Sketching people at Carina Leagues Club

I went to the club to watch my grandson play last night.  They had a great game, and I sketched!

My daughter and her partner

My daughters best friend

My daughters best friend and her husband

Galeria Cafe, Westfield Carindale

I had some business to do at Westfield Carindale, so I called into my favourite cafe for my favourite long black. I couldn't resist practising my sketching while I was sitting there :-)

                                                                   

Carina Leagues Club 25.03.2011

My grandson plays rugby league.  He is in the under 15's, and I went to watch him play a home game on friday night.

 

Sketching at the Mater Specialist Clinic 22/03/2011

I had an appointment at the specialist clinic this afternoon.  I was kept waiting for two and a half hours!  Got to love our public health system, not. :-)
Never one to miss an opportunity, I got out my trusty sketch book and pen.

 

Sketching at the Cannon Hill Bus Interchange. 21/03/2011

I missed a great opportunity this afternoon.  I had to go to the Transport department, and I forgot to grab my sketchbook!! So, I got a lift to the bus interchange, and spent a delightful hour and a half down there sketching.  I walked home, so got my sketching fix, as well as my health fix :-))

AUSTRALIAN OPOSSUM (Brushtail Opossum)

I have a visitor every night, as beautiful Opossum.  She has a baby in her pouch, which she allows out sometimes to hang onto her back.  She comes to eat her supper on my patio.  She loves seeds and apple.  Opossum's are nocturnal marsupials.  They sleep during the day, in hollow logs, or in suburbia under houses and when they can get in, roof cavities.  They are so sweet, and very timid.  They will bite and scratch if provoked, but in general they will run away, or roll over and "play dead".

This little lady was very patient.  She sat at the feeding dish eating away, while I sketched her.  Once in a while she would look at me long enough for me to get a face on sketch too.  I need to practice on that, though.

AUSTRALIAN OPOSSUM (Brushtail Opossum)

I have a visitor every night, as beautiful Opossum.  She has a baby in her pouch, which she allows out sometimes to hang onto her back.  She comes to eat her supper on my patio.  She loves seeds and apple.  Opossum's are nocturnal marsupials.  They sleep during the day, in hollow logs, or in suburbia under houses and when they can get in, roof cavities.  They are so sweet, and very timid.  They will bite and scratch if provoked, but in general they will run away, or roll over and "play dead".

This little lady was very patient.  She sat at the feeding dish eating away, while I sketched her.  Once in a while she would look at me long enough for me to get a face on sketch too.  I need to practice on that, though.

Royal Poinciana Tree (Delonix regia )

Royal Poinciana Tree (Delonix regia )
The Poinciana tree is indigenous to Madagascar, where it is on the endangered list. Everywhere else in the tropical world, the tree is a prolific grower. It has naturalised itself in Brisbane, Australia, and is a very popular shade tree. I have one growing in my back yard, and it rewards me every year with the most magnificent display of red flowers every summer.

(This species was previously placed in the genus Poinciana, named for Phillippe de Longvilliers de Poincy, the 17th century governor of Saint Christophe (Saint Kitts), who is credited with introducing the plant to the Americas. Because it is a legume, the tree has nitrogen-fixating and soil-improving properties. Quote from Wikipedia.)

American Bald Eagle

Micron pen. 9"x 12" 

  

I was having a play while my supper was cooking. 

Sketching at Wooloongabba, Brisbane.

I had a couple of hours to spare this afternoon, and was able to get out and do a couple of quick sketches.  I hate being rushed though, and plan to spend a full day out on the weekend.

 

Violin maker Ilja Grawert, had this cello on display outside his store, 20 Logan Road Wooloongabba.  He is a lovely man, so friendly.

 Logan Road Wooloongabba, used to house the most amazing buildings from the 1920's. Sadly the concrete jungle has pretty much taken over, but there are still one or two of these magnificent olde buildings there. This is one. It is now The Crosstown Eating House. It is right opposite where I was having coffee at Lunch on Logan.

This was a 90 second sketch at a local cafe, while waiting for a friend.

CAMPHOR LAUREL TREE with CROWS NEST 7th March 2011

Sketched from my patio, looking into my neighbours yard.

The Camphor Laurel tree, native to South East Asia, was introduced in Australia in 1822  The tree is now a declared menace.  It contains significant amounts of various chemicals known or suspected of being toxic and carcinogenic.   It easily ranks as the most toxic plant in Australian history.  Most birds suffer from eating the berries of the Camphor Laurel tree, either by sterilisation, or death.  Crows, like to feed on the top part of the tree, on the new berries.  They seem to survive the toxins, and they build their nests in the trees.  Only occasionally will a crow die, due to camphor addiction.  Sadly, some of our native species of birds have become extinct, because of these trees.

STORY BRIDGE

The Story Bridge was opened in 1939.  It was named after John Douglas Story, because he was the main advocator for the bridge to be built.  The bridge is an icon, and tourist attraction.  

In 2005, Bridge Walks started, and they are very popular with the tourists.  I have heard it is a fantastic view all over the city from the top of the bridge.  I am going to do the walk when the weather gets cooler.

