Sketching with the Brisbane Urban Sketchers in Cathedral Square - Anne Street

It was 32 degrees Celsius in the city today, but the Brisbane Urban Sketchers braved the heat and went sketching.  Seven of us descended on St John's Cathedral and Cathedral Square.

First sketch was of a. Sculpture El Emigrante by World Lebanese Cultural Union (2010)

The inscription reads..... "Le Imigrante - a statue, erected in memory of the Lebanese settlers, who 140 years ago established a presence in Australia."

I was sketching this amazing tree, from Cathedral Square, when around 500 people people descended on the park, milling around and standing between me and the tree. It turned out there was a fire drill and that was their meeting point. So I gave up.

Plein Air Painting at Lota Creek - Brisbane

We must be crazy, the Brisbane Plein Air Painters Group, we ventured out on one of the hottest days this month to paint..It was full tide when I got there, and the boats were sitting prettily in the water.  The tide left faster than I could paint though :)

Oil on board 15" x 12"

Oil on board 20" x 08"

It was a fun day, and Lota Creek is a fun place to paint.  Very safe.  We shall be going back again..

Having some fun....

Drew the sketch one week, and the next week I painted a picture solely from the sketch.

New Farm Park covers 15 hectares (37 acres) and is situated at the south-eastern end of the New Farm peninsula on a bend in the Brisbane River The Powerhouse arts centre is located at the eastern end of the park.

The area was dotted by lagoons and waterholes which the Aboriginals named Binkin-ba, meaning "place of the land tortoise" The land that the park now stands on was originally a farm, built to supply food for the recently founded convict settlement on the Brisbane River. 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

The Bandstand was built in 1915, to a design by AH Foster.. It was built in conjunction with a kiosk which has since been destroyed by fire. The bandstand was built in July of that year, with the kiosk being built in September. Both were of the Federation Queen Anne style. It was part of the formal park work began by the BCC in 1914. Other facilities included a croquet lawn, picnic areas, cricket wickets, tennis courts and football grounds.

Sketching at St Martins War Memorial Hospital - Anne Street - Brisbane

Sketching New Farm Park with the Brisbane Urban Sketchers Tuesday 4th 2014

The land that the park now stands on was originally a farm, built to supply food for the recently founded convict settlement on the Brisbane River. 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. Area 15 hectares (37 acres)

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

Because of World War I the official opening of the park, which was conducted by Hamilton Goold-Adams, was delayed until July 1919 - The rotunda was built in 1915. It was part of the formal park. Work began by the Brisbane City Council in 1914. Other facilities included a croquet lawn, picnic areas, cricket wickets, tennis courts and football grounds.

The park is now a beautiful area, with jacaranda trees, Poinciana Trees, Cassia Trees. Magnificent rose gardens too.

Plein Air Painting Wellington Point

Oil on canvas

Oil on board

Sketching at the Sculpture Garden - Queensland Art Gallery

45th Worldwide Sketchrawl - Indooroopilly, and Walter Taylor Bridge.

We met up with Brisbane Greeters Tina and Susan, who were taking us on our tour of Walter Taylor Bridge.

Sketching whilst walking over the Jack Pesch Bridge 

The bridge is named in honour of Jack Pesch, a cycling champion during the 1930s. He subsequently ran a bicycle shop in Petrie Terrace Brisbane until the mid-1990s, selling and servicing his own 'Rocket' cycles and cycle parts.  The bridge crosses the Indooroopilly Reach of the River, linking Chelmer and Indooroopilly. It is immediately adjacent to the Albert and Walter Taylor Bridges. It was opened on 2 October 1998 by the Queensland Minister for Transport.

The Walter Taylor Bridge

The Walter Taylor Bridge is a heritage-listed suspension bridge crossing the Brisbane River between Indooroopilly and Chelmer in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is shared by motor traffic and pedestrians and is the only habitable bridge in the Southern Hemisphere..

The bridge was conceived, designed, built and funded by local visionary Walter Taylor,   Construction started in 1930, and it opened 14 February 1936.  Walter Taylor (1872 - 1955) was an Australian visionary and builder of many Brisbane landmarks.

