Sketchabout 2 Fred Marsh – The birth of splat-ism

After Wendy Shortland's workshop,the first sketch of the day was in the courtyard behind the the Maiden Theatre

Watercolour, pencil, pen.

After lunch I went down into the gardens to get a panoramic view. For many years I worked in Macquarie Street & appreciated how the gardens are such an essential part of our city, by providing an easy access haven for workers to escape at lunch time and rest, read, think, contemplate or just refresh their minds in preparation for the remaining rigors of the day. So I thought that I would find a spot to show the relationship between the garden and the edge of the city at Macquarie Street. I parked my stool under a tree out of the rain and started to sketch, but the raindrops kept finding their way through.

If Turner can strap himself to a mast in a storm to capture a storm on canvas, a few raindrops are a bit of a doddle & were not going to stop me. Nor did they, but many did splat on the drawing and I think that they were a big help in capturing the wetness and grayness of the day – not a normal sight in the Emerald City. I am sure that this day will be looked upon as the founding of the art movement known as splat-ism

Watercolour, restorative gouache, pen, pencil and splats.

Fred Marsh

http://www.marshstudio.com/