Sketchcrawl #34

Our Sketchcrawl took place at the Old Observatory, where we were greeted by a spectacular new (to me)view of Johannesburg and the strange round-topped buildings that house the telescopes, or the few that are left. The main big telescopes have been moved to the new Observatory in Sutherland, and there is a slightly abandoned air about the structures scattered around this site, though there are plans to turn it into an interactive Science Park according to their website.  

I joined most of the other sketchers - great turnout this time - on a high round platform with a panoramic 360° view. (Do go and check out Barbara's sketches for a really comprehensive visual report of the day!) I did a quick warm-up sketch of the little library and some of the towers, but wished I'd brought my Japanese fold-out Moleskine - a perfect place to fill that, I'll have to go back when I've got plenty of sketching energy and time!

I then went inside the building on the left, and ambitiously thought I'd fit in the whole telescope with its sliding window above it (I'm sure there are technical terms for all these things, but I don't know them). I didn't, and got a little grumpy trying.  




 I went off to find something more in my comfort zone, and settled on one of the lovely old windows of the Herbert Baker-built library surrounded by its warm golden stone walls.
By which time I realised how hot and dehydrated I was - and hungry - so into the cool library for a sandwich and some water, and finally found a shady place to sit on the stoop for my last sketch of the day, pleasantly peaceful apart from the sound of a persistant chainsaw somewhere down in the valley.

Railways and Bridges

 Joburg Sketchers ventured into the city on Saturday - well, the gateway to the city - where the fairly new Nelson Mandela bridge spans the railway lines, connecting Braamfontein and the Northern suburbs to Newtown, Johannesburg central and the South. We parked in the grounds of the Holy Trinity Catholic church, which Barbara and I tried sketching while waiting for everyone to arrive (right), which was the start of a challenging few hours drawing architecture and lots and lots of lines!

We worked our way towards the bridge, some of us getting very successful sketches along the way. I had a huge truck obstruct my first view of the bridge so only really got to work again once we were on it. Looking down, the converging and swerving lines of the railways and trains, the bridges and highways, the verticals, diagonals, horizontals and criss-crosses were so intricate it was almost impossible to see what was what and I kept swopping implements to try and capture it all. Then a quick look up and a half-hearted, not very hopeful attempt to get that soaring perspective above me (left).

We then decided to look for a more distant viewpoint, eventually landing up on the 4th floor of a parking garage, where we had a panoramic view of the bridge, the railways and part of the city. I managed to stick to just one drawing tool this time - my aquabrush filled with Ecoline watercolour.

You can see everyone else's sketches here on Facebook, and Cathy, Barbara and John's posts on their blogs.

Here are five versions of the same scene, from slightly different angles on the bridge, from left to right, Barbara, John, Anni, me and Cathy Giordini-Bricka - I love seeing the different treatments!

A Slow Start and Slow Painting

 I'm having very frustrating computer problems at the moment - technology stuck in the last decade - so can't scan or web browse. It's gone for an overhaul and I hope will be back in action soon. I'm using an even older slower machine, which I'm likely to throw out of the window if I try to do anything too complicated, so I've found some images in the hard drive that I haven't shown here before.

This is a painting I've been working on, or should I say agonising over, for 15 years or so. It started out as a completely blue painting of five figures, which was cold and boring - so eventually, after years of pondering, I superimposed another version of the figures over that with some colour (below).
After learning about glazing last year, I sketched in different poses of the figures with a red oilstick, and glazed layers over, trying to abstract it a bit more. In the version above, I added some digital lighter shapes which aren't in the actual painting... yet... who knows how it might go over the next fifteen years. I can't see it objectively any more. If it weren't such a big canvas - 122cm x 76cm - I'd scrap it and call it a day.

I haven't made any ambitious resolutions, but I do wish you all a wonderful, productive, creatively fulfilling 2012, heavens, there are only 11 and a half months left. At least I get to spend more time in my studio when computering is so painful - if I had made resolutions, that would be one!

Looking back

What a year, what a sketching, painting, writing, thinking, planning, travelling year! It may not have looked like it to you here, as I didn't quite keep up reporting on it all but when I look back... whew...
It was the year of:
  The incredible Lisbon Symposium
  The Postcard from my Walk exchange

The Art of Urban Sketching book - due to be launched world-wide in February, and in which Johannesburg, and I feature!

