Art and Abart

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

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, ...

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...

On the Wings of an Albatross - an A-Z of Australian and New Zealand Birds Amazon is not sending books to Australia at the moment so I h...

Woo hoo .... Just published! A children's book, suitable for kids from 3-8. Children's book: suitable for ages 3-8 Thi...

Taihape landscape I am feeling much better today after a sofa bound week. I made another little lamb painting to celebrate. They say ...

Here are some lambs in springtime, painted from a picture taken years ago in Taihape. Ewes and lambs in Taihape My brother, who has h...

Adam Festival Facebook post The organisers of the Adam Chamber Music festival in Nelson can be proud of themselves. They produced a wond...

Nelson is a pretty place and just the right size for a pleasant existence. Big enough the house a school of music (what else is important?) ...

Nelson is dry and brown, apart from the vineyards with their rows of unnervingly green vines. The picture below was taken in Isel Park in ...

Last weekend I was captivated by two very different musicians.  Simon O'Neill, the New Zealand tenor was one. He is one of those rare...

Yesterday I visited Hobbiton near Matamata, a pretty town in the Waikato region of New Zealand. Hobbiton probably needs no introduction be...

Trees in Taihape There are some magnificent native trees in the North Island of New Zealand, those that survive. Most were cut down last...

Mt Ruapehu - waterccolour When I was in New Zealand last year a snowstorm hit the Central Plateau just before I got there. The desert ro...

The sketches and paintings I did in New Zealand over the past fortnight are now online New Zealand North Island

On a fine day Mount Egmont dominates Taranaki roads. Today was a beautiful day so as I drove south from New Plymouth I had the constant comp...

The tourist information service in Turangi told me not to travel too early when I took the route from Turangi to Tauramanui as the road had ...

Today I got to vote on the new New Zealand flag. I love the fact that my birth country includes me in these decisions even though I don...

Oh the humiliation! Australia has been captured this last week by the controversy about crowds booing the aboriginal football player Adam ...

I was in Wellington only five days but hearing Christine Goerke and Simon O'Neill sing up a storm at the Wagner Gala was worth the trip...