Ten Trees and more Thursdays

I was sitting sketching in the Cactus House last Thursday with a group of sketching friends and a small group of school children walked past. They were so intrigued to see drawing being done out in the open air and as usual they stopped to watch for a while. They wanted to work out what I was looking at exactly and then follow the drawing lines I had made in response. And then... one little girl actually said to me

"I wish I was you!" and with that she walked off with the rest of the class. It made more than just my day but rather my whole week! It made me feel that what I was doing was so worthwhile, not just the artwork itself but the process of doing it where people could watch me, particularly children.

Cactus drawing, Robyn Bauer

This was the actual drawing done just with various dilutions of ink and several pens. Below are some other photos of the day.

Robyn Bauer in the Cactus House

I have gone back to drawing on large sheets again and work on them over several sessions. They do not depict an actual scene but rather several plants from a particular area.

Art group in the Cactus House

The late August weather was still a little unpredictable and we did get a few showers so working under the cover of the cactus house roof suited us perfectly.

Art Group

We had our largest group so far of eleven artists on this particular morning.

Art group

I am still managing to get to the Gardens on most days. I feel that even though six months have passed since I started, I am still happy drawing on location. I had thought that by September I would have started some larger studio paintings but I am finding that I have to actually be in the Gardens to actually do anything. I can't work from photos right now and am not keen on working from cut specimens either. I know most botanical artists work this way and I have done some detailed drawings back in the studio of detritus from the forest floor, but I am seem to need the ambiance of being near live plants to respond in an appropriate way.

Tree 1, phytolacca dioica

After the creative burst of the Collage Workshop preparation I enjoyed doing some small detailed tree drawings on paper prepared with a swish of acrylic.

Tree 2, pinus thunbergii

I decided I would do ten in a little series but ended up doing many more.

Tree 3, araucaria

The drawing above was done in the City Botanic Gardens on a very cold morning. Bunya Pine tree.

Tree 4, butia eriospatha

This palm tree is from Brazil and it did have quite a lean on it toward the light. I included the tap just to left of it to help locate it and also to indicate the strong angle at which it is growing.

Tree 5, euphorbia ingens

I really couldn't go past this impressive succulent which is in the Arid Area not far from the cafeteria. I have drawn it from several angles over the years.

Tree 6, dracena beaucarnea

These Mexican ponytail trees have always intrigued me. I love their weird sculptural forms.

Ponytail tree drawing

It is not always possible to get a shot of the drawing and the tree due to shadows.

Me working

The photo above shows the Ponytail tree drawing in progress.

Tree 7, pandanus

So much variety to capture in tree morphology. When deciding which tree to draw on a particular day I usually just try to find something different from what I did the day before. I don't have a very scientific decision-making process. Another factor is shade. I have learned the hard way to always choose a spot that will stay in the shade over several hours.

Tree 8, Swamp Cypress Bonsai

On Japanese Cultural Day on August 18th, I thought I should choose something with a Japanese theme so I headed to the Bonsai House where I found this beautiful specimen of Swamp Cypress.

Bonsai House

I went back there for the next few days also. Several bonsai experts were volunteering with the gardeners and I learned a few tips about maintaining my own bonsai at home.

Tree 9, Japanese Black Pine Bonsai

The bonsai house attracts a large amount of visitors and listening in to the conversations around me, most of them are very knowledgeable about the specimens and the process.

Artist at work

One of the lovely gardeners stopped by and took a series of photos of me working.

Drawing in the Bonsai House

And finally tree number ten in this little mini series.

Tree 10, ficus macrophylla bonsai

This final drawing depicts my favourite Moreton Bay Fig Tree in bonsai form of tree over rock. I just can't get enough of these trees in any form!

Week Four in the Gardens

Even though is is now Autumn, we had incredibly hot weather this week. I worked mostly in the studio apart from a couple of little forays outside to walk in the gardens.

Robyn Bauer- Lotus painting

I have taken hundreds of photos I can work from although I still want my work to have a quality of having been done on location. The magnificent lotus plants are growing in a raised pond just outside the admin and library complex at the Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens. I wanted to capture both pods and flowers. I have finally moved to working on canvas after all the drawings I have done.

