Spring Sketchabout Number Two

The second spring sketchabout was a dull day but lovely to be outside. We'd been expecting rain so we were highly delighted. A lot of new (to us) sketchers joined us and I hope very much we'll see them again.

We went to the Australian rockery & I drew these gymea lilies. I was at the top of this steep slope and the plants were part of the way down. They are so large that they towered above me. Hopefully you can tell that from the photo (courtesy of Jennifer).I had to put the north shore in and a yacht to get some scale.

I then drew some yellow kangaroo paw. I'd wanted to draw the red, but they were located mid-way down this steep slope. I've located some easily accessible ones up in Mrs Macquarie's Road, so hopefully they'll still be flowering next time I go.

Spring in Gardens

Weekend with Sketch Club was amazing experience to meet new artist and share the talk.

This are some of the sketches we had.

Australian Natives and more

Here are my sketches from Saturday... a great day!!!



Sketching this folly was quite a challenge...

A good number of the sketchers stayed for lunch and we had a great time sharing sketchbooks. It is always so inspirational to see the works of others.

Catching up

Unfortunately, I have had other commitments whenever there has been a Sketchabout this spring. Luckily a friend was having a birthday picnic lunch at the RBG last Sunday, so I grabbed that as an opportunity to do some painting.

I arrived early to a very sunny, colourful day at the gardens. I managed to find the first spot you all sketched at and I was like a kid in a candy store. Which is why I forgot to note all the flowers/plants that I drew. As a birthday present to my friend I let her select a picture. Um, it's the yellowy-orange one... :)

Australian Rockery - Alissa Duke

Sydney Sketch Club met at Royal Botanic Garden on an overcast Spring Day. We went to the Australian Rockery area, which is down near the entrance near the Opera House.

Kerry ( RBG staff) told me of the significance of everything in my drawing.

In the foreground are Gymea Lilies, which are a plant of the Sydney region. They have a flower spike of about 6 meters, which flowers in Spring ad Summer. They were used as a source of food for the indigenous Eora pople. They are now being used as indicator as part of climate change project.

In the mid-ground is the sea wall, a sandstone wall built in 1848 as about 3 acres of tidal land at the edge of the Gardens was reclaimed at Farm Cove.

In the background, beyond Sydney Harbour are the headlands, where the ships carrying the First Fleet of European settlers arrived in Sydney in 1788.





These are Xanthorrhoea (grass trees) .
They are a unique part of the Australian landscape.


As I drew this, I made notes on my page of all the sounds I could hear around me. Kookaburras, children playing and fighting, the tourist train, party boats on the Harbour, a helicopter, jetboats, tourists. sketchers chatting.. and in the moments of quietness I could hear leaves falling or the water lapping against the sea wall.

Don't forget the Spring Garden Sketchabout this Saturday (8 October) -- join the Sydney Sketch Club at the Royal Botanic Garden. It's free and no formal training is required. Starts at 10 am from the Palm Grove Information Centre (next to the Garden Shop). BYO sketch materials and a picnic if you are staying for lunch. Enquiries 9231 8125