Big lift

My father Tom O'Driscoll just died so I've started this painting of some engineering works of his, a multi crane lift for an exhaust stack that he planned and directed for Simon/Carves on a BHP site in Whyalla around 1964

Tom on a swing as 15m pipe section dangles from 2 cranes behind him at a BHP site in Whyalla

 

The colour is still pretty flat, even if Whyalla is pretty much in the desert. I'm wondering whether to put dad in on a swing in the foreground

 

. Now there's a ground I might try and fit a portrait of him in - there's a nice shot of him on a swing around the same time

Angry cars (on a rainy day)

I was painting a canvas of this scene which someone stole off my easel on the front porch in March 2018. So I started another larger version 

This is just about finished I think after we had a bit of rain over the last day or so - earlier versions are below

I'm still waiting for rain to finish. But anyway I've started to put some green into the trees etc

Thick cloud came over this morning so the light was right finally to work on this(and not on the sunny aqueduct I was planning on getting on to)

There hasn't been any rainy weather so I've been filling out the ground with a bit of guesswork, late in  the afternoon or when a bit of cloud comes over

I've been trying to fill out the composition before it all changes too much. Cars move a fair bit of course

 

 

I was painting a canvas of this scene which someone stole off my easel last weekend. So here's another version 

 

This is the one that got pinched

Balsa Eagle

 

And now for something completely different...

Have you ever wondered what to with the funny little bits of wood that come with cheap(and not so cheap) stretchers and canvases? 

Please don't tell me what they're really for;)

Sabrina on the Couch

 

Sabrina dropped in for a bit last night so I put some lipstick on her mouth and generally brightened up the pinks

Sabrina on the couch in my studio with a bunch of shirts and jackets hanging above

 

I'm thinking of painting some portraits so I'll start with the people who visit and sit on my couch.

This is Sabrina talking and texting and tweeting

Aqueduct

 

An old aqueduct where it crosses the creek/stormwater channel between Glebe and Annandale near the end of Wigram Rd.

I keep getting there a bit late, so I can only do so much each time

AA lighting Rig

 

Close to finished, I just want to fix the Kombi

Kombi van, mercedes and generator

 

A view from the corner of Short and Arundel streets in Forest Lodge - a mechanics shop and the back of NSW coroners court. This is just the ground, I'll try to complete over the next week or so

 

Tom at the Mission

 

Tom is one of the stalwarts at the mission, here he's having a smoke and a chat outside. I've been painting muralsthere (Newtown Last Supper, and with Grace Woods, the Australiana Billabong) over the past few years. You can find them on the Newtown Last Supper blog where I'll crosspost this image

Angry Trucks on a rainy day

 

I wanted to go out for a walk but I couldn't get out because of the rain so I started this view from the front porch

Bench Mark Weld

 

A stencil I made for Hamish and Antony, a couple of boilermakers I know

Canadian John

Sabrina and Lyle

 

Sabrina and Lyle came to visit with dip and bread and watermelon juice.

There's a bit of the Junction St roofline behind

Sky with cranes

 

Looking west from Waterloo

Junction St

 

Another step forward.

 

Looking up the little hill near my place

An Apocalyptic image

There When the conscious seize to function the subconscious takes over .

Never crisp clearly defined the inner knowledge gets all vomited out in an Anarchic chaotic sequence of distorted images that speak to the beholder differently each time 

But there is truth hidden in 

Yabun - Australia Invasion Day Gathering

 

A gathering a a traditional site(Victoria Park), as I was told by an elder who came by while I was drawing

Courthouse from Courthiuse

 

Darlinghurst criminal courts from outside the Courthouse hotel on Taylor Square, Darlinghurst 

I want to put a few figures in this one, ghosts of Gilligan's Island

 

I started this a while ago and got back onto it today, but I only painted the sky and a bit more before the rain came and drove me away.

Sydney Uni Construction Site

A building site on the corner of Ross St amd Parramatta Rd I've been painting that seems close to being finished. 

There are some earlier images of the painting here

(oops, I accidentally put an earlier pic of the painting here earlier)

Treetrunk in Marrickville

 

I went to a show yesterday which I wasn't enjoying so I went out into the park and drew a tree

 

Toyota in the carpark next door last night

Civil Disobedience in the Park

 

Drinking, listening to music (and drawing) at the Civil Disobedience Picnic  yesterday evening in Camperdown Park in Newtown to protest the area being declared an alcohol free area

Central Park from the corner of Wattle St

This is very close to done. just have to finish the fosters logo and I'll see what I think - unless I need some coin in which case I'll go  back and work over a bit more - thanks to everyone down there for their support and appreciation

 

Getting close to finishing this piece, I think I'll go to the street one more time

 

I continued today adding detail to the buildings. Thanks to everyone for their comments and domations

 

Cental Park on the site of the old Kent Brewery on Broadway after a few more incremental additions, and the beginning of greens

 

A bit more paint on the canvas after today(wed 7 feb )

 

I rushed at the end yesterday so I had to start today by fixing up drawing but after a few hours I managed to get a ground and drawing on pretty much all the canvas

 

Sydney is one great big construction site. Can some latter day Barry Manilow compose a song along those lines?

A largish canvas I started today on Broadway of what was the old Kent brewery