Bushels and the Mudflat

 

 

I went out to Concord to visit Robert Smith and then work on this painting after I stayed overnight.

 

I had a chat with Anna, an 84 year old fashion designer who told me its planned to knock down the old Bushels factory in the centre of the view, so it was a good thing I'd come to paint it, and now. I return I showed the materials I was using - a bunch of tube oilpaints as well as a little bottle of gum turps and another with gum turps mixed with a tiny bit of stand linseed oil which I use to thin the paint. The stand oil makes the paint lush and easier to apply and work, and also dry faster. But don't overdo it, the paint can do stuff like dry shiny in places(or crazed if you put lean paint over it)

 

 

The canvas before I started today in Prince Edward park in Cabarita Bay with Bushels across the water and regenerating mangroves in the foreground, which are being allowed to regenerate in this part of the harbour

 

 

This is what it looked like at the start of today, which I painted a few months ago the last time I came out here

 

Garden and Flowers

 

 

There are earlier versions of this picture of my mothers kitchen garden in Newcastle here.

 

I've been there for the last few days, spending a bit of time with her and in her garden, doing a bit of weeding, as well as painting and taking a few photos of the flowers blooming at the moment

 

 

A few geranium flowers and leaves and a bit of the terracotta pot the plant grows in: I started this with leftover paint when I was about to head home

 

 

 

A camelia flower opening with some leaves and another bud.

 

I don't usually put straight photography up on this site, here's some flowers(mostly) from the garden. Mum's not so mobile so I took them to show her some flowers she might not otherwise see

 

 

I'm not sure what this weedy tree is, the yellow bell flowers look cool tho.

 

 

Another shrub whos name I don't know

 

 

This wandering dew has a cute little blue flower

 

 

Among the rain lilies

 

 

native violets

 

 

this lurid azalea reminds me of photos of sea slugs with their crazy frills

 

 

shooting with a fairly large aperture(f3.2) and single point autofocus really brings out whatever is in the shallow field of focus.

 

Here's a spray of flowers on a purple weed with focus at slightly different distances.

 

AF on phones (and point and click cameras) gives me the willies, its hopeless if there's any clutter . Then there's the tiny CCD and lens. A $200 android and a DSLR and a couple of lenses doesn't cost any more than a current iphone, less in fact. If taking photos is important get a camera. With an app to control it it is integrated with your phone anyway

 

 

camelias...

 

 

The garanium I started painting above

 

 

A dragonfly in silhouette - it stayed there for a while, so we were wondering if it just oulted and was waiting for its carapace and wings to harden