  The Dark Cloud - a fully-packed year long painting course

  A Don Andrews workshop

  Giving my own first workshops - first a sketching one here at home to practice for the symposium, and after much needless anxiety, the 'Urban Portraits' in Lisbon

  Trips all in a row to Zambia, Portugal and France

  The flourishing of the Joburg Sketchers group, which has gathered lots more participants and is in need of more efficient organisation and - dare I whisper it - another blog

While many would have taken all this in their stride and hardly blinked at all this activity, I have to admit to feeling wrung out towards the end of 2011. All the new experiences, commitments and schedules so different from my normal laid-back and pretty secluded lifestyle were a shock to my introverted system - happy and exciting, but still a shock. Keeping up my own postings, and with everybody elses on the art blogs, Flickr, Urban Sketchers and Facebook just got too much and I apologise again to everyone I neglected.

Looking back at the year in pictures from the postcard project is very satisfying. A record of the seasons turning in Joburg (apart from one done on holiday in Zambia), memories of who I was sketching for, when and where - after all the insecurities that we all seemed to share about producing cards 'good enough' to send - I approach the end of it with mixed feelings. The eagerly awaited postcards plopping through the letterbox took forever to arrive, while time to make another one to send, seemed to come round as soon as the last one was stamped and sent off. With three to go, I've stumbled and fallen behind with this too, but will catch up soon and show you my wonderful collection of cards from a lovely bunch of artists and friends from Sketchercise. In the meantime you can follow them all arriving to and from around the world here at Postcards from My Walk.
I'll be back with wishes for the New Year!

Happy Christmas!

 On another jacaranda-painting expedition a few weeks ago with our sketching group, I ended the session with a couple of sketches of  the thousands of fallen bougainvillea blossoms at my feet. I found the brush shaped petals and forms so enjoyable to paint, even roughly and quickly as I did them then (below), that I collected a hatful to take home. Yesterday I got to spend another happy hour or so painting them, now dried, more carefully, but still trying to keep them carefree. I think they'll do to wish every one of you a wonderful, joyous and peaceful festive season, however you celebrate it, wherever you are.

A Home to remember

One of our regular Joburg Sketchers, Barbara, invited us to her home yesterday, for a delicious tea and to sketch features of the lovely old house in which the family has lived happily for 30 years, and which is now on the market as they prepare to move into a new stage of life. Barbara is going to make a journal and sketchbook of the history and memories of their time there, and thought a sketching session by our group would get it off to a good start - we'll send her digital copies which she can print and put in the album. The house is full of beautifully crafted details from its early days, as well as modern open spaces that made it a very happy and welcoming home.

I started with the armchairs around the fireplace with an impressive brass collection on the mantelpiece, that must have overheard many an interesting discussion over sherry on cold winter's nights - and then to one of the lovely bevelled glass leaded windows (top) hosting a collection of wooden birds.

Barbara's little terrier caught my eye, basking in the sunlight coming through another window. I had to get her down quickly first before moving on to the surroundings as I knew she wouldn't stay there long - and she didn't, as soon as she realised she was being stared at.

John set up his easel and did an oil painting of the outside cottage. As I said before, Joburg is emptying out for the holidays, so only four of us got there - but hope it gets the ball rolling for the special record this journal will be.

Carols by Candlelight

This is the line drawing I did last week at the Zoo Lake Carols by Candlelight on Wednesday. I started sketching in late afternoon sunshine, when Simba the Lion and Father Christmas did their thing, and ended in the dark, lit by candles and spotlights as the Salvation Army band, the choir and the Nativity play swung into enthusiastic action.

After a while my Lamy pen was running out of ink and I couldn't see my page any more, so took the line drawing home and tried different techniques - wax crayons, watercolour wash and black and white pens and markers - to try to capture the sparkles, shimmers and glows of the night scene.

Carol concerts and Christmas Fairs have to be held early in Johannesburg. From now on, everybody starts packing up to go on holiday and from the 16th when the Builder's holidays start, it's practically deserted. Carols by Candlelight is an old tradition here, where families pack picnics, presents for needy children, blankets, granny and the kids, and gather in their hundreds on the grass under the stars.
The little girl in the middle seemed to find the drawing lady more interesting than all the entertainment behind her, but when the candles were lit she joined her mom to sing - there at bottom left.