Botanical Art & Travel Sketching in Savusavu, Fiji

I have just returned from an incredible week with a group of delightful, motivated and enthusiastic participants - drawing and painting the flora and attractions of Savusavu on Vanua Levu, Fiji. We stayed at Koro Sun Resort which exceeded all my expectations. This was my first time at this resort, but I have been going to Savusavu since 2006 and have taught many courses here.

The lily pond on Koro Sun Resort

Over water villas - the view from one side of our painting room

The staff were always smiling and could not do enough to make our stay very special. What can I say - fantastic service, food, accommodation and the most amazing area to paint in. We were able to use the Seaview Restaurant which was right over the water with an almost 360 degree view and windows all around. Tons of room for me to move around and for the students to spread out.

Our painting 'room'

 Here are a few of the paintings done by the class.

Jill and Ida's paintings

Margaret and Judith's paintings

Two of Pat's paintings

Some of the other subjects were of different heliconia species, vibrant and glowing red hibiscus and orchids. After some reconnaissance around the resort, I have recorded many plant and flower species that would be perfect for next year.

Some of the group were absolute beginners and had never done botanical art before. They greatly impressed me with their finished work. Every single painting done was worthy of hanging and will be admired by family and friends alike. 

There were excursions most afternoons, to  a waterfall, a village visit, herbal walks, into the rainforest, into the town to sketch and investigate the markets and shop.

Sketching at the Copra Shed, and enjoying fantastic icecream and smoothies.

Sketching in the rainforest

This was an incredibly successful art retreat. I will be taking another group same time next year. Did I mention perfect weather? Around 28 degrees each day, beautiful breeze, no humidity. At no time was anyone ever hot. May is almost into winter, with the least rain of the year.

Many of the ladies enjoyed relaxing spa treatments, such as the 2 hour banana wrap, scrub and massage. There was also the wonderful relaxing foot and leg scrub and massage. The spa personnel would come to the rooms to do this. Nothing was better than to enjoy this just before bed.

Some of the group enjoying morning tea. I am third from right, sitting at the table with a navy and white striped top.

The week finished with a lovo (food cooked in the ground) buffet and a very enthusiastic meke by the Fijians from a local village.

Local Fijian women at the meke, enthusiastically enjoying their national dance.

Until next year......

Back to Basics Magazine Articles April 2015

I write articles for Back to Basics art magazine for each issue. It is now a bi-monthly magazine and has articles to appeal to all skill levels and all mediums and techniques. My recent articles appear in Issue 5_4 and are related to travel sketching.

The first article is How to Sketch Water. It is very comprehensive with lots of sketches and photos, as well as a step by step demonstration.

The sketch at the top is from Norfolk Island, bottom left is Patong Beach in Phuket and the bottom right is Kiama on the south coast of NSW.

There is a step by step demonstation of this sketch in the magazine

The second article in the magazine is Greens in the Landscape. This is a valuable article not only for sketching, but for the valuable information of various greens that are around us, either at home or away.

This is a sketch of the lagoon at Werri Beach on the south coast of NSW

Left: Fiji - right: Cranbrook WA

Lismore northern NSW

Wherever you are you can carry a small sketchbook and basic equipment to quickly sketch the enviroment.  I also take groups travel sketching to various areas both in Australia and overseas. It is so much easier to sketch with a group and lots more fun!

Botanica Exhibition 'The Birds & The Bees'

I worked to strict deadlines to finish my paintings for this year's Botanica Exhibition at the Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens which will open to the public on 18th April.

The theme is The Birds and the Bees. This produces some spectacular paintings with an enormous variety of pollinators. Lots of fun to do and as an artist, I love the opportunity to explore and expand into other areas of botanical art and to work with more diverse subjects.

Below are my two submissions for this years exhibition.

I love the designs that nature creates, and when I first saw this extremely large Japanese Spider Chrysanthemum I fell in love with it. It definitely chose me. The pollinator bees also lend interest and scale to the flower.

Japanese Spider Chrysanthemum

I loved the design and colour elements on the Eastern Spinebill birds, and also the complexity of the feather arrangements. It was a very rewarding painting for me and I thrived on the research and information gathering that went into the work.

Boongala Spinebill Grevillea with Eastern Spinebill birds (male, female, juvenille)

Juvenille Eastern Spinebill

India

In December I travelled through the Golden Triangle in Rajasthan, India.  This is the largest state by area and is in the north of the country. Such diversity. It is a country of intense sights, sounds, colours, culture and architecture. All the things I love.

Me on an elephant at the Amber Fort, Jaipur, one of my favourite places.

View from the Amber Fort

I managed to get some sketching done and could spend a year there, happily sketching and experiencing more of the country.

