Lately . . .

The year is speeding by. It's a cliche but "Where has the year gone?" I've been asked to design Christmas stuff at work . . .

I have another exhibition coming up. Called 'Views, it will be held at the Rosemount Estate Cellar Door in McLaren Vale - locals will be more familiar with it's old name - Seaview. The exhibition is an opportunity to hang works from the past two years and give them another airing. You're sure to see something new though - I don't think anyone has been to all my exhibitions (Oh, except David and he's even missed one opening!).

Click on the pictures to see them at a larger size.


The exhibition poster.

Something new! We're both doing yoga. Our friend Effy Kleanthi, who opened my 'Detours' and 'Detours Revisited' exhibitions invited us along to a couple of sessions. David went first and I then went along with him. It's Bikram yoga which is practiced in 40 degree heat (or up to that temperature). The heat means you sweat a lot but it also protects you from injuries. I reckon the sessions are as hard to do as a half triathlon - and they take longer, one and a half hours! It's amazing stuff. I've been inspired by it.


Some people are just unteachable and just never do the right thing . . .

We recently went on a car run through the Adelaide Hills. What was special about this run was that we were privileged to do it in our friend Malcolm's 1948 Wolseley. A beautiful car, David and I had each had a turn in the front and back seats. It's spacious up the back, enough room to cross your legs! Up the front its a bit squishier but great fun to be in. And its very quiet!

Activities for the day included a trip to Melba's chocolate factory, Udder Delights cheeses, the Birdwood wine and cheese shop and a lunch at the Blumberg Hotel. The pub does a good steak.


The Wolseley lost some water but only because it was parked on a slope.


The view from the back seat. In sepia - as everything was in 1948 I'm reliably told . . .

I was in two exhibitions for the South Australian Living Artist Festival. I had two pictures up at the Hahndorf Academy. both were originally show at the Tin Cat Cafe earlier this year. I had another picture in an exhibition at the Austral Hotel in the SA Central Flickr group's show.


The show at the Hahndorf Academy for the South Australian Living Artist Festival


The picture I put in for the exhibition at the Austral Hotel, Rundle Street in the city.

As usual David has been busy in the kitchen. His most recent enthusiasm has been Japanese cooking. The source for this enthusiasm was a trip to a wonderful Japanese restaurant when we were in Broome and a new Japanese cookbook which I brought home from work.


Involtini of eggplant (aubergine) filled with ricotta and green olive and served with a tomato and roast capsicum sauce.


The occasional tea towel gets incinerated too.

After about three weeks of physiotherapy, Ned the guy I went to see, fixed up my initial complaint, the knee ache I felt when riding my bike. With that gone I thought I was home free. Wrong. I then went for a run. After a kilometre or so I felt great shin pain and then had to hobble to a stop. It passed and I could run for a while longer but then the same thing would happen. Now, with three months more physio I think I have the problem sort of under control. All I need to do is stretch my legs before I run and if I feel like the pain is coming on again I stop and stretch again. The stretches have to be extreme and prolonged to be of any effect though. I suspect, when triathlon season starts again, I'll be the only one who stops to stretch mid-way though the run leg of a competition! I'm hoping the yoga will help too!


My running gear - can't run without music, mobile phone and money for emergencies and the house keys.

We have a self storage locked at Norwood and recently we decided to clean it out as we couldn't fit anything more into it and it was needed to safely store my unsold artwork. The locker was piled up a metre high right from the front door. It took two Saturday afternoons to sort it out. Oxfam will be receiving 20 boxes of books, mostly novels. At the same time we went through our clothing - we removed what I though must have been close to 1 and a half cubic metres of clothes - it went to the Salvos. I swear our wardrobe sighed with relief.


One of our friends said 'books breed when you're not looking'. I think he must be right. Above, some of the boxes of books awaiting a new home.

Craig and Scott Visit

Last weekend Craig and Scott visited from Sydney. They arrived on Thursday night, flying in just after my exhibition opening finished at Zest Café in Glenelg (you can catch the exhibition until July 20).

For the first two days we did the whirlwind sightseeing thing.

Friday morning it was off to Zest to have breakfast and view the exhibition (Did I say it was on view until July 20 and you are all invited to go have a look) and then we headed off to McLaren Vale. First we dropped into Rosemount to see Graham Starr the cellar door manager there. He supplied the wine for the exhibition opening (still open until July 20 by the way) and he showed me their gallery space. I might have a show the in the future.

After that we headed to one of our all-time favourite restaurants, Fino at Willunga. Seven courses later, they were small, we headed off to the most beautiful cellar door in the McLaren Vale region, Primo Estate. Forget the wine just drink in the building!

We then headed home and David cooked.

