2 urban views

 

A view from Salmon Park in Newtown

 

On Glebe Pt Rd

 

ginger leaves

 

a few people at the opening  

I went up to Lismore for the launch of Strictly for the Birds, an exhibition  organised by Jimmy Willing at the Joy Love studio. The studio in a buyback house on the floodplain in North Lismore (still quite sound, hardwood on top of 5m steel piles), named for the mother of the family that had formerly lived there. Jimmy is at the forefront trying to save some of the houses for the use of the arts, given its importance in the region. 

Around 70 artists contributed their bird paintings, and a huge crowd came along for the opening

 

 

Crow (and 2 lorikeets)

 

The paintings I showed

 

 

Lorikeet Sumo

 

One of t

 Whistling Pigeon

 

Waterloo Corella

 

 

The Siren of Silence, and the Blue Eyed Ravens

The Siren of Silence

I went down to Moshpit on Saturday to the Siren of Silence record launch and did a couple of drawings of the excellent show. I arrived too late to catch much of Sly Fox

 

Josh Shipton and the Blue Eyed Ravens

 

Vance's 55th at Spaceys

 After a few drinks at Joey Mason Russell's opening at Alpha Gallery I headed out Spaceys in Campsie to catch some of the bands playing Vance's party

Solomon Barber with Anousheh St Germain

By the time Balkan Grill came on I'd had a couple more beers so I was getting pretty loose. I had to head off after that so I didn't get a chance to draw Majestic XI but I was a bit sloshed by then so it would have been hit and miss
 

Black cockatoo

 

A black cockatoo in mum's garden a few years ago

 

Waterloo Corella

A corella outside the exhibition last year at Ochredfern.

This is a little extra piece for Jimmy Willing's amazing collection of bird paintings exhibition in Lismore. I wish I could get my big 3x1.5m parliament of birds covid era victoria park  painting up there

Imaginary band

 

Spring Sprung Sprang 2025

 Thanks to MoshPit and Eva for putting on the yearly festival at Moshpit, and all the performers who entertained us. Here are drawings of some of the acts, in no particular order

 

 

 

Meshky

 

Kill Me Now

 

Delusions of Grandeur

 

 

Some sketchy fragments of Tug Dumbly

Balkan Grill

 

 

Sniffer Dogs

 

 

WhatEva

 

 

Some Lackadaisical heads

Open Mic at Since I Left You

 I went to Poetry Sydney last night at Since I Left You on Kent St in the city. I was late and missed the main event, the launch of Kaye Mahoney's  Future Movement book project though I'm preparing an artwork for it (I think). 

 

From the hat I drew the line "Record Temperatures in Death Valley" to riff on, something that entwines the ideas of climate change and fake news, given the temperature Championship of the world all time record (56.7C at Death valley on july 10 1913) is such a weird outlier. It was the US declaring they had the biggest everything, and the highest temperature too! Anyway I'm making an artwork on the theme

I did some drawings of the open mic afterwards

 

 Sid Sledge

cogitating, ruminating

 Jan reading a heartfelt piece about grief and loss

 

 

Geoffrey Datsun's hair

 

Violetta

The Beanie Poet(sorry I've forgottten his name)

Poet and MC Angela Stretch

 

I've also got a painting on the wall at Since I Left You (SILY), an ode to the flying Pieman, a character from 1840s Sydney 

Loose Leaf Literature

 I went to the Chippo Hotel on Abercrombie St on tuesday (15-7-2025) to draw the show at Loose Leaf Literature. It was an entertaining night of music, spoken word and comedy with Victoria Nelson, E. S. Toose and Tavis Harrod. 

 

 

Victoria Nelson Nelson sings her songs - poems set to a couple of chords

 

E. S. Toose reads her work, then improvises when shipwrecked by a heckler

 

Tavis Harrod works his stand up routines

 

Thanks to everyone including MC Dan, Kieran on sound etc and Naomi at front of house

Fabels at Alpha House

 I went to the Alpha gallery last weekend where Fabels played on the last evening of Hiske's exhibition Vingt/Vingt 20/20

 Here are couple of drawings of the Fabels

A bit of scribble of Scattered Order, who played a set before them, but I was a bit late pulling out my drawing pad

Valerios

 Playing Double Bass

 

City from City West Link

 

Melting Sea Ice

Melting Sea Ice in the North West Passage

 

 

 

Majestic XI at the Gasoline Pony

 Yesterday I went along to the Gasoline Pony and saw Majestic XI, Silver Foxes and Ned Alphabet

 

 

 

Majestic XI

Silver Foxes

 

Ned Alphabet

Paul Hayward and the Sidekicks

 I went and saw Paul Hayward and the Sidekicks yesterday at Gasoline Pony

 

 

 

Gabi Eisinger, Paul Hayward and Terry

Simon Peart joining in later on

5olo5

 5olo5 is 5 soloists performing a 12 minute piece then joining in an improv ensemble to complete the show. The brainchild of Trevor Brown, it's on in the Uniting Church on Oxford St Paddington one friday each month. I went along on Friday the 23rd and did some drawings of the performers - Hayley Chan, Gary Daley, Ellen Kirkwood, Freya Shack-Arnott, and Trevor Brown.

Thanks to you all for a really enjoyable show,

This is Gary Daley Playing the accordion enhanced with electronics

 

 

Hayley doing her atmospheric jazzy drum routine

 

Ellen got up and did a circuit of the beautiful old sandstone church, creating reverb off the walls and headspace with her trumpet

 

Trevor on the clarinet, always on the move

 

Freya soloing on the cello

 

Freya again, playing ensemble

 

Gary and Hayel as part of the ensemble

 

Introductions at the strat of the show, Gary, Hayley, Freya, Ellen, and Trevor, my sketchy warm-up. A very enjoyable show, I hope everyone can get along to the next one