I caught the Brisbane CityCat river ferry into Riverside place, at 4.00pm.  It was a very hot day here today, temps up around 34 degree Celsius.  By late afternoon the air was bearable, just.  

I sat at the Boardwalk bar and bistro, with a cup of coffee, and sketched.  I was there, until 6.30pm.  I had the pleasure of seeing the workers hurrying to the ferry for their journey home, and the stragglers claiming tables with a cold drink and discussing their work day at leisure. I sat there amongst the chatter and clinking of glasses, and watched the bridge for some time.  

 I tuned it all out, and started to sketch.  The time flew by.  By the time I had finished it was dusk, the lights were glittering in the skyscrapers, the sun was sinking, the Flying Foxes were coming out to forage.  I packed up, and hurried back to the ferry terminal.  I got there just in time to catch the ferry home.  I stood on the stern, hair blowing in the wind, watching the the sparkling city lights recede, and the Flying Foxes over head.  It was a wonderful couple of hours!

Rembrandt Street Park

Carina was named after the estate of Ebenezer Thorne who owned land on Creek Road in the 1850s. He named his homestead 'Carina' after his daughter Kate Carina, and this name passed on to the suburbs of Carina, Carina Heights, and Carindale.  The area was first visited by timber men gathering timber, and lots of cleared land were first sold in 1863.  The area was fist occupied by German settlers who had dairy farms and vineyards.  Twenty years later there was a land boom, and many sold out.  Carina did remain mostly bushland until after world war two, when there was a major development of war service and housing commission homes.  The housing estates at Carina were first served by trolley buses, but in 1948 the tramline was extended along Old Cleveland Road to Carina, to what was known as Belmont Terminus.   Sadly the trams no longer exist.  What a waste.  
There are some lovely parklands in the area, Seven Hills Bushland is my favourite, as it is untouched, but Rembrandt Park is really nice.  There is a nature reserve on one side.  A large storm water drain drain runs through the park and out into Bulimba Creek.  There is some amazing wildlife  in the park.

I went down late this afternoon with the purpose of sketching the Lorikeets.  Sadly as soon as I got near them they flew off.  I think it is my red hair, next time I go down to the park, which is five minutes walk from my house, I am going to wear my black hat.  I settled for sitting in the picnic shelter and sketching the park out to Creek Road.

Thunderstorm over Moreton Bay

Moreton Bay - Wynnum Manly - Brisbane Australia. Location Sketch

We had a major thunder and lightning storm late this afternoon. 

I shot down to Breakwater Park on the Wynnum Manly Waterfront, 

and found a picnic shelter to set up my plein air kit. 

I sketched the storm over Moreton Bay.

Where I was standing, was just behind the mouth of Wynnum Creek, 

and I was watching the water pouring into the bay. 

The clouds were amazing, the lightening exciting. 

The thunder made me jump a couple of times.

Moreton Bay is 25 km from Brisbane CBD. 

It is a paradise for water sports. 

At 125 km in total it is home to approximately 360 islands. 

The Bay was formed 6000 years ago, as the water rose and 

flooded the flood-plains of the Brisbane river. 

The aboriginal name is Quandamooka. 

Captian James Cook named it Moreton Bay when he traveled past 

on the 15th May 1770. 

The bay is seperated from the Pacific Ocean by 3 sand Islands

Balmoral Cemetery, Morningside, Qld Australia

This is a sketch I did today for the Urban Sketchers Weekly Challenge.

Balmoral was part of the area Aborigines called “Tugulawa” which means “heart”. This was probably a reference to the heart-shaped piece of land that constitutes Bulimba and Balmoral. The cemetery was opened in 1874. The first burial took place in 1874. Sadly, it was that of George Wilson Pointon, a 6 year old boy who had drowned in Norman Creek on 26 June 1874.
The Brisbane City Council has records of approximately 15,277 interments but it is likely there are more since it is not known how many of the very early graves are occupied. The Brisbane City Council holds some original burial registers dating from 1888 to 1949. Hemmant Cemetery office holds the original portion books dating from 1875. FOBC Inc maintains a full list of monumental inscriptions. The cemetery closed in the early 1960’s but burials still take place for those who own family plots. Vandalism, and lack of care has made this cemetery a lonely desolate unkempt place and it is a real shame. A huge part of Brisbane's history lies here.

Chipmunk

9"x12" micron pen on paper

Pears

Acrylic on paper 15"x11" I painted this with liquid acrylics, in the manner of watercolour, and I had a ball..

SOLD

TRIO of PEARS

Acrylic on paper 15"x11"

SOLD

Olde Quebec

Acrylic on paper 15"x11"

Grasses in the snow

Acrylic on paper 15"x11"

Unavailable

1st painting for 2010

Acrylic on paper 11"x15"

HAPPY 2010 FROM QUEBEC; QUEBEC CANADA

I have been on vacation since the end of September, and am at present in Quebec: Quebec. What a glorious city. This is my 3rd visit. I am loving the snow! I am going to be here, until the end of April, oh lucky moi!!!

Here is a photo, taken today at the Montmorency Chute..

Wynnum Waterfront

Charcoal on paper - 9" x 12"

A Walk

Charcoal on paper, 9"x12"

Elephant

12"x18" Charcoal on paper.