Elderly Woman

Make it stop...

Its amazing what you can do when you take your time.

brief sketch...

Theres been some articles in the local paper recently about folks that are struggling under the current weight of rising prices, the housing shortage and such. This is a brief sketch I made from a photo of a pensioner who is struggling to make ends meet. There was a front page story of a guy who is living in an abandoned car in Airport West.

Prosperity my arse.

"The revolution will not be televised. The revolution will not go better with Coke. The revolution will be live" - Gil Scott Heron

New old stuff

Theres still been plenty of drawing going on, and even some reasonably productive painting. But the last week or two have been dry in a drawing sense. I wish I could map out the weather patterns a little better. Maybe its a case of just not panicking in the dry times. But as we here in Australia know well at the moment, drought is a scary thing.

Anyway, this one is pretty old now, but I've wanted to post it for no other reason than I like it.


I saw a great documentary about on of my favourite artists, Chris O'Doherty. ( most people know him as Reg Mombassa; the guitarist of Mental as Anything, and the designer of Mambo street wear) In this documentary, he said that he never painted women, coz he could never do them justice. That was something of a revelation for me. I think I should stop trying..

This is something else I have wanted to post for a while..


yes, its the relationship motif..after I watched the movie of the mexican Artist, Frida Kahlo. ( that maybe the wrong spelling of her name) The portrayal of her relationship with her husband, and her journey as an artist, was pretty awe inspiring. These things do tend to be romanticised abit though, dont they?

Gotta go.. I think I see the dark clouds of the drawing rains coming on the horizon..

The Communion Table

Two views of the same drawing coz I couldnt fit the whole thing complete in the scanner bed. I had to trim it down as it is. And I kind of like the enclosed, claustrophobic quality it gives to the picture.


Personally, Im partial to the one with the bread in it. The inspiration came from the idea of communion. I have been taking communion (almost) every day. I like the idea of communion as something done in very ordinary, spartan, perhaps poor settings. Call me romantic, but I reckon thats where it belongs. I also had in mind this etching by Picasso.

Self Portrait as starving artist

Apparently Vincent Van Gogh did alot of self portraits..

"Taking Christianity to what he saw as its logical conclusion, Vincent opted to live like those he preached to, sharing their hardships to the extent of sleeping on straw in a small hut at the back of the baker's house where he was billeted;^[13] the baker's wife used to hear Vincent sobbing all night in the little hut.^[14] "

Black Tea

The desire to draw is usually absent in the lead up to a depressive episode. Its absence is accompanied by a vague, but pervading sense of anxiety about its absence. As if I am fearful that the desire might not return. It also induces frustration. I become frantic in the search for some meaningful inspiration. Despondent about all my previous attempts. A sense of futility starts to creep. And before you know it, Ive been dumped by a ten footer and Im washed up on the beach.

Self Portrait with Blue(s)

Self Portrait with Blue(s)

Pen on Paper

As a child, drawing was an escape and provided relief from intolerable emotional pain and worthlessness. As an adult, it is no longer an escape from pain but a way of integrating it.

We think about country..