The Opera House and the Harbour Bridge at Dusk

I felt like over the years I did so many works focusing on each of these Sydney Icons, yet to date this is the only one dealing with them both.

Amazing how the light plays across the harbour, and how beautiful the lights of North Sydney are from the East or the City itself. I especially love the way the floodlit and lit-up commercial buildings in Sydney look reflected on the harbour. When I think about this short series of works it's quite amazing the range of colours a person can see in one location throughout one day.

Amazing

Quite proud of the green-floodlit feel of the bridge; it illuminates in a particular fashion and I feel like I captured it well.

Acrylic on Canvas
85 x 35 cm

The Opera House at Dawn

How many of us have seen a view like this before?

I must have seen this sight hundreds of times travelling across the bridge to work or university over the years... The sun rising to the East over the Tasman Sea, bursting through a far out to sea cloudbank which looks like a fantastic mountain range. It's beautiful light bathing the surrounding sky a myriad of hues, namely peach, rose, lemon and orange. Amazing. And the Opera House, being so much lighter in tone than much of the surrounding development seems to glow dully from all the faint reflected light filling the sky and falling on the clouds above (if they're there of course. Somehow on cloudless days it seems to happen more).

The image is loose and playful - like the idea it's so early the weary commuter is still getting the mind to work and the eyes are still adjusting.

You know how they say you have to stop and smell the roses in life..? Well, they're right. You do. You never know when these sights mightn't be available to you as readily as they once were. It really is a matter of "life is what hapens when you are busy making other plans" as John Lennon said.

Stop and smell a rose, or lie on some fresh cut grass in the sun for twenty minutes, or watch a sunset today. Go on - spoil yourself.


Acrylic on Canvas
76 x 58 cm

The Opera House from Dawes Point

I hated this painting almost the entire time I worked on it, up until the last hour or so where I began to render the ripples in the harbour. I think it's the limited palate. For some reason after the water was rendered more effectively it seemed to 'tighten up' and really look great. The light always looked right; just like it does late morning when the sun is breaking through the clouds, maybe towards the middle of the year in early winter. The grey of the overcast sky and the blue breaking through in the reflection makes an interesting composition. My wife's uncle told me it "...feels like the water is moving" which it what you set out to achieve when you paint water. Merci Benoit..!

It might also have something to do with the type of ferry traffic on the water.

I have never caught a River cat; I feel like I've missed a little something by not doing this. I guess when you come from Manly a lot of people think you look down through your nose on places like Parramatta - and perhaps we do to a degree. I believe much of the run up the Parramatta River is through a ton of Mangrove and not the most interesting for the sight-seer.

Still, I think I will do it one day, I've watched a you tube video (sped - up) which I enjoyed and it as ignited a little curiosity on this little voyage. I've even had a few dreams about it, although with my dreams there's always illogical surrealism - you could wind up anywhere with anyone - catching a River cat up the Parramatta River which eventually winds up in Venice, sitting next to Chewbacca the entire journey.

"Circular Quay Too (Sic) Parramatta"

- (Cut & paste again - sorry folks - also I hope you like The Eurythmics & bad dub-step type Elevator Music)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRRwnAatpnQ



Acrylic on Canvas
76 x 58 cm

Sunset Over The Bridge

This painting is a companion piece to the last image posted. It's how I would envisage the sun going down an hour or so after the time in the last work. I also really like the idea of this being what you would see from the same location in Kirribilli visible opposite the Opera House in that painting.

I was really blown away by the way the city looked during the 2009 Dust Storm. I'll never forget waking that morning and glancing out of the window seeing all the orange light in the air. I thought it was a weird sunrise, or possibly a far off bushfire turning the morning sky red. Went to pay a morning visit and then back to bed - it wasn't until we all woke later and saw the world through a surreal fog and orange photographic film filtered lens... Truly bizarre.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Australian_dust_storm



It was some of the incredible shots of the Harbour Bridge which stayed in my mind; it disappearing into the miasma of dust blown out of the desert still sick with drought. I believe some of it even landed on New Zealand. Seldom any bulldust heads in that direction, rather the other way round. Gags aside that was pretty wild. Some funny bugger Photoshopped Godzilla coming out of the dust next to it from somewhere in Milson's Point/Lavender Bay which was hilarious - did the rounds as a meme in Sydney for a while.

(Have to cut and paste this link for some reason - Blogger won't hotlink it)

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=308693&stc=1&d=1253684545



I'd painted the bridge from a similar angle about 25 years before and wanted to explore the complex structure of the arch again - it was a challenge and very rewarding. I'm very proud of the red on the south Pylon and over the bridge.

Have you ever noticed when you stare into sunrise or (usually more) sunset your retina fills with photons and - not certain whether it's lens-flare or the rods and cones overloaded with this radiation filtered through a great deal of atmosphere, shadows take on other colours, like the reds in this work...? It was kind of an afterthought and for me me it really makes it sing.

I also got a lot of compliments on the water, which is nice. I like that people feel it's almost moving, very gratifying.


What do you think..? The day is done? Time to head home?


Acrylic on Canvas
72 x 56 cm

Opera Bar

I had a mate once complain that the drinks were expensive at the Opera Bar in the forecourt of Sydney's Famous Opera House. I was truly Astounded; here we were enjoying a drink alongside one of the worlds most iconic, remarkable and beautiful man made structures and he was whining about the price of a beer. The philistine..! The best things about the bar is where it is; the few dollars extra is completely worth it to marvel at the Opera House itself and the wonderful views of the city, North Sydney and the bridge, along with all the water traffic which passes by as the sun sets.

