Wow! The last Inktober drawing I posted was Day 18. I didn’t realise I was that far behind.
So, here’s a bit of a catch up.
For low-motivation Day 19, I drew a quick sketch of an Echidna, sometimes known as a spiny anteater. They are a monotreme, egg-laying mammals, along with the platypus, and are native to Australia and Tasmania. I live in Tasmania and I’ve seen them several times, often when they are crossing a road. I love the way they walk, they dawdle and their whole body moves from side-to-side. They are cute beyond words. I panic when they are on the road and want to jump out of the car and hurry them along before a car runs over them.
A quick drawing of an echidna
These are two photos I took of an echidna on the side of a road.
For low-motivation Day 20: a rabbit
a rabbit – not very happy with this drawing
For feeling more motivated Day 21: a kangaroo with joey
Kangaroo with joey
… and for Day 22, still feeling quite motivated, I drew a sculpture that is in front of the Government House Tasmania. Which do you like best? A photo of sculptures and buildings or a drawing or painting of sculptures and buildings?
A sculpture in front of Government House. I ran out of room on the paper but I think that may be adding to the picture, rather than detracting from it
and here’s the photo of the sculpture
Thanks for stopping by and wishing you a lovely rest of the day/evening.
We had another Salamanca Market day under blue skies and sunshine. It was a busy day. When I came home, Charli-dog and I went for a long walk and enjoyed the beauty and stillness of one of the many reserves at my doorstep. When I returned home I was too tired to write, hence I’m writing my Salamanca Market update Sunday morning, rather than immediately after the market.
Waverley Flora Reserve
The first people to visit the pjpaintings stall were from Malaysia. They chose a red and yellow “Poppy Fields” and a “Fairy Wrens” print to accompany them back home after holidaying for two and a half weeks in Australia.
Fairy Wrens, Australia’s voted number one most favourite bird
A grandmother bought “Duck Crossing” for her granddaughter. She returned later in the day to get “Who, Who, Who are You? II” for another granddaughter, if she could part with them she said.
Two local ladies, one a psychologist, stopped at the stall to buy artwork for her office. She wanted happy images, at eye level, for her clients to look at. The two deliberated and eventually decided upon “Richmond Bridge, Tasmania”, “Retail Therapy, Salamanca”, and “Who, Who, Who are You? II”.
Retail Therapy, Salamanca
A lady, who was in Tasmania for the Masters’ Games, purchased a small print. She won Gold and Silver in the Dragon Boat races of 20 and 10, plus the drummer and one at the back who steers. A young graphic artist from Devonport, Tasmania purchased “Sea Life” and “Tu-whit & Tu-whoo”.
Sea Life
A couple from Brisbane bought a small platypus original painting. He chose the painting with the rather plump looking platypus. “I’ll have the well-fed looking one”, he said. He was telling me that he saw a platypus, with his binoculars, climb out of the water onto a rock and scratch its tummy with its back paw. How special is that?!
Two ladies from Tamworth, NSW are taking back with them “The Three Amigos” and “Double Date”. They said that they see these birds and rusty gates all the time where they live so these prints fit right in with their surroundings.
The Three Amigos
I had an extremely enthusiastic pair visit the stall from Chinchilla, Qld, a town with a population of approximately 5,500. She bought four prints and then returned later on in the afternoon and bought five more! She said that she went to her hotel room and laid out the four prints on her bed and thought, “I have room on my walls for more.” She returned just before I was going to start packing up, arriving saying she was hoping I was still here because she just loves the art so much she wants more.
Today’s most popular print was: Suspended
Suspended
A thought to ponder: “Amateurs look for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.” – Chuck Close
I’m not sure what Chuck is exactly trying to communicate with this statement, but I suspect that in his view waiting for inspiration is procrastination. If time is going by and inspiration is lacking, I agree just start painting something, but some of my most creative and successful ideas have arrived when I allow myself some quiet think time, despite trying to quieten this ‘you are procrastinating’ feeling trying to push me to pick up a paintbrush.
