Eastern Suburbs Art Group

I hadn’t been on O’Brien Street for a long time when I ventured with Sophie down to Twenty Twenty Six Gallery’s premises for a show opening. We found a park nearby and strolled in when not many people had arrived. The space is large so even later when more people were there it wasn’t crowded. ‘Mandala I’ by Minka Gillian caught my eye partly because I knew this artist from social media, but it was good to see her work again, I remember seeing one of her paintings at the National Art School once. Sophie and I and a tall man with a hat on stood talking for a while about HENRYK’s concrete splodges (see below). I asked the gallerist about them and she said they each weigh about five kilos, so not excessive, though they look much heavier. We were self-consciously surprised by how much conversation we were able to extract from looking at these sculptures, with their subtle colour gradations and rough texture. Among other works were paintings of Bondi in a delicate realistic manner reminiscen...

Last meeting of the year at Petersham Bowlo meant that a group shot was called for (see below, photographer was a stranger named Benjamin). That was at the end of the evening, before which people got up to read their creations, some of which was expressive of dissatisfaction with the status quo. Like mine, ‘Sixpence’, a sonnet about Donald Trump written initially in September 2020 before the storming of the Bastille. Thanks for the photo to Devina who read out an autobiographical poem about her year, a year of various illnesses including Covid.  One of the people who read out on this night had just popped into the Bowlo by chance and later asked about future events. Danny Gardner who organises Don Bank Museum readings told me a little about next year’s schedule. And I spoke with Chris and John about probability in science. In all it was a night productive of thought.

These colourful paintings have a retro feel that is complemented by strong brushwork, making them feel both old and new. I was reminded of David Salle on account of the intricate design, framing, and also because of the raw application of paint. Above is gallerist Damien Minton (right) and me in front of one of Oscar Sulich’s paintings. Below I’m talking with Virginia as we are surrounded by the artworks. The crowd (see pic below) spilled out into the street and was made up mainly of young people, presumably the artist’s friends and fans.

I went back to the Grad Show at the National Art School but this time at an off-peak hour and with a different friend. I snapped a few photos of favourites, but didn’t include here all the artists I like. Above are Amy Wei Na’s paintings, they’re delightful done in a hyper-realist style and with a limited palette. Above is Camille Olsen-Ormandy’s ‘The Dog Lover’ which is small and precise but with a great sense of humour. Above is Luis Greene’s ‘Pop Candy’ which has a title that says it all, loved the contrast between the coloured sections and the sections in black and white. Above is Shelley Bowles’ ‘Diaphanous in flight’ which is striking not only because of xthe design but because of the colours. It’s a Day-Glo world. Above is Adele Warner’s ‘241humanhair’ done in oil on canvas, a striking and inventive way to approach a series of complex subjects. I thought that a lot went into this painting, and not only in terms of the time spent at work.

The crowds were ginormous possibly for the first time in years (see pic below) and the art was entertaining. With Devina and Sophie and Peter I walked around the school taking in all the successes, the failures, and the plain ordinary. What a feast for tired eyes! Here’s Devina in front of a photo that caught her attention. I took a selfie in front of another photo by the same artist (see below). Like these, some of the works on display pushed the boundaries in a topical sense. It’s not every day you see a photo on TV or in the street that resembles these, although drag queens seem to be getting more play in recent years (see the Smiths Crisps ad with the bear). In the photo above that Devina took with her phone I’m talking with animation about a landscape painting in front of which we met Chris, who reads poetry as well as studying how to make art. In the above photo Sophie and I are in front of a gorgeous orange work that (I think) was titled ‘The Races’ and which shows the feet of p...

As you can see from the photo below there was a massive gathering for the first showing of paintings by this artist since he died this year. Very high prices but for the smaller items (see pic below) manageable. I went with Yianni and after we spent some time in the crowd we headed over to Saint Cloche (also in Paddington) to see a show by young artist Evi O. These abstract canvases did more for me, though I didn’t take a photo. We rushed in and I looked at the colourful paintings on the walls then we headed back to our respective homes. As for what's on later I'll be heading today to a lunchtime talk at the Sydney Modern then this evening there's the Grad Show at the National Art School.

Stunned and a little dazed I left Sydney Modern after touring the facilities on Saturday 3 Dec. It’s so enormous it’s a bit like being in the new Istanbul Airport. Room after room of big, beautiful works. I’m astonished at the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ collection, parts of which of course have been in storage unseen. When I got to the gallery to check in with the ticket in my phone I was sure I’d be told to wait as my allocated time hadn’t yet been reached, but the place is soooooo big they could’ve held twice as many patrons concurrently without trouble. With a nod to the Japanese architects we even saw people (see above) who seemed to be dressed as Buddhist monks. The new building reminds me of nothing so much as the National Library of Australia with its Internationalist style, or else a good bit of mimicry in that vein. The clean lines and minimal detail said “1960s” to my eye. And what could be more Sydney (see above) than a view of the water? I popped back inside when artis...

