Princess 26/1/11 Princess 26/1/11

I Love a Sunburned Country

‘Lost’, Frederick McCubbin 1886. The painting is also known as ‘The Lost Child’, and was created at the Box Hill Artist’s Camp. It is Australia Day today, and in reflecting on what it means to be Australian one must eventually come to think about the land itself.

Although I grew up in the city, there were many visits to the country, and several camping trips in the bush. I even recall once trying my hardest to get romantically lost at Hanging Rock – but that was rather difficult with a fifty other tourists scrambling around pretending to do the same thing.

In my early teens I bought a print of Frederick McCubbin’s (1855–1917) painting Lost. I found the picture so evocative; dreamy. It is a quintessential image of the Australian bush: mysterious, frightening, unsettling.

I even recall once trying my hardest
to get romantically lost at
Hanging Rock…

It still looks just like that today, and looking at the painting I can easily imagine myself sitting on a stump amongst the itchy grass, hearing nothing but the incessant buzzing of the insects and birdcalls, or the rustle of some creature in the underbrush, the sun all the while beating down overhead.

Today I celebrated the day with friends on a picnic in the Botanic Gardens – and annoyingly I still managed to get sunburned despite the cloud cover (darn those UV rays). I should have been wearing a straw hat like the girl in the painting.

I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror -
The wide brown land for me!

(Excerpt from Dorothea Mackellar’s My Country)

Princess 23/1/11 Princess 23/1/11

Judging a book by its cover

Second edition, published by Mills & Boon, 1936.Aren’t these vintage books wonderful? Often when scavenging in charity shops I stumble upon quaint vintage books, falling in love with their worn bindings, the torn paper dust jackets with their retro designs; even the foxed interior pages hold charm. I totally judge them by their covers and buy them – but rarely read them (except in the case of the Georgette Heyers, which are so much fun).

But I am intrigued anew by Love Pirate. What a title! First published by Mills & Boon in 1935, it was obviously part of a circulating library at one time, as it has numerous stamps on the inside front cover, indicating that it had been lent out between September 1936 and February 1950. After this time it must have been withdrawn, and then the book passed through two different newsagents in Sydney Rd, Brunswick before it somehow made its way into my hands.

It has languished for years on my bookshelves, buried behind a front row of books, but it may now migrate to my bedside table to be dipped into one sleepless night.

Amongst the selection below are two versions of Frederica, by Georgette Heyer, both published in the same year, and an interesting comparison of two different imprints.

Published by Hurst & Blackett, 1960. Inscribed: Diane Roberts

Princess 19/1/11 Princess 19/1/11

Andy Warholalala

I can take or leave Warhol’s screenprints; seen one, seen ’em all
(x 4). Don’t get me wrong: they do have a graphic impact, but I just don’t get excited over them.

His pen and ink drawings, however, do excite me. I love the minimalist, insouciant lines – like he’s drawing without a care in the world, “la la la” – and the bright, joyous colours splashed on with playful abandon.

In fact, Warhol used to hold colouring parties in the 1950s, inviting his friends to apply the watercolours on the lithographic plates. Imagine what fun those parties must have been! Going by the vivid colours, plenty of champagne was consumed.

Princess 17/1/11 Princess 17/1/11

Saltwater

I’ve been experimenting with watercolour painting in the last couple of days, creating textured effects using salt. I’ve never tried this before, but the results are not as expected.

I looked at a few tutorials online, and supposedly the salt should lift off the watercolour and leave white speckles. I don’t know what’s happened with mine, but the salt has the exact opposite effect! Instead of white speckles, the salt seems to concentrate the paint, and creates darker spots.

Salt scattered on the surface. Click on image for larger version.At first I thought this was happening in the pink section because I had impatiently brushed off the salt before the paper was dry, so I left the green sections alone for hours until it dried – but still no joy.

It’s either type of salt I’m using (ordinary iodised cooking salt), or the type of paint: liquid watercolour. Regardless, it is still an interesting effect, but it requires more experimentation. Back to the drawing board!

More textural effects to check out at Fountain Studio.

Princess 14/1/11 Princess 14/1/11

Got The Blues

Aren’t these colours pretty? Even the names are evocative: Peacock, Iris, Hyacinth, Turquoise and True Blue Dr. Ph. Martin’s Radiant Concentrated Water Colour – my favourite brand. I much prefer liquid water colour to tubes or blocks. They’re easy to revive too, after they dry out in the palette. Sometimes I am happy to use water colour pastels and pencils.

These blue pools in my ceramic egg crate paint palette are getting washed out. Just like our blue skies are being washed out by endless rain. Come back summer!