Wishing you many happy, creative moments, from the Pjpaintings stall #30 at Salamanca Market – Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
I tried drawing a moose for day 23. I wasn’t very happy with it but, as they say, that’s they way the cookie crumbles. Some drawings will turn out better than others.
I’ve always loved moose. I love their squishy looking snout and extra long legs. I’ve encountered moose twice in the wild. Once when I was a young teenager at a summer camp in Minnesota, USA. A girlfriend and I were canoeing on a large body of water. The scenery was like a photo in a magazine. The water was still and inky black with evergreen trees lining the shore. As we canoed around the corner, a moose with a huge set of antlers was standing in the water with its head down eating vegetation. It lifted its head and looked at us. I was at the back of the canoe steering and thought I should probably change course slightly and respect the moose’ personal space.
Day 23’s drawing
The second time I saw a moose was distressing and certainly evoked my maternal extincts. It was in Alberta, Canada, at dusk, while driving we encountered a young moose bellowing and wailing as it was thrashing through the bushes and ditches along the road. It was running and zigzagging across the road, up and down the ditches and into the bushes and then further down the road reappearing. It was very distressed and it was crying. I’ll never forget it. I wanted to comfort it but obviously couldn’t. Apparently, when a young moose gets a certain age, the mother leaves it causing the young moose short-term anguish.
Day 18’s drawing, something else from the northern hemisphere but much smaller than a moose!
I visited the newest sculpture installation at MACq 01 in Hobart just after it stopped raining which made it even a more powerful, emotive and moving experience. I’ve never been so moved by a sculpture before. I’m sure that the sculpture being women and children contributed to it being so moving for me, and why I connected with it so much, empathizing with, and for, my gender, and the horrors these women and children endured.
Sculptures in front of the Macq01, Hunter Street, Hobart
The bronze sculptures bring to the forefront the untold stories of impoverished women and children convicts, many from Ireland, who arrived in Hobart Town more than 150 years ago. The sculptures are the work of internationally celebrated Irish artist, Rowan Gillespie. The sculptures took two years to complete and are modelled on descendants of Tasmania’s convicts.
The body language captured in the young boy sculpture is so emotive.The raindrops running down the boy’s face breaks your heart
The women were marched off to the Female Factory for some form of assignment, and the children were considered orphans, removed from their mothers and placed in orphanages. The suffering, both physical and emotional, endured by the women and children was enormous and these bronze sculptures commemorates the experiences of these often-forgotten people.
Females’ and children’s sufferings and contributions are so often under-represented and commemorated in public art. I’m so pleased and proud that these beautiful sculptures have been added to our city.
Maq01 Hobart, Tasmania
If you visit Hobart, Tasmania, it’s well worth seeing these outdoor works of art.
I drew a skunk and a chipmunk for day 16 and 17. Growing up in Vancouver, B.C., I’ve seen and fed plenty of chipmunks but I have never encountered a skunk. The closest I’ve been to smelling a skunk is smelling Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus). There used to be some swampy areas with skunk cabbages around our neighbourhood that we would quite often use as a short cut to school. We would plug our noses as we walked through. They were stinky! Sadly, the wetlands have disappeared and now houses stand where they used to be.
Day 16 – a skunkA chipmunk. I used to feed often feed chipmunks and squirrels in Stanley Park when i lived in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
This week is Diwali, the Indian Festival of Light, so my weekend commenced with a visit to Friday night’s Street Eats Franko, at Franklin Square, which is a much enjoyed new Hobart City Council initiative that debuted in 2016. Each Friday evening until after Easter, there are food stalls and live bands playing at Franklin Square. It has an awesome atmosphere. I love dropping in on a Friday evening.
Celebrating Diwali at Street Eats @ Franko, Hobart with the awesome Hobart Post Office on Elizabeth Street in the background
Some additional events taking place in Hobart this weekend is a gathering of about 400 Rebel motorcyclists and the International United Nations Peacekeeping & Overseas Policing Association are meeting in Hobart. The latter are having a service Tuesday morning, October 24th, at St David’s Cathedral, Hobart.
