Painting Sydney Sandstone

The Gardener's Lodge, Sydney University. 2014 Watercolour and Pencil.

Sandstone is such a distinctive feature of Sydney. The city is built on it and out of it so we see it all over the place in new and in aged form.

 Hyde Park drinking fountain! 2013

I love drawing and painting it. I started drawing the wind and water eroded sandstone rocks in my teens (see these drawings here) and continued with etchings and coloured pencil drawings (which can also be found in my website) and even some book illustrations exploring this lovely stone.


 Here are a series of sketches done since June 2013, in no particular order.

Window at Cockatoo Island,
watercolour over ink sketch. 2014

The Coal Tunnel, watercolour and pencil 2013

A doorway in the convict area, Cockatoo Island.
Watercolour and ink. 2014

A column on the steps of the State Library.
Watercolour and pencil.

Sandstone in the bay, Vaucluse 2013

Sydney University grotesque 2013

A gate at the Botanic Gardens, Watercolour. 2014

Columns at the entrance to the State Library
Watercolour and brown ink. 2014

Congregational Church, Hunter's Hill
Watercolour over brown ink. 2014

I don't think I'll ever stop painting this lovely stone.

Cockatoo Island in the Spring

Watercolour in Molekine watercolour sketchbook.

I went to Cockatoo Island again today.

I think I could sketch there every week for the rest of my life and not run out of interesting textures, shapes, lines and colours to explore. Here are today's sketches, all done in an an A5 Moleskine watercolour sketchbook.

I love these large machines that remind me of guardians of some sort. They look out over the water towards Greenwich and gradually rust further. Huge, patient relics.

I have painted a group of them before (see all my Cockatoo Island sketches here) but this time I wanted to zoom in on just this one.

There are pipes of all sorts all over the island. Ugly but interesting. This large set of pipes is in a cave on the sandstone wall. Pen and watercolour.









There are many surprising things about the island, but one is the lovely attention to detail in the windows of the sandstone factory. As with the pipes above, this was a quick sketch in pen with a watercolour wash.

Another trip to Cockatoo Island - just for fun

Liz and I spent a great day at Cockatoo Island, something we've talked about doing for a while since it seems to be a favourite place for both of us.

Liz sketches very fast and my challenge was to try to be much faster and freer so I wasn't holding her up too much. While she still did two or three sketches to my one, I also worked on A4 Moleskine this time rather than my usual A5 so I had a bit more splash room. A great day. She tells it pretty well...here.

We started at the old electrical boxes, as the weather was looking threatening and these were something I'd seen a number of studies of at the Urban Sketchers workshop and wanted to tackle without getting too fiddly....

Old electrical boxes at Cockatoo Island

The we went to the convict area. Last time I went to this part of the island it was stinking hot so this was a good day to paint this lovely wall.

A wonderful sandstone wall at Cockatoo Island

And after a well earned lunch with some compulsory paint and pigment chat, we went to draw the crane. It started to rain so we took shelter in one of the tunnels. Liz did three paintings while I did this one but I have still managed to be a bit looser than usual.

One of the many rusting cranes at Cockatoo Island

A great day with a good friend!

Cockatoo Island Sketching

I went back to Cockatoo Island on Saturday to meet the Urban Sketchers after their two day workshop, and did a bit more sketching. I have no idea what these various machines do but they are so interesting to draw. I'll add the ones from January again as well as Saturday's March visit. All done in Moleskine watercolour notebooks, A5 size, with watercolour and some pen.

A rusted structure near the ferry. I love those granulating colours!

This was painted on Saturday. The sky behind us was very threatening but looking towards the bridge was fine.

An abandoned machine in one of the large warehouses.

This was painted on my first trip to the island in January. I love the minimal colour scheme of this view from inside the large warehouse.

Another machine of unknown purpose...

This machine is located out in the open near a bar. I painted this on Saturday and really enjoyed dripping in the rust colour.

The colours on the walls are amazing.

This was painted in January once again in the main warehouse. It was very hot that day so I painted inside. This is a wall with some ladder sections attached.

Another wall in one of the large warehouses.

Painted in January, this is typical of the many buildings that have seen many uses. Doors and windows are often closed in, covered up, repainted or changed in other ways.

I'll keep going back to this interesting place. I am doing some abstract oil paintings of some of the amazing locations.

Cockatoo Island

I have been planning to spend a day at Cockatoo Island for some time and finally made it today. Many of my students went, along with the Sydney Sketch Club. Over 60 sketchers spread all over the place drawing or painting away. Great stuff!

I was interested in the way the water has leaked and created wonderful washes of minerals and colour on the walls, which were already an interesting mix of brick and stone and paint.

My first 'wall' study. Watercolour in a Moleskine watercolour sketchbook.

The second wall with the ladder going up to no where in particular. Watercolour in a Moleskine watercolour sketchbook.

One of the many defunct machines. Watercolour and sepia pen in a Moleskine watercolour sketchbook.

 I could spend a year painting and drawing at that place. So many ideas for abstract compositions too....