Next day we walked along The Parade at Norwood before having lunch at the Hahndorf Hill Winery, another favourite spot. We then checked out the view over Adelaide from Mount Lofty and headed on home where David cooked. And cooked. From 8pm until midnight out came course after course of Japanese food – tempura oysters, deep-fried tofu, sprout salad, prawns in savoury custard, a fish dish and more.

Sunday was a much more relaxed affair. We went shopping in town and drifted in and out of a dozen menswear shops . . . I was the only one who bought anything.

A fun weekend.



Listening attentively to the wine guy at Primo Estate - you don't want to mix up your Cabernet Sangiovese with your Shiraz Nebbiolos.



David, Craig and Scott at the Mount Lofty Lookout. And below what they were looking at.



Swirly dark clouds and streaming sunlight.



Craig on the jetty at Glenelg after visiting the exhibition at Zest (which closes on July 20)

Zest Exhibition Opening

The Zest Exhibition is open until July 20.

The opening itself wasn’t without it’s dramas. First David, got the date of our friends Craig (also David’s almost 40 year old nephew) and Scott’s arrival wrong. Not the Friday night he thought but the Thursday night – the same as the opening. As he had painted the kitchen that day (he’s still on holidays) he still had to clean up so that the house was in order for the boy’s arrival. That meant he couldn’t get to the exhibition opening.

And if that wasn’t bad enough then the weather turned on us. Just as most people would have been deciding if they wanted to come to the opening (around 6pm), lightening struck and a deluge poured from the heavens. The turn out was still good but I'm sure a few people must have looked at the rain and said to themselves - 'Nah - I ain't going out in this!'


I sold two pictures on the opening night and so did Kenneth – so it was relatively successful. Let’s hope for a few more sales.


Kenneth's work on the walls at Zest Cafe, Glenelg.

Perth Stop-Over

As part of our Broome holiday (five nights and six days) we had a stop over in Perth and we visited our friends Monty and Jim.

We arrived on Sunday morning and after a trip taking in Kings Park, the Swan River and a breakfast at a favourite café, we ventured to Maison Nollamara, the boy’s lovely home.

In the afternoon Monty had arranged to have a party with a group of his friends. He set up his turntables in the living room and went into DJ mode for the afternoon. Great finger food, bubbly red and plenty of conversation was had and David and I had a lovely time.

The next morning we travelled to another favourite breakfast spot and then it was off to the airport and our flight to Broome.

Thanks Monty and Jim for a great stop over!



I tried on one of Monty's wild outfits.



Monty at the turntables. "I am a DJ, I am what I Play."



A shag drying out at a wharf on the Swan.



At Milkd Cafe.

Broome Holiday

Sea plane. Flying over a vast landscape of scrub punctuated by dead straight roads carved out to the iron ore rich, bright red, Kimberley coast earth.

Then the scenery changes. It’s a massive departure from the arid look that is common across the whole of the outback. We’re flying over the Buccaneer Archipelago. It’s a vast collection of islands and sounds, really a drowned mountain range, with arching ridges interspersed by clear water reflecting the blue skies above. The peripheries of the reddish rocky islands are dotted with mangroves the surrounding waters range across the palette of dreamy tropical blues.

Spectacular view after spectacular view appears and fades into the distance and soon we come upon our destination Talbot Bay and the Horizontal Falls. The falls are a very fast moving tidal flow between two narrow gorges. Each of these gorges is 12 metres wide and water stores up on one side faster that it can empty, giving rise to a couple of metres-high height difference in the sea level between both sides of the gorges. The direction of the flow reverses with each turning tide and can completely empty entirely on some tides.

We bank low and see the gaps in the range islands. There’s white water showing in each of the gaps. We circle so passengers each side of the small plane can see the spectacular view and as we pass I take photo after photo. Next we start to descend and after skimming over one of the islands we descend into another of the bays. The plane banks across a curving wall of rock and then straightens and starts to lose height. I brace myself for tough down but on a sea plane the landing I super smooth, the plane mimicking a pelican landing elegantly in still, flat water.

The plane docks at a house boat in the bay and we disembark. Soon we’re on an SAS assault jet boat racing across the bays on our way to the falls. The falls are too fast to go through them the first time but after a barbecue lunch of barramundi on the houseboat we go back. At one point we are stationery in one of the gaps but we actually have to do 22km per hour to keep in that spot – the water is rushing through at such a pace.

Another highlight of the day is patting a Tawny Nurse shark. Our young Crocodile Dundee-like jet boat pilot has learnt how to pat the sharks, keeping them happy with barramundi fillets. At one point he pulls a fully-grown two-metre male shark half out of the water by its tail and he encourages us all to have a pat.

Another highlight of our trip was a hovercraft ride around Roebuck Bay, the waterway on which Broome is built. We set off late in the afternoon and went across the bay and looked at a set of fossilised dinosaur footprints. On our way back across the bay, the tide had gone out. We stopped about five kilometres out on the sand flats and watched the sunset, the oranges and reds reflecting in the pools scattered throughout vast expanse.