Rebels driving off the Spirit of Tasmania ferry, Devonport to Hobart
It was a hectic day at the market today, as I interacted with people from different parts of Australia and the globe. I met a lovely young lady from Brazil, who was reluctantly going back home tomorrow, upon finishing her studies at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies. She was doing her PhD on whales in the Antarctic Peninsula, thus the whale prints catching her eye.
A lady from Port Macquarie area said that “Suspended” gave her ‘goose bumps’. She bought it to give to her husband. They were on a boat for hours when two juvenile humpbacks visited them. They spent about half an hour around the boat, bobbing their heads up out of the water and laying on their backs, a magic and unforgettable experience.
Suspended
I met a lovely couple in their 80’s. The gentleman told me that he was 19 years old and she was 17 when they went on their first date. They had three daughters (the younger two were twins). They spoke some French with me as they lived a year in Montreal. She was a teacher for many years. She said that the first class she taught had three sets of twins (one set, identical twins) and one set of triplets. He was a musician so they went away with a “Black & White + One” and a small “Retail Therapy, Salamanca” print.
Black & White + One
A mother bought “Thunder” for her daughter who is elephant mad. A couple from Indonesia is returning home with “Double Date IV” and “The Three Amigos” and a couple from New Zealand with “Walking the Dogs” and “Off to the Races”. Both prints from the unfurling series and “Café Paris” are going back to Kalgoorlie, WA and a family from the Blue Mountains in NSW is returning with “Tu-whit & Tu-whoo”, “The Three Amigos” and “Double Date IV”. “Helping Hands” and “Who, Who, Who are You?II” are off to Sydney.
Walking the Dogs
I unexpectedly caught up with a former Return to Study student and a current student, who surprised me with a bunch of gorgeous flowers for a belated birthday gift. So nice 🙂 :-).
Spinning Gum and Statice Flowers
Today’s most popular print was: Double Date IV
Double Date IV
A thought to ponder: “If I could say it in words there would be no reason to paint.” ― Edward Hopper
Wishing you many happy, creative moments, from the Pjpaintings stall #30 at Salamanca Market
I really didn’t feel like doing another Inktober drawing and my enthusiasm for Inktober was seriously waning. I considered quitting but from somewhere I was able to muster enough self-discipline to try to spit something else out. I chose a rabbit and drew the head part and thought, “I don’t want to do anymore!!! I’m sick of this relentless coming up with a new drawing every day” so I quickly and roughly finished off the body.
When I stood back, I thought, “wow! I love this little guy!!” I find simplifying and making suggestions in drawings incredibly difficult and if I had set out specifically to try achieve this, I’m quite sure it wouldn’t have turned out as well as this did. It’s funny how sometimes when “I really don’t feel like painting or drawing” something really good gets created or sometimes that feeling is captured and reflected in the painting and it turns out the way you are feeling, a sad and despondent piece of art. I suppose I need to keep this in mind for when I don’t feel like painting or drawing. To help motivate myself, I need to remind myself that I might produce something that I really love and that will give me so much pleasure, like this little rabbit.
A rabbit for Day 14 of the Inktober Challenge.
My favourite drawing so far. I like the lack of detail and the simplicity of the rabbit’s body. It helps to lead the eye, and keep the eye, looking at the head of the rabbit.
A squirrel for day 15 of Inktober. I wasn’t able to achieve the art of suggestion with this one.
A squirrel for Day 15
We’re more than half way through the Inktober Challenge. So far I’ve been keeping up with a drawing a day, a little behind with the posting, but travelling okay with that part of it. At times the Finish line seems far way but I’m still in it, despite finding the motivation part tough at times.
For Day 11 of the Inktober Challenge I drew a Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike. The pattern and colouring of their back feathers is what attracted me to this bird. The name is apparently a reference to their feathers, which have a similar pattern to those of cuckoos, and their beak which resembles that of shrikes. This bird is native to Australia and southern new Guinea. It has a protected status in Australia.
