is out, and well worthy of a visit.

The next two sketches were done in All saints Anglican Church. (built 1862) this church is the oldest Anglican church in Brisbane.

There are some fabulous stained glass windows in here, some made by local William Bustard.

The organist today totally delightful.

#inktober #inktober2017 #brisbanecitysketchers

Brisbane CBD

Wonderful morning sketching this morning, with the Brisbane City Sketchers at Kangaroo Point. The morning started off wet, but the sun soon came out and it was a glorious day.

A4 Holcroft sketchbook watercolour and ink.

Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens

The Brisbane City Sketchers went to the Japanese garden at the Mount Coot-tha gardens today to sketch.  It was a fabulous morning, much fun and laughter.

A5 Holcroft sketchbook lamy pen loaded with carbon ink.

 

Watercolour added.

127 Margaret Street Brisbane

I had a lovely morning sketching the HB SALES Building (Acme Engineering Works) on Margaret Street Brisbane. Designed by Frank Longland and it was built in 1912.

This whole area right down to the Botanic gardens was known as Frogs Hollow.  Frogs Hollow was a low-lying area that stretched from Elizabeth St down to the river at the Botanical Gardens and bounded on the other two sides by George St and Edward St.

If you walk along Edward Street down to Smellie and Co there is a cafe there with Christopher Trotters artwork on the wall and a plaque paying tribute to Frogs Hollow.

The area was not only a swampy area, it was also a bad area, with brothels, in fact it became Brisbane's red light district, where prostitution, sly grog and even opium dens were the norm'.

  A4 Holcroft Sketchbook - Lamy pen, and watercolour

Both of these buildings (there are 2 side by side) Acme Engineering and Watson Bros..are heritage listed, thank goodness.

Acme Engineering Works remained in the premises until 1928, after which it was owned by Charles Jeays who operated in plumbers' supplies. After WWII the building was occupied by Gardiner Batteries and then HB Sales from 1958. The last couple of inhabitants appear to be vendors of bicycles and accessories.

Saturday Sketchout day

First up was sketching at the beautiful Manly Boat harbour.  Manly Boat Harbour is now the largest boat harbour facility in the Southern Hemisphere, and a fabulous place to go sketch.  So many nooks and crannies to go draw.

Today, however, I decided to sketch the esplanade.  It was way too hot for me to sit in the sun.  Go figure, it is only spring here..

5.5" x 7.5" Sketchbook (double page) Lamy pens (I have 3 - Fine nib  - Medium nib - Calligraphy nib.)

After lunch I piked up a friend and headed to the city to sketch.  Again it was so hot, that we headed to the Three Monkeys cafe, and over a Ginger Crush (drink) we sketched.

Same sketchbook as above.