Colour and patterns on and around Bondi Beach!

One of the things l love about being here, in Bondi Beach, is being surrounded by Nature, at it's best. Colour shape and smells. 

Amazing yellows.

 

Delicate blues.

Reds and pinks.

 

Orange and red flowers.

 

Some beautiful patterns.

 

 

 Some amazing trees.

 

Beautiful and amazing, shaped fruit and seeds.

I am having such an amazing (sorry ... keep using this word! ) time as a Grandmother and artist. The place is just so alive with colour, bird songs and JUST life.

Patterns have always caught my attention. I have a project on the go at present, to do with circles. But on my walks this week, l have recorded all sorts of shapes. They will eventually turn up in my work!

Somebody had fun with the paint this week ... it was every where. A bit anti-social but fun for me and the person that did it! There is paint spilt and dribbled all round the beach area!

 

 

 

Would you believe this pattern, was made by spilt coffee?

 

There is some wonderful graffiti, all over the Beach area ... actually encouraged by the Council. Something that is encouraged in Melbourne, as well.

 

 

And Mosaic's and Tiles too.

 

This is part of my Circle project.

 

What is the British Rail sign doing here in Bondi, l wonder?

 

These are some of the Sculpture Park exhibits.

   

And of course, the sand always gives me different patterns, every day. 

What being an artist means ... maybe !

Well today the weather was great again. I am so pleased as it is meant to be Winter here and not this warm and sunny. Aren't l a lucky girl!! Long may it continue. 

It was very strange today, to only have one baby instead of two. My grandson and his mum and dad are in UK, so l just have one baby girl to care for. We went for a walk to the beach and when she went to sleep ...I sat with my feet in the water and sketched and sketched ... bliss! 

 I have been asking myself  lately, "what being an artist " is all about? Does it mean how creative you are, how much money you make or is it people's reactions to your work? I HAVE to make Art every day, l have no choice. If l don't, l become more and more irritable and bad tempered! Ask my poor husband and family! :) 

"Art is a kind of illness"  a quote by Giacomo Puccini.

 " Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up" Picasso said in October 1976:

The second of these quotes rings so true to me. Until recently l owned and ran a small art studio and school for babies, children and adults. To watch children JUST draw and paint was remarkable. They have no fear about how they draw something .. it is what ever they say it is. Colour is what ever they put on the page and they have no worries if they go together or are the right tone. Gradually as they go past the age of about 9, l began to see how they change. Is it their own need to be perfect or is a parent or teachers need? Either way it is such a shame to see this transformation take place. If only we could stay as children, where are Art is concerned.

Being an Artist, in my view is a state of mind. I don't create to be rich or famous, l create because l have to and l can. Sometimes my life is hell,  l can't create because l have a lack of vision or imagination . I don't know what to paint, in other words ... my mind is blank. Do l give up? No. I sketch, l think, l go for a walk, l cry but l don't give up. Even if no one sees my work or no one buys it, l still have to create . l dream, l record those dreams and they in return become paintings ... sometimes! If my work is not right or not up to scratch. Does that matter? YES. It shouldn't but it does and that is where l am trying to change. I am trying to become more like a child. In the rest of my life, my family tell me l am only 4. If only l could be like that with my Art? :).

Night from Bondi beach. :)

The real start of my drawing project and life in Bondi Beach.

I have been doing a lot of sketching lately, as l have now finally decided my 6 month project. It is sketching faces l see around Bondi District and Sydney. I have to admit , l am finding it challenging but an enjoyable one.

I am ashamed to say, l have never really studied faces before, not REALLY looked. I have been amazed at how many different sorts of faces there are. As an Artist l should have done this but l have always shied away from drawing or sketching because l was told once, by an Art teacher, that l would never be able to draw!!!!! As John Lennon said in 1969:

" Every child is an Artist until he's told he is not an Artist"!

 And the stupid thing is, l believed her! Anyway, as l have limited space, where l am staying, l decided l would bite the bullet and start to try and sketch.

By sketching l mean  quick 2 or 3 min sketches!  There will be few occasions where l will have the luxury of more time.  I will be able to sit and sketch in coffee shops but not too obviously, l hope. I must admit l was SO scared, that l decided too tell my husband and close family, what l was proposing to do, so l couldn't back out!! :) That was when l discovered the saying, "draw every day and you will get better" is actually true!

In the beginning l found it hard to sketch quickly, mainly because my memory seemed so bad! I discovered that memory is a" big thing" when drawing faces and all the interesting things people wear on their head and "in" their skin. By this, l mean so many people here have tattoos and piercings, the most amazing hairstyles and beards of all shapes, sizes and colours. Bondi Beach is a very laid back, hippy sort of place. As well as locals, you have many tourists from all over the world, that also adds colour to the picture. 

My idea at the moment, is to sketch then add colour and design
later, on a bigger scale. So, most sketches have detailed info on the page that tells me about, for example, hair colour, eyes shape or hair design maybe.

I have been told for most of my life by family, friends and total strangers THIS:
" You always notice things, especially details others don't see."
Well, all l can say is this:
" Most people must notice hardly anything!"
I have been horrified about how little l have noticed about people's faces. Yes, I see hair colour or a great pair of earrings but I have never really studied faces before and for this I am greatly ashamed. As an artist, l should have seen more but l am rectifying this now.
Oh ... one other thing that has spurred me on was this. I was sitting in one of my favourite coffee shops in Bondi, sketching people around me, when a young woman came up to me and said the following:

" You are the artist aren't you?".  (What was l supposed to say to that? :) )

" I am AN artist, yes. How can l help you?"

" Well, everyone says how good your drawings are and, now I see what they mean, I wondered if you would teach me."

Ha ... l felt so good and so l am carrying on my sketching!

The first hurdle l had to jump was ... drawing in public ! Wow that is a hard one but once you have done it a few times and nothing bad happens, it is easy to carry on.

Here are a few of the sketches l created .

I am hopefully going to add to this Blog most days with some of my drawings and life in Bondi Beach. Also as my other love is Children, l may give hints, advice or funny stories . So "G'day" and see you tomorrow! :)