The Breakaways, Central Australia

Watercolour Size 38 x 28 cms
I improvised somewhat ... to get the rich grainy, sand texture in the forefront I used some pumice stone mortar & texture medium.
The Breakaways is a protected area in northern South Australia, just off the Stuart Highway, 33 km North of Coober Pedy
It is a striking & unique example of arid landscape. From the flat - topped mesas to the stony gibber desert. The warm red tones are simply amazing.
Over 70 million years ago, a vast inland sea covered the area.
It has been named "The Breakaways" because of the mesas, elevations & plains. Looking from a higher ground of the escarpment, the hills appear from a distance as if "broken away. The site is significant for the Antakirinja Matuntjara Yankunytjatjara People whose name for the area is Umoona, meaning "long life". The region is home to an array of native fauna and flora
It is one of Outback South Australia's best-kept secrets!
I absolutely loved the area, the serenity and beauty was for me one of the highlights of my Safari trip through Central Australia.

3 Days Workshop at Merroo with Herman Pekel

I have had most wonderful 3 days workshop at Merroo Centre, an annual event organised by the Combined Art Societies. This time I was privileged to do the workshop with Herman Pekel. A very talented artist and an excellent tutor. It was busy 3 days painting in oils. I have learned a great deal and ended up utterly "spent" at culmination. Example of work is attached. 2 other paintings (smaller scale) still need to be finished "off".

St Goustan, ex fishing port in France, Brittany

Watercolour with a twist & not a great success.
Tried my hand at different techniques using Gesso which was supposed to give me that foggy mystic look (needless to say..it did not work) use of acrylic white, scraping with knife, pen & ink. Rather a disappointing result. It lost its watercolour clear unmuddied sparkle.
Inspiration was a PmP photo by John Warren

Around Bright, Victoria, Australia

Watercolour, Size 38 x 28 cms
What an effort this has become... I started painting the beautiful scene from Robyn Lovelocks Photo (PmP). I sort of botched the beginning so I took it under the shower and started again. Did not realise that in the process, the paper lost its sizing and the washes just soaked in. I needed to get some variety in the red earth rocky embankment , which was out of question the way the paper behaved, so I experimented with Texture medium & managed to sort of salvage it....

...Bright is a town in northeastern Victoria, Australia.
It has a rich cultural heritage and many locations within the town along with street names can be traced to present day residents. The surrounds were part of the goldrush fever.

Winter Morning in the Alps

Watercolour, Size 38 x 28 cms
Inspiration was a photograph by Kathryn Dudley from PmP

Gum tree in full glory with gumnuts, flowers & wattle

Watercolour, Size 28 x 38 … and WC paper acting as blotting paper

I had one of those horrible WC papers, which acted like a sponge...yup it lost all its sizing. Alas any splashes, washes just soaked in, the pigment disappearing leaving in its wake a wishy-washy residue.
Instead of giving up, I persevered out of stubbornness, and miserly attitude of not wasting WC paper..... & admittedly wanted to experiment if that blotting paper could be somehow rescued.

Old Church Zagorje, Slovenia

Watercolour, Size 28 x 38 cms            PmP photo by Peter Merva.