There were plenty of local fig trees by the Ord. They don’t have to work so hard to get their water.
And also plenty of bird and bat life.
These bats seemed pretty happy in their home, unlike their counterparts in the Royal Botanical Gardens, Sydney.
The further upstream we went, the more rockier the landscape became – all beautiful red sandstone.
It inspired my picture of the day.
The following day we drove the 53km into Purnululu National Park to see the Bungle Bungles up close. We did two walks that day – the first was to an area called Cathedral Gorge.
The walk started with a grand vista of the domes among the usual savannah landscape of low scrub and termite mounds.
The domes towered above us the further we walked into the gorge.
There were lots of interesting details to see: a close-up of the stripes, and the amazing places that termites are able to build their mounds.
Holes in the ground grinded down by rocks being caught in a whirlpool.
Giant slabs of sandstone that have fallen away due to the intense weathering in the Wet.
And at the end was Cathedral Gorge – a pool dwarfed by sheer sandstone cliffs and overhangs. The acoustics were magnificent, as the boys found out when they sang a tune.
The scenery on the walk was so inspiring that it became my picture of the day.
At twilight, we took a little walk beyond the tents and Grey Nomad caravans. The land was still, and the sky vast.
The trees and shrubs came to life. This leafless acacia tree seemed to reach out at me, like a creature from the deep.
Then the colours kick in. This pair of boabs made a perfect silhouette to the sunset.
It was so pretty that I had to capture it on paper, too.
I certainly came back from Japan with a lot of photos, and it inspired me to paint a few scenes. I’ve only tackled them in miniature at the moment. These watercolour paintings are all postcard-sized.
The bamboo forest of Arashiyama.
A snowy rendition of Mount Fuji.
Back at home, I have been busy painting bigger works out of my photos and smaller pictures.
Of course, the cliffs were a big feature. I just can’t seem to get enough of them.
And the white trunked gums – they’re so elegant.
Well, that’s all from Central Australia. It’s been a very inspiring and creative time.
Remember the clay pan and how we all used the clay to paint with? I really liked painting with it to recreate the clay pan surface.
I also did a few pure watercolour works: of the grasses on rock and the trees at sunset.
But our biggest project that week was to create a concertina book, and fill it. I used all the techniques and mediums that I learned:
1) Oil pastels covered by black ink and then scratched
2) Watercolours
3) Inks
4) Clay with ink and oil pastels
Yes, there was also plenty of art-making going on at camp. I had my trusty sketch book so I could do quick watercolours on the go.
We learned how to work with oil pastels and ink – new mediums to me. Their strong colours really worked when depicting the outback. I learned how to combine these with watercolours, as this work demostrates.
Going back to the desert this weekend, for an art camp. But before I do, time to get in some practice from a photo I took last time.
My teacher had brought in a book of Australian birds, and the cover bird was so cute that I had to try painting it. It’s a Variegated Fairy Wren, and can be found in many parts of Australia.
It’s been awhile since I visited Oatley Park baths, but I have enough photos and memories to recreate the scene.
Static and Silence 