My old neighbour Adam Courtenay was talking about his new book at the Maritime Museum. It’s called ‘Three Sheets to the Wind’ but it’s not about drunkenness it’s about an historical trek made by a band of sailors who’d come from India to Sydney. Some of them made it to Sydney from Ninety-mile Beach in what is now known as Victoria. The year was 1797. Adam used to work as a journalist so I’m sure the book will be entertaining and the tale it’s based on is certainly remarkable. As he pointed out during the hour we spent in the same room, if this was the United States William Clark would be part of folklore. This is New South Wales as understood by the British at the time, with Tasmania connected to the mainland. Clark was the first European to understand that the island is in fact an island. After the event I caught the light rail to Central then the train to Kings Cross, did shopping and had a haircut and a cup of coffee, then walked down to Rushcutters Bay to see the late-opening galle...

I jumped on the bus at Railway Square and was deposited in north Newtown so I could walk to Laerk Space to see the Christmas show. Outside on a street sign I already saw some art, and I took it as an omen. Inside, I didn’t have much time to look around but nevertheless took everything in, particularly savouring a pair of little collages by Wayne Hutchins (see pic below). I then got on a bus and scooted down to Broadway to Shepherd Street where in a small bar on the corner of Knox Street a poetry reading supported by Macquarie University was held. Gareth Jenkins (see pic below) opened proceedings but it was a diverse set of performers who delivered fun and fascination for all. There was even an open mic when Devina Bedford read out a funny (can it be?) Covid poem. Well worth the $27 door fee. To keep body and soul together I had a Diet Coke from the bar but others were drinking alcohol (which I gave up 3 years ago) and the vibe was effervescent.

On the weekend we got down to painting with watercolours using paper I’d bought from Officeworks. The watercolour sets had been used previously for collages. There were three of us including Sophie (right in pic) and Bronwen and we all used tables facing the light well where colocasias have been growing since March. The large, dark green leaves of these plants are ideal to serve as a subject for painting. We took a couple of hours to do our paintings, one of which is shown above. This is one of the last of the four I made, and later I treated some of the others differently using collage to add words, which you can see on my personal blog.  This week we’re having a meeting for the theatrical life-drawing class on Monday and on Thursday we’re meeting up in Rushcutters Bay to visit galleries open down that way for evening visitors, then we’ll go to Darlinghurst nearby for dinner. Another thing this week is a visit on Saturday to the Art Gallery of New South Wales for the opening of th...

With Anthony on Thursday I went to have a look at Billy Connolly’s exhibition of prints at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Darling Harbour, the works are whimsical and charming. Anthony did most of the talking with the event organiser and we found out that the prints’re mostly in runs of 295. The price for some of them is around $1500 unframed so they’re quite dear. Afterward I made my way to the Rocks and had some food because I’d skipped lunch, then waited in the antechamber of the State Library ahead of a talk involving Michelle Cahill and Bri Lee who would talk about Michelle’s recently-published novel ‘Daisy and Woolf’. It just so happened that it was the day the novel was being released in the UK. The conversation between the two authors was lively and informative, covering a range of topical issues.

With a themed night of poetry readings supplied by attendees I completely forgot in preparation and took along something unrelated to New Orleans. Nobody seemed to mind and I had some comments, one woman even wanted to read the poem on paper and I obliged during the supper. Bee and Alan sang and played before Roberta Lowing (see photo) performed by reading out one long poem and several shorter ones from a recent book of hers. The theme of New Orleans seemed appropriate for the times because while the earth is warming we seem collectively to be intent on enjoying ourselves at all costs. Perhaps next time I’ll stick to the script and fit in, as it was I read out ‘It’s a living thing’ from ‘The Words to Say’, a collection of sonnets I put together during Covid.

A full week starting Tuesday with an opening at Damien Minton’s summer space at 38 Botany Road Alexandria. The shop is just near Henderson Road and can be reached from Redfern Station. On Wednesday we’ll be at Don Bank Museum in North Sydney for a poetry reading, the theme is New Orleans so perhaps dress appropriately. More will be happening on Thursday when we meet up at the Hyatt Regency for Billy Connolly’s (the comedian) print show. Address is 161 Sussex Street in the CBD. Later I’ll be heading off to the State Library for a literature event which is ticketed. I’ll be making more watercolours with collage this week, have been busy with these for the past couple of weeks and it’s quite fun, I never know how they're going to turn out so curiosity drives the process.  The image below is one of the “party animal” ones from the set of ‘Social Animals’ series I’ve made. I made six sets in all and each set has four pictures. Finally on Saturday we'll be having a painting afternoon...

With Mingming and Omer I was at the China Cultural Centre in the city to see a documentary and while waiting for my friends to arrive I took in a little show there with two artists. Jasper Knight, 'Centennial palms' 152cm x 137cm One is Jasper Knight, an Australian artist of some notoriety whose enamel, gloss acrylic and gesso studies of blue palm trees were mesmerising in their intensity. This wasn’t the one I spent most time looking at but it shows some of the qualities I appreciated as I sat in the gallery. Paired with Knight’s work was the work of Adam Chang. These lovely oil paintings are especially interesting on account of the brushwork, which is completely different from what Knight uses for his paintings. Adam Chang, 'Shan Shui with Panda 21-3' 160cm x 120cm Chang’s sometimes impasto use of the paint creates an intricate texture on the work’s surface that dazzles the viewer and he also uses thinner or solvent to create drips that add a sort of cloth-like matrix...