Reliefs and inlays of botanicals at the Taj Mahal

It was also interesting to discover botanical images nearly everywhere we went in India. The inlays were particularly spectacular with various gemstones used for the colour.

Here are a few of my sketches.

Agra Fort

Delhi street scene

Markets in Jaipur

 Will leave you with this colourful image - everywhere you go is an explosion of the senses.

Shoes, shoes and more fabulous shoes!

Travel Sketching Distance Learning

I have been drawing, sketching and painting for as long as I can remember. Some early memories are sitting in a classroom and drawing all over my books. From there it progressed to compiling recipe books and illustrating them, even writing a small book when I was about 11 - called 'The Adventures of Solo'. He was a pinto horse. I was mad about horses at that age. Fabulous little drawings throughout the book. There was always a pencil and paper in my hand.

I lived in Nadi, Fiji from age 15-17 and painted landscapes, people, the ocean, and sold these paintings. Art was something I didnt even think about. It has just been a part of me forever. I lived in Penang from 18-20, before there were any high rise buildings. When Golden Sands was a local beach. Where I was constantly recording my memories visually.

Travelling has been - and still is - a major part of my life as well. Realising how difficult it was to travel with non-artists and try to sketch, I decided to gather like-minded people around and sketch in a group. 

This is how my Holiday and Travel Sketching art tours began - over ten years ago. As far as I know I was the first person to take Sketching tours away. I also take Botanical Art Tours to Fiji each year.

Another chapter in my life was the finalising of my Travel Sketching Distance Learning course recently. All these things are a labour of love. Again another first as there is no one else doing this in Australia, or globally. It is proving to be amazingly popular and there is something in it for everyone.

There is absolutely no book on the market that I have seen that has even half the amount of information I am offering in my distance learning course. There is a cover page and an index, so the course can be made into a book on completion.

Anyone can sketch. You cannot make a mistake as you can change things around or add things into a sketch. You can be creative as you sketch a scene, the sky or water, and much more.

So I will leave you with some information on the course. Enjoy!

This is the information that is contained in the first module on Sketching Basics - and another five modules follow, each one unique in its presentation, information and subject.

This is the first page to give you an idea of what you will be experiencing in the course.

And I'll leave you with this information on The Rule of Thirds.

 

 

 To find out more about the course and download an outline, discover where my Travel Sketching Art Tours can take you, or to look at some of my sketches (am in the process of updating what I already have) see www.holidaysketching.com.au.

Happy sketching!

Perth Workshop

Spent a week in Perth teaching a botanical art workshop. Karen Frankel runs a teaching art studio in Morley and kindly allowed me to use her studio for my 5-day workshop. I was thrilled with the venue; great facilities, great light, and a really great group of motivated students, all with fascinating subjects.

Here are a few images from my week. I am sure they all learned a lot, as in 5 days I can spend absolute quality time with every student, always ensuring no one receives any more time than the others in the group. I am always mindful what sort of workshop I would like to attend, and it is certainly not where only certain people receive attention. My students are all equal - in all ways.

The group in the workshop

Howard with his very complicated Banksia flower

Hilary painting a Eucalyptus torquata

Jilll's Leucodendron washes

Robyn's colour charts, colour study and first washes of Anigozanthos manglesii

 

 

 

 

 

Sketching Bali

I have recently returned from a sketching tour to Bali. This island offers so many opportunities for unique and diverse sketches, and is always a popular choice.

From the temples to the markets, from the sea to the mountains, from Denpasar to Candidasa - and to lots of out of the way places. On this trip I explored further and found some exciting new sketching locations and the best cultural experiences. Somethings I think it doesn't get any better.

Valley vista Ubud

Village temple outside Sanur

There may be a lot of temples in Bali, but there are no two the same. Each has very different characteristics, some are in wealthy villages, some not so. All are beautiful and offer the most tranquil and amazing sketching experiences. I can honestly say I have never been 'templed out' in Bali.

Temple protector. Fabulous carvings, detail and colour

My favourite cultural dance is the Ke-kak fire dance. This particular venue was an open air temple. A highlight.

And I did get a little time for some sketching. This is a beach at Candidasa with fishing boats.

The carved stone doorway entrance to Le Mayeur Museum in Sanur.
 The carvings and intricate patterning are amazing. These sketches are truly meditative.

And what could be better than to finish the day on the beach as the sun sets, sipping an icy cold cocktail (or drink of your choice).

My next Bali Travel Sketching Tour is 12-18 October 2015 - so plenty of time to prepare for this.

See my website www.holidaysketching.com.au and let me share my love of Bali and its gentle, friendly people with you while you join me on some off the beaten track sketching locations....