Art and Abart

This painting of a teapot and other crockery from the Amapola series by Villeroy Boch adds a sense of calm to a wall. Amapola is the word fo...

Once the Ranunculus start flowering, we know spring really is here. 

'Gracelands was incredible', I heard this woman tell her friend as I sketched her at the cafe. 'Oh there's so much to buy at...

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra put on a sung version of Wagner's Die Walkürie this month and both performances were sold out, as well the...

The Painted Musician: Sydney to Dunedin, Hamburg to Maribor is the companion book to The Painted Orchestra  and tells the story about the a...

New book!  The Painted Orchestra  is a book of sketches and paintings of The Australian Chamber Orchestra.  It is full to the br...

Early morning on the day after full moon I looked back during my morning walk and saw the moon balancing on the pole behind me. 

It doesn't seem fitting to wish anyone merry at the moment, despite the season. I wish you peace and fulfillment and the courage to carr...

Last month I posted about my New Zealand Sketchbook.  I made it primarily for my European friends, none of whom had been to my homeland, ...

A 2002 story from my pre-blog days:  Community art courses are/were held in Grafton for a week every year and in 2002 a Life Drawing course ...

Woo hoo, new book out!  If I haven't blogged for a while it's because I've been busy creating this book, watercolours from the N...

Lioness, the rose I bought last year, has  produced a last flower before winter dormancy.   She has not flowered a lot, but the flowers she ...

NSW had elections last weekend. The vote has not been completely finalised but there has been a change of government. Labor has the most sea...

Roses don't last long in Sydney's hot humid  weather so I've been picking them when they flower and  painting small canvases of ...

Bathroom shelves are often a place where we keep collected memories. A friend just posted a picture of her bathroom window sill with collect...

My lovely local organic grocery supplier had a special this week. With every box of mixed veges/fruit (that they chose) they...

It has been heartbreaking watching the livestream of the Royal Commission into the 'Robodebt" today. I knew the system ...

Our Sydney weatherman loves records and our weather is providing him with plenty to talk about. In late 2022 it was all about rain, how much...

I have my easel out again after a winter hiatus. This board with sketch of cellist has been waiting patiently since autumn.  I...

My garden gets ever more colourful as Spring progresses. It is full of self seeded butterfly flowers and poppies and the cuttings of all the...