With Virginia I went to Petersham Bowlo for a poetry reading yesterday, she knows Alan Jeffries who was the featured artist. His reading without page or screen was impressive, he’s been doing it for a long time and is very accomplished. I particularly enjoyed his poems for a woman in his life which were affecting and tender. John (pictured) was one of the poets in the open mic session that started the evening and he made some interesting comparisons between life and airport transit lounges. Luke Weyland who I’d met at another reading got up and read a poem about Y2K and when the interval arrived we talked about those long-gone days of worry and shared purpose. If you lived through the nineties (as both Luke and I had done) you must remember the general discussion about what the future might hold once the clock ticked past 2000. Nobody predicted the Twin Towers. On the night my dire predictions about bad traffic were happily unrealised, it was not too bad getting to the venue despite it...

It was a busy evening at Sydney Poetry Lounge, the room full of spectators who got to listen to a range of poetry. Different people different styles. One of the people I was there with (Anthony) is a doctor so when a woman got up to read out a poem that was anti-vaxx he shuddered and spoke. The poets mastered the sound system after an inaudible start, but once they regulated the distance between the mouth and the mic it was guns away! A healthy crowd at poetry Lounge Anna Hueneke recited and sang her masterful songs based on Biblical precedents, the melody transporting me back centuries making me wonder at the world. I didn’t understand the songs because they’re written in Hebrew but I got the emotion embodied in them. It was the last Poetry Lounge of the year and the organisers did a great job making it happen it was worth the $10 entry fee. The effort required to make this type of event happen is considerable but the attendance last night made me think that it’s appreciated.

This week we’ll be doing a few things with the group starting tonight with a poetry reading and book launch in Glebe/Ultimo which is at 7pm. Tomorrow (Thurs) we’ll be at Petersham Bowling Club for a poetry reading and probably on Sunday we’ll be going to the National Art School for the graduates’ show. For a week I’ve been busy making little watercolours improving on a method I started at the creative session we had on 29 October here in Botany. The combination of watercolour (which isn’t very messy and can be done on any table) with collage (possible because of all the magazines I sourced) is handy and simple. Here’s ‘Computer Mouse’ from the ‘Social Animals’ series.

After 6pm I jumped on the bus (which obligingly arrived soon after I got to the stop) and then a crowded train to make my way to Surry Hills for the opening of Catherine Hourihan’s ‘New York Dreaming’ show. I spoke with two Jameses and a man named John who is a chemist and who has worked in SE Asia in industrial settings. I also bumped into artist Bernadette Smith whose show I wrote about earlier this year on this blog, and she evinced a willingness to come along to other events so we tentatively locked in Sunday week for the National Art School graduates’ show. Hourihan’s paintings are reminiscent of de Chirico but with a contemporary twist, and a friend of hers kindly went around collecting email addresses from guests so that they could be contacted after the event. Hourihan is also a photographer and I saw some of her prints in a folder on a window sill, they were quite simple with a minimal palette and strong focus. The paintings are also dream-like, as you can see in the photo.

I went to this event with Sophie Gee, who’d one weekend taken a class for Esag. I’d booked two tickets to the Fisher’s Ghost Award but Simon, who had a painting among the finalists, already had a ticket when I hurriedly booked. The drive out at rush hour wasn’t too bad, actually it went fairly fast apart from a few holdups on the motorway, we parked next to the gallery and had time before Simon and his friends arrived to look around at the 300-or-so finalists. One woman we met was Gabrielle Courtenay whose painting, ‘The Guardian’ caught Sophie’s eye, and I took the opportunity of making a snapshot with the artist (above). There were hundreds of people (see below). Staff wandered around with trays full of canapes and a drinks table was set up to one side of the entryway. Here’s Simon and me in front of his painting titled ‘We could be in love together’, which is made from glitter and polystyrene, the hearts stick out like a cartoon. I was reminded of ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’. Another ...

Busy day because I bought a print at Hego’s show at Luna Studio in Newtown so had to carry it home fearing rain. I was initially going to travel by bus from Newtown to Double Bay but glad I didn’t as there’re not many buses home to Edgecliff Station late at night. This is me and Hego at his show, he didn’t want his face to compete with the paintings, which are lovely. The line is strange and the proportions are sometimes “fucked up” (his words) but I would say this is great art. At Woollahra Gallery it was a full fun evening with Eliza Scott on first singing with the aid of her equipment, where she would record short bursts of voice to be set on replay so she could sing over the top of it. Next up was Natalie Napoleon from Perth, a treat as far from home. The poetry riveting the small audience to their seats, full of mystery and surprise. There was an open mic tho I didn’t participate I had my phone ready to go with a sonnet but decided in the end that the evening’s entertainment had b...