Sketching the War Memorial Hospital which is part of St Johns Cathedral

Sketching the War Memorial Hospital at St Johns Cathedral.

I was told today, that the dome I was sketching used to be the old Operating Theater.

A5 225gsm Holcroft Sketchbook - Lamy Pen - Watercolours.

 

 

Medieval Market and Fantasy Faire..

What  a super day it was today.  Three of us went to the Ipswich Medieval Market and Fantasy Faire to sketch.  This event is held yearly, but I have never been to this one before.  I don't remember going to the Ipswich CBD before either.  I is only a 40 minute drive from Brisbane, and is full of gorgeous historical buildings.

First sketch of the day was a dashing cavelier 

 Next was Edmond a Coin Minter.

Third was Jabadaw, playing a Hurdy Gurdy and a recorder.  

Followed by Rebecca playing Greensleeves on the harp

Bonnie was separating Drysdale sheep fleece

Lastly Gypsy Love and her Gypsy van

Sketching with the Brisbane USkers at the GOMA

Sketching on the river was wonderful today.  A glorious Autumn day, warm and fun.  I started off sketching with Liane on the grassed area, and then we both moved on up to Kurilpa bridge to sit with a group of sketchers sketching our beautiful river.   My sketch is 3 separate sketches overlapping.

University of Queensland (Australia)

The University of Queensland, UQ, is an Australian research university founded in 1909, UQ is one of Australia's oldest and most selective universities.  You can read about the history of this beautiful and historical university HERE You can read about the Great Court where I was sketching HERE, and about the Coats of arms I sketched and the Grotesques..

The columns that support the cloister around the Great Court are adorned with coats of arms representing the tertiary institutions of the British Commonwealth, other significant international universities, and the UQ residential colleges. The external walls of the cloister feature archways and roundels that depict native Queensland flora and fauna and exotic and agriculturally significant species.

 

 

 

Perhaps the most intriguing features are the carved stone caricatures or grotesques that decorate the outside walls of the Great Court. These portraits are popular because of the light-hearted quality they bring to the otherwise formal architecture. Their quirky designs reflect the whims of the stonemasons who created them. Subjects include UQ academics, fictional characters from literature, mythical creatures, a portrait of stonemason John Theodore Muller, and a self-portrait of sculptor Rhyl Hinwood.

 

 

 

Saint Johns Cathedral and Saint Martins House. (Formerly St Martins War Memorial Hospital)

Wonderful sketching day today.  The Brisbane USkers went to St Johns Cathedral.  It was a glorious day and I got two small charcoal sketches done.

St Martin's Hospital was erected as a war memorial to commemorate those who had served in the First World War.  The hospital was named after St. Martin of Tours as the 11th of November (Remembrance Day) is his feast day. On 28 November 1922 the hospital was officially opened and dedicated by the then Governor-General of Australia, Lord Forster. 

 

 For a period of fifty years until its closure in 1971, the Sisters with a staff of devoted nurses operated an efficient hospital in this building serving the Queensland community, true to its purpose of a living war memorial.
"Take heed lest ye forget"
Plaque :
St. Martin`s Hospital
Chruch Of England War Memorial
In perpetual remembrance of the sorrows and sufferings of the Great War and lest the spirit of sacrifice then kindled should perish from among us.
This hospital with those who serve here, is set for a living witness and appeal.
These words were inscribed on a silky oak plaque in the Entrance Hall of St Martin`s Hospital

St Johns Cathedral, or part thereof.

 

 

Saint Johns Cathedral has taken over 100 years to build, and it is still ongoing. The foundation stone of St John's Cathedral was laid in 1901.  From 1910 until the mid 1960s, the building remained much as it was opened.  The building is in Early English Gothic style, with many characteristics of French Gothic, built largely in local stone: external coursed rubble of porphyry, and internal freestone dressings of brown Helidon sandstone.  The second phase of the building, comprising an extension of a further four bays to the nave, was commenced in 1965 and consecrated in 1968 by Archbishop Philip Strong. Again, a temporary west wall was constructed.   The final phase of construction commenced in 1989, comprising the completion of the nave, construction of the south-west porch and west front, addition of the north and south towers, completion of the central tower, and the addition of the three spires. The completed building was consecrated by Archbishop Phillip Aspinall in October 2009 or so they thought, but...........

These are  6 of the 29 life sized statues to be positioned on the front of the Cathedral.

 

Manly Boat Harbour. Brisbane Qld

Manly Boat Harbour is now the largest boat harbour facility in the Southern Hemisphere, with over 3,000 dry standings and wet berths, plus two public boat ramps (one at each end of the harbour).

A number of boating clubs are based in Manly including the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, the Wynnum Manly Yacht Club, the Moreton Bay Trailer Boat Club, and the Darling Point Sailing Squadron. 

The Qld Yacht Squadron was founded in 1885, received royal charter in 1902, and added Royal to its title in 1961. Its members have competed at the Olympic Games since 1956. In 1970 the club made the news for preventing its female sailors from attending a function hosted by the club and attended by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

Pastel pencil on a no name tinted 8.5" x 6" paper

51st Worldwide SketchCrawl (Brisbane Australia)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/JJ.Bell.Fine.Art/

It will now be Sketchcrawl in the Northern hemishpere.  What a super day we had.  There  were only three of us, but we had the best day ever.