An amazing spot; really brilliant at any time of the day but especially when bathed in the glow of the evening setting sun against the majestic sails of the icon like in my painting here. It's like the whole world glows; even more marvelous in mild summer weather. I guess only someone who has taken it in can appreciate it.

When I showed this work in Quebec a couple wandered by and the woman said to the man (in French) "Oh, regarde - Vancouver..." (Oh - Look: Vancouver) referring to the recently built Trade and Convention Centre.

Oh well. I take it as a personal matter, not a criticism of my own artistic merit. She probably would have thought a painting of the Colosseum was home of the Dallas Cowboys.

FAIL..!

Acrylic on Canvas
72 x 56 cm

The delightful and no doubt functional aforementioned Convention centre which looks like Cinderella's ugly step sister's goofy bridesmaid by comparison

The Manly Ferry Freshwater 2

No - not the second boat by that name but the second painting I did in July of the same Ferry as in the last post. This image depicts the ferry pulling into Circular Quay in Sydney. For the uninitiated the ferries berth here between the city and arguably the country's most iconic man made structures; the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Like any Sydney-Sider I love this part of the world; only when you have lived somewhere else does it become so abundantly clear how amazing this location truly is. I'm particularly proud of this image - really love the play of light on the water and feel like I could throw a rock into the water there (or an empty beer stubbie as we used to in the bad old "unenlightened" days)... I also really like the light off the hull of the boat; have you ever noticed on ships and large boats the way the metal plates are attached to the frame leaves slight wavy forms in the hull..? Feel really pleased w/the subtle reflections of the light off the water capturing this.

It's a grey-day in Sydney; around 10:30 - 11:00 am and the sun over Kirribilli is beginning to break through the clouds and sparkle off the water; there's a River Cat to the left turning around about to head off to Parramatta and the skipper has cut the Ferry's engine as it coasts into the wharf; soon they will throw it into reverse. I'm not certain of the name of it - possibly Matilda Cruises - but a large private harbour cruiseboat can be seen behind it closer to the bridge - always felt like it looked like a huge ice-cream cake shaped like a wedge.

The Ferry itself is quite different in this image to the other painting; the prow is sharper, and the city name appears below the title of the boat. I can rember them adding that several years back.

I can almost smell the seawater and the hint of Diesel and hear the sounds of the city and the harbour; cars on the Cahill Expressway, a trains horn sounds underneath, heavy construction seems to be constant there. And of course the sight of the old Coat Hanger behind it...

Can't wait to see and experience it all again soon.

I'm looking at it as I write this now. makes me quite proud. Would like to hang it I think - unless someone makes an offer on it of course - The other Freshwater painting (last post) is Proudly handing in my wife's office - if she got that hook for it yet..!


The Freshwater at Circular Quay
Acrylic on Canvas 50 x 40 cm

Tree-trunks, Illumination and putting down roots for Canadian Coatsie

Well, its been a year here in Toronto and I have certainly put down roots, having had an amazing change of life and met so many wonderful supportive people, all so kind and interested in my paintings, not least of all my amazing wife.

Last month I participated in Le Symposium des arts (Art Symposium) at Domaine Saint-Bernard in Mt Tremblant, Quebec. Being married to a French Canadian helps tremendously – I am officially a Quebecois-in-law – and am slowly learning the language and the wonderful culture. Basically I nod my head and say “Oui ~ oui ~ oui” a lot and eat Brie… Jokes aside my Canadian family are wonderful and very patient with the new “Anglo” in the family – try calling any Australian an Englishman in any other way shape or form and there may e some type of disagreement… I’m happily forgoing any such inadvertent innuendo – when in Rome as they say – leap onto the pavement or be run over by a Fiat 500..!




It was such a wonderful weekend and I managed to jag a cash prize for the best work created at the Symposium – a gratifying achievement – especially given the field was filled with some well established local creative luminaries and talent which put me to shame, along with some fine exponents from other provinces, and as far-a-field as France.


The winner on the day in my hot-little-hands

So, being happy here in Canada hasn’t left me any less homesick for old Sydney town* and I’m thrilled to be returning home in October for the Nuptials of a good friend and the celebration of my amazing Grandmother’s birthday (the evergreen Joyce is turning 98 – still lives alone, in the home she and my grandfather built in 1947 bless her – great genes I hope to inherit).


So this meant painting a lot of scenes of Sydney which no doubt was a cathartic exercise for me. I’m choosing to celebrate this trip down-under by posting some of this work here over the next foreseeable proverbial few days… Or until I have more to show of Canada!


First up: the Manly Ferry Freshwater. A subject of a few paintings of mine (look a couple of posts back to see a painting of the "Collaroy"), this particular Ferryboat is named after the beach just north of Manly where my wife and I married, the very same restaurant my grandparents used to meet in during the war while my Grandfather – a Sergeant in the Royal Australian Army was manning a trench dug into the beach for a short time. I was a resident of “Freshie” a while ago for a couple of years – a great spot.


Manly Ferry Freshwater at Manly Wharf - Acrylic on Canvas
50 cm x 40 cm

The boat is pulling into Manly Wharf – running it’s engine in reverse, the prop in the bow (these boats have dual-ended prows and props) is churning up the water in Manly cove a beautiful iridescent green… I used to love watching this as a child, and I’m sure I’ll be just as fascinated by it when I visit there soon.

Watch this space my little Lemon-Drops. More to come.


(*Fond term for the city; not the crappy reenactment village fun park west of Gosford in the 1980’s)