At other sunsets we sipped a tropical cocktail and on another a martini at each of the Cable Beach beachside venues.

We also dined at some lovely restaurants, including a great Japanese place and David cooked a couple of times at our accommodation – The Frangipanni at Cable Beach.

A lunch and a beer tasting (for me, David had wine) at Matso’s was fun. The beers ranged from traditional British ales through to mango and chilli flavoured brews.

We also checked out the local museum which was very informative about the history of the pearl industry in the area. We also went into every pearl jewellery place in the town and I was allowed to splurge on a river pearl strung on a black neoprene necklace.

Of course, it was all over too soon. I’m writing this 10 days later and I’m yet to transfer all the photos I took (3,000 roughly over the six days we were away) so I’m reliving the glory as I am reminded of the fun of a trip away to somewhere very exotic indeed.

The sea plane coming down to land in the Talbot Bay area.

A tiny part of the Buccaneer Archipelago from the sea plane.

The gaps are the Horizontal Falls.



Our jet boat pilot patting the Tawny Nurse sharks.



The water lily pool at the Frangipanni resort. Situated on Frangipanni Drive, it is lined with yellow centred, white Frangipannis.



A pearl lugger at sunset at Cable Beach.



David with the hovercraft on the vast stretch of sand flats exposed at low tide.

Sunset over Roebuck Bay near Broome.

David's silhouette. Cable Beach at sunset.



The outdoor shower at the resort. During summer the shower is often home to green tree frogs.

Zest Exhibition with Kenneth Inger

I will be having another exhibition opening soon. This time I will be exhibiting with good friend and fantastic portrait photographer Kenneth Inger. Below is a pic of Kenneth I took a few years ago.



The exhibition will be at the Zest Cafe and Gallery, Glenelg and will run from June 9 - July 20. An opening will be held on Thursday, June 12. Below is the poster I designed to promote the exhibition.

A vist from Alissa and Lance

On May 4 and 5 my niece Alissa (Neil’s daughter) and her boyfriend Lance visited us. They were down from Queensland as Lance was in a poker competition being played at a pub here in Adelaide.

On the Saturday, after a bacon and egg breakfast at David and Julie’s, we drove to McLaren Vale to show Alissa and Lance a couple local wineries. We went in two cars, the Mini had David, me, Alex and Meghan on board while my brother David, Mum, and Alissa and Lance drove in the hire car they had.

We visited the D’Arenberg Cellar Door. It’s on the top of a hill and looks out over McLaren Vale and has great views. We also went to the Primo Estate cellar door which is housed in the most magnificent building.

After that we travelled to Goolwa to see where Hayley works, the Aquacaf, which is on the river. We had coffees and desserts and enjoyed the lovely location. On the way back to David and Julie’s place we showed off ‘The Chateau’ and then we all had take-away back at Lower Mitcham.

We all got together again on the Sunday for a meal. Hayley, Alissa and Lance also got to see my exhibition.

Click on the pictures to see a larger size.



Alex, Lance, Alissa and Mum at the Aquacaf, Goolwa.



Lance, Mum, Hayley, David, Mehgan and Alex.



Alex trying to enter a competition. The details were on the back of an iced coffee pack.

If you click on the two photos below they will take you to my Flickr photo page.



Boats being towed back to the marina at Goolwa after a race.



Primo Estate, McLaren Vale.

These Surveillance Blues

My latest exhibition These Surveillance Blues opened on Sunday, April 27 at the Tin Cat Café and Gallery, Rundle Street, Kent Town.

It wasn’t a very pleasant day – the first real wintry-type day of the year. It was cold and wet and bleak. Despite the weather there was a good turn-out for the opening. Landscape designer David Baptiste gave a speech and opened the exhibition.

The exhibition consists of seven large works (1 metre by 70cm when framed) and four series of four smaller works – 8 in 15x15cm frames and the other 8 in 25x25cm frames. David did all the framing once again. If I had to do it all the pictures would be crooked and ruined.

I sold 10 pictures at the opening including one to David Baptiste, who opened the exhibition – a nice surprise. It would be nice to sell a few more; mounting an exhibition like this is a huge financial drain.

The exhibition is available to view at the cafe/gallery until May 25. The Tin Cat is located at 107 Rundle Street, Kent Town and is open 7 days from 9am and is open in the evenings for dinner from Wednesday to Sunday night. My work will be in the front two rooms. Phone - 8362 4748.

Clicking on the pictures will take you to my Flickr photo sharing page where you can the pictures at a larger size.



David hanging the exhibition.



Pictures all bubble wrapped - ready to hang.



Using the laser level to line everything up.



Pictures David took at the opening.