Roma Street is a heritage-listed major railway station in the CBD of Brisbane, Australia. It was Brisbane's first railway station, opening in 1875

Sketching Chinatown with the Brisbane Urban Sketchers

Chinatown Mall was officially opened by Lord Mayor Sallyanne Atkinson on 29 January 1987, the first day of the Year of the Rabbit. The Mall was designed by architects and engineers from Guangzhou, and was intended to reflect Tang architecture.

In 1996 part of Jackie Chan's First Strike was shot in the Mall. The scene featured a car chase and an explosion. The Mall's pagoda was destroyed and subsequently rebuilt.

Sketching at City Hall with the Brisbane Urban Sketchers

City Hall in Brisbane is an amazing heritage listed building, full of grace and history. It was built between 1920 and 1930.

Some Historical Facts

• one of the most expensive Australian buildings (it cost around a million pounds)
• ranked as the second largest construction of its time, only outdone by the Sydney Harbour Bridge
• the first major Australian concrete 'column and beam' building constructed 

Brisbane Urban Sketchers

Designed by architectural firm, Hall and Prentice, City Hall has a great circular hall and corridors surounded by offices and function venues. The main entrance from King George Square is emphasised by imposing Corinthian columns that are nearly 14 metres high.  The building has a clock tower rising 92 metres above the ground.  One of the main building features is its grand marble staircase.

The Main Auditorium is City Hall's single largest space. The copper dome over the room is the largest in Australia, spanning 31 metres in diameter. The dome is supported on a brick base that allows the interior of the Main Auditorium to be unobscured by columns.

City Hall workers tried to use locally-sourced materials and were proud to handcraft the finer details of the building. The artistry and craftsmanship of the City Hall architecture draws thousands of interstate and overseas guests to the building each year.

Sketching the sculptures in King George Square

Sketching the Mansions on George Street

The Mansions is a row of six terrace houses located on the corner of George Street and Margaret Street in Brisbane. They were designed by G.H.M. Addison, and constructed by RE Burton in 1889. Dr. Lilian Violet Cooper, who was Queensland's first female doctor and Australia's first female surgeon, was one of the earliest residents.. They were built during the Victorian era  for residential use. After World War I the building became a rooming house.

The Mansions were very nearly demolished in 1974, luckily the plan was delayed, and the Mansions were eventually renovated from 1982-1984.

Sketching with the Brisbane Urban Sketchers

Last Tuesday the Brisbane Urban Sketchers met at Old Government House Brisbane Qld.  It was a great day!

Brisbane Urban Sketchers group On TV!!!!

It was a really exciting and wonderful experience..  Thirteen Urban Sketchers met with The Great South East camera crew, Blair Allsop, presenter, Carole Horne, producer, and Chris Deadman, cameraman, a little after 9.00 am, at Post Office Square, Queen Street, Brisbane.

The cameraman got straight into filming the group sitting around sketching, while the producer and the presenter talked to me and explained what they wanted everyone to do, and how they were going to go about  the film shoot.   They really were lovely people and made us all feel quite at ease, and it was a lot of fun.

They interviewed me first about the group, and I presented Blair with a sketching kit I had made up for him. They then interviewed Carol  and had her show the presenter some tips or getting started sketching with his new kit. They filmed some more members sketching, chatted with some, then they interviewed Janina, about what Urban Sketchers means to her.
The whole thing took around 2 hours and really was a lot of fun.

It really was a busy morning, and I was only able to get a quick sketch done.

BRISBANE URBAN SKETCHERS

Sketchbook Skool - My Beautiful Things

I was invited to join a few people to a sketchout today, themed My Beautiful Things. We went to the Lavender Barn at Newmarket.  It is an amazing place, full of beautiful "things" and a fabulous cafe to boot.
For more about  Danny Gregory's Sketchbook Skool Click HERE!

First up my sketches.

Chook Teacosy (Chook is Australian for chicken)

The teacosies and the services we were sketching..

Our Group!!  Wonderful people..

Flowerbed, of course!

Part of our beautiful surroundings

The lovely lady serving us.  She made awesome coffee and tea!

It was a fun, and very productive day!