It is ANZAC weekend here.  That is the three day long commemoration of the soldiers who died in WWI  ANZAC stands for Australia and New Zealand Army Corp.  Most people go away for the long weekend.

However, three of us  were here to sketch, and we started at the amazing Mayne Medical School at Herston, on to the Old Museum on Herston Road, and then finishing up at the Grand old Jubilee Hotel for lunch.

My sketch, drawn in a brand new Moleskine A5 sketchbook.  I elected to sketch the three stops as a montage on a double page spread, using my lamy  pen and a cheap China pen and black noodlers ink.

Mayne Medical School built 1938-1939 

 

Old Museum built in 1891 as the Agricultural Exhibition Building, and later other parts of the building were used as a Concert Hall and an Art Gallery. It is now the Youth Orchestra Conservatory. 

 

Last stop the magnificent Jubilee Hotel. This gorgeous Hotel was built in 1887 designed by Richard Gailey, and it opened in 1888 - the same year that the Empire and Prince Consort Hotels, also designed by Gailey, opened too. They valley has the most amazing heritage listed buildings, a sketchers paradise.

 

 

Jan Powers Farmers Markets

What a glorious morning to go to the Power House at New farm and sketch with the Brisbane USkers.  I chose to sketch the market stalls.

Sketched on A5 Canson 270 gsm rough

Lamy pen and watercolours

               (Photo: Circa 1950 State Library of Queensland and John Oxley Library; #74913)

The first stage of the New Farm Powerhouse was built in 1927-28 as part of the growing need for Powerhouses for the Brisbane Trams. The power station began operations in 1928, was decommissioned in 1971. It was renovated and re-opened as a modern entertainment hub in 2000.

             

Saint Stephens Cathedral Brisbane

Sketching at St Stephens Cathedral

St Stephen's Cathedral was opened on 17 May 1874, superseding Old St Stephen's, which still stands alongside it. A Gothic Revival building built of porphyry and freestone, the new Cathedral was built in stages: The foundation stone was laid in 1863, with the intention of constructing a grand building to the design of architect Benjamin Backhouse. With the economic crisis of the 1860s, work on the building ceased in 1864, and when construction was resumed in 1870, it was to a smaller and simplified design by the Brisbane architect, R. George Suter. Two sandstone towers were added in 1884, and the sacristy and simple transepts were added in 1922.

 

I used a Tombow Dual Brush pen and a Waterbrush for this sketch,  Done on Saunders 140lb rough

 

Looking across the famous Kangaroo Point Cliff to the Brisbane CBD

It was a beautiful day today, up on the cliffs.  Quite hot for Autumn though, still wearing very light summer clothes.

I had a super vantage point for my "Tower of Power sketch today.  I could see the Wheel of Brisbane, Stefans Sky needle, Parliament House, and in the background Mount Coot-tha and the icon television towers.  I think I'll turn this sketch into a painting.

This sketch, I drew looking through the fence to St Marys Anglican Church.  It is a beautiful old church and was  built in 1873 by Alfred Grant to a design by diocesan architect Richard G Suter. It replaced a timber structure built in 1849 on land closer to the river.

 

 

Can you spot all the landmarks I mentioned up there?

 

 

I was sitting in the Cliff Park, being eaten by ants, but was too excited to get this sketch done to move.

Sketching in Anne Street Brisbane

I had a super morning out with the Brisbane Urban Sketchers sketching around ANZAC Square.

Sketched on an A5 (8.5 x 6.00 inch) Canson watercolour pad.

Pen ink and watercolour.

Gas Stripping Tower - Brisbane Qld

I went to the Davies park markets today, and behind the markets is an iconic, historic Gas Stripping tower. It is the only one of it's kind in Australia.

It is a demountable cast iron tower was manufactured in 1912 by Robert Dempster & Sons Ltd, of Elland, Yorkshire, and transported in segments to Brisbane, where it was erected at the West End Gasworks in Montague Road operated by the South Brisbane Gas & Light Company. The South Brisbane gas and Light Company was established in 1885, in direct competition to the Brisbane Gas Corporation. The tower was decommissioned in 1949.  It is on the heritage register.

Bockingford 140lb 11" x 15' cp Uni Pin 0.5 pen and watercolours.

Sketching at the University of Queensland

I went out with the Brisbane Urban Sketchers this morning.  We had a lovely morning, weather was gorgeous.  I had a blast using my Elegant Writer Calligraphy Pen and another pen I bought called Micador.  Both are watersoluble and a blast to use with a water mister bottle.

First sketch I sat on a wall looking towards the Goodwill bridge.  I sketched the shelter and CityCycles.

Next I went for a walk with two others and we sat on the verandah of Old Government House and sketched the Technology Buildings

I really was taken by the clouds on the glass building.

Thank you for looking.

General Post Office Brisbane Town..

The history of this site predates the 1872 construction of the Brisbane GPO by John Petrie. During the convict settlement the Female Factory or women’s prison was situated here, deliberately isolated from the rest of the settlement to keep the women away from the unwanted attention of other male prisoners and officers.
With the old prison and one time police quarters demolished, colonial architect FDG Stanley came up with the Italianate design for the GPO and twin Telegraph Office. Although the GPO was completed in 1872, the central tower (a scaled down version of a more grandiose proposed clock tower) and Telegraph Office weren’t built until 1877-79.