An Artline ink drawing of the Black-faced Cuckoo ShrikeA Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike photo by Bruce Bain
Day 12
For Day 12 of Inktober I drew Zebra Finches
Zebra Finches photo by Roy Beckham
Day 13
A drawing a day is starting to feel relentless. Where is the Finish Line!? I haven’t been paying too much attention to the Inktober prompts but ideas and my enthusiasm for Inktober is starting to wane. The prompt word for day 13 is ‘teeming’ so I thought I would draw a page of teeming insects. I didn’t draw as many as I intended. I lost steam.
teeming insects? Top left is a Tectocoris diophthalmus, Scutelleridae, the one next to it is a Ectomocoris decoratus Stal, Reduviidae, top right insect is a Morna Florens, Pentatomidae and the bottom right hand insect is a Peltocopta crassiventris, Tessaratomidae teeming insects’ page
Ahhhh, there’s nothing like a cup of tea after the market! It was a slow start today but it got much busier as the day went on. I think people saw that it was a nice day so they rolled over and stayed in bed a little longer. The wind picked up slightly in the afternoon, which rattled the nerves after dealing with three weeks of upending-tables-type-of-wind but thankfully it behaved itself today.
The stall holder from up the street was making his mark early in the morning.
There were a few expectant mothers that visited the stall and three of them had Christmas due dates! Uncanny! I had the same due date for my middle child but he decided to arrive on January 5th, consequently putting on weight that extra week, weighing almost 10 pounds at birth. Yikes!
A popular print for the baby’s room
A grandmother from Darwin chose ‘Story time’ and ‘Who, Who, Who are You?II’ for her grandson’s bedroom.
Story time
Some visitors from the UK, which visited the stall last week, said that they have come back to admire the large, framed original painting of elephants, titled ‘Thunder!’ They decided to take back to UK an A-2 sized print of ‘Thunder’ and some smaller pjpainting prints. They were lovely and returned again with friends to show them my art work.
Thunder!
Two ladies stopped by and one said that she had two pet emus, named Pinhead and Boofhead. They got them as chicks. She said it took them ten years before they found out that they can eat emu eggs.
A couple from Adelaide bought ‘Black & White + One’ for their music room.
Black & White + One
A man visiting from New Zealand purchased ‘Beauty Queens’ to take back with him. An original Tassie Devil and Koala is travelling to China. ‘Suspended’ was thoughtfully chosen for a gift for a boyfriend. It involved a couple visits to the stall and quite a lot of deliberation.
Suspended
‘Outback Glamping’ was bought for a gift for a partner. They had not long returned from visiting Uluru.
Outback Glamping
The Christmas cards attracted more attention today, especially ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Emu’. We are creeping closer to December.
Today’s most popular prints were: Scarlet Robins, Suspended and Who, Who, Who are You?II
Scarlet Robins
A thought to ponder: “At the end of the day your ability to connect with your readers comes down to how you make them feel.” ― Benjamin J. Carey I think that this applies to all art.
Wishing you many happy, creative moments, from the Pjpaintings stall #30 at Salamanca Market
I celebrated my birthday on Bruny Island, an island about 50 km long, which is more like a north and south island joined by a thin piece of land, named The Neck (pictured above). There are only about 600 of the people-kind of residents living on Bruny, the other residents being many rare and endangered plants, animals and birds, including regular visits from the infamous fairy penguins. Its natural surroundings display year-long art exhibitions. Nature puts on fabulous art shows.
Artistically placed by nature.
More sand patterns found at Cloudy Bay Lagoon
A sand stream at Cloudy Bay Lagoon, Bruny Island
Sand bubbles
A natural beach necklace
natural rock art at Cloudy Bay Lagoon
A sea urchin on display at the Quarantine Station, Bruny Island.
Bruny Island is such a peaceful, relaxing and picturesque destination. Art is found everywhere in nature.
Artistically placed by nature.
The Unfurling Artist: journalising creative journeying 