What makes Newtown very striking these days is the proliferation of street art.
It’s everywhere from the main to the back streets.
I like it a lot. As well as brightening the suburb up, it deters much of the vandals and gives Newtown’s substantial creative community much needed exposure.
It makes for an interesting walk, I think. Turn a corner, and you can come across touching tributes like this.
Being an old suburb, it also has one of Sydney’s oldest cemeteries, Camperdown Cemetery, located behind St Stephens Anglican Church.
I find cemeteries fascinating places to walk through, and this one is the oasis of the inner west. I can indulge in my love of big moreton bay fig trees.
It’s no longer in use, but retains a very restful atmosphere. I think the plaque below is a reference to the many paupers buried here in unmarked graves.
However, I didn’t find the grave of Eliza Emily Donnithorne, whose story may or may not have inspired Charles Dickens.
Newtown is one of Sydney’s earliest suburbs, so it’s not surprising that the architecture is very mixed, with an emphasis on repurposing.
We’re still trawling through last winter’s photos! Back in July, I took a bit of a walk through the inner-west suburb of Newtown, and this series is all about that walk.
The walk started out on busy King St, the hub of the suburb.
Lots of diverse events about the place, as you can see.
I didn’t stay on King St too long as the back lanes were far more interesting.
One last post on this theme. It’s pretty much winter now so I’d better get a move on! Walking back along the avenue in the opposite direction, you’re faced with the Illawarra Escarpment looming over the bare trees – and the setting moon.
The fig tree and the big paddock was empty this time, but ever splendid on a clear winter’s day.
It’s always lovely to walk through the long grass and contemplate.
Last year, I spent my yearly Jamberoo Abbey retreat in mid-winter. I must say that the early morning starts were very chilly, but there were some glorious, clear mornings with beautiful golden light.
Apologies for the blog break. Health issues have kept me offline, but I’m slowly getting back on my feet.
Finishing off my 2018 art projects series, we come to the nature inspired sculptures.
This is inspired by Christo, and is an household object(s).
This is inspired by the constructivism movement of the early 20th century and is a bull skull.
And this is a multi-media recreation of a cave (though no cave in particular).
Previously, I had explored human forms through drawing, so I was very familiar with them by the time I revisited them in Sculpture later in the year.
All of these works are in clay. Observation was still the key to their creation, however working in 3-D presented an added challenge.
Still, there is something very primal and (dare I say it) grounding about working in clay. It was a very pleasurable experience, I must say.
Painting projects explored not just technique but art movements too. Everyday objects were a good vehicle for this.
Traditional.
Modern.
I must say that although I enjoyed painting in both styles, I found painting in the Cubist style very freeing.
Static and Silence 