Robyn Bauer - costus barbatus

This brightly coloured flower is a type of ginger called costus barbatus and it really stands out against the more muted colours of the eucalyptus behind it. I am building these paintings up in layers and they are still works in progress.

I managed to get hold of these books about Australian landscape artist John Wolseley from the Mt Coot-tha library. Much of Wolseley's art has really been a search for a way of representing the uniqueness of Australian flora, fauna and the environment generally. They are visual meditations on the natural world. He seems to achieve a spiritual interaction with the landscape. (Aboriginal people have always done this) 

Many artists working in a western manner have never quite achieved this depth of response. The landscape has been painted, but there has been not so much focus on the flora and fauna except for natural history artists.

What I am aiming for is something that crosses these different traditions; Not a photographic representation or a collection of scientific observations,but something that takes from or blends different approaches. I am nowhere near achieving this yet but maybe after my year in the Gardens I'll have more of an idea. 

What I can say so far is that I want my work to show some visual clues as far as colours, shapes and a response to an object or place in the gardens. I have plenty of visual stimuli and my drawings have explored some textural observations. I am trying to find my own way.

There is also the excitement of process. As I've said before, I want even the studio work to have the immediacy of en plein air response.  The excitement of discovering something exotic to me will hopefully come across. 

My Artist-in-Residency at the Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens 2019

I have started a very detailed daily diary about the project for the year ahead and I will share some of my thoughts here.
Naturally I have certain personal goals but the only thing that I can say with absolute certainty is that I hope at this stage to keep an open mind about where the project may lead. I can also say that I am really ready for this. Not only ready, but it is something I have been yearning for in my arts practice. Recent years have have had much narrower focus, but this is something with such possibilities for growth and expansion; for learning about the scientific side of things as well as the opportunity for my responses to my subject matter to rise to another level. A growth of the artist's spirit or essence. I could use the word "soul" or "anima". I hope you get the picture!

There has always been a wonderful relationship between art and botany. In real botanical illustration, the purpose is to show the different stages in the development of a plant; in bud, in blossom and in fruit. I have always loved such illustrations and have a whole library of books about them.

As far as my work is concerned the boundaries between botanical illustration, fine art painting and sketching on location, are something I intend to ignore. I am just going to work instinctively and respond to the place I am working.

My reading this year will be a lot more scientific than usual. I have steadily collected these books below over the last few years and the Mt Coot-tha Library is an excellent resource with extremely knowledgeable and helpful staff.

Hopefully the things I learn will inform my response to the Gardens, but I will never let go of my instinctive response. 

A quote from Rex Vicat Cole 1915 about drawing in nature -

" When we are with Nature all formulas and precepts must be left behind. If we go out to paint in a set manner we are conscious of ourselves rather than of nature: our practice will show that we are learned or ignorant, dextrous or clumsy, but but it will not show that which could have incited us to paint it"  

Here are a few drawings and sketchbook pages to get the blog rolling along.

Robyn Bauer sketchbook page, Gardens

There are so many aspects of the gardens to explore but so far I have always been drawn to the Australian Rainforest areas. Fig trees are a particular love of mine and I am looking forward to learning more about them. I will be observing the seasonal changes and the different stages in the fruiting cycle.

Robyn Bauer Sketchbook pages, Gardens

Finally a couple of charcoal drawings, one of which was done in the City Gardens. I will be varying my materials to suit the subjects and lets just see where it takes me!

Robyn Bauer Fig Tree Drawing

These drawings are done in charcoal on craft paper prepared with pastel primer. The one above is in the City Gardens and below at Mt Coot-tha.

Robyn Bauer Fig Tree Drawing

Ekka Residency - Day 4

I didn't get to sketch any animals yesterday so today I made a beeline for the Goat Pavilion. The Australian-flag-draped female goat caught my eye although she seemed oblivious to the overnight Olympic medal tally.

These animals are SO curious. The black one at the bottom had a nice motionless position until I started drawing her. She kept reaching out her head to see what I was doing. She wasn't too impressed because then she started nodding off. If you look closely at the two little kids top right you will see that there is a third black one almost totally hidden. I didn't notice her until I was half way through.

The goats are right next to the Poultry Section so I popped in there for another visit. The amount of variety in these bird breeds is amazing. I spoke to one of the breeders and she said that judging these birds depends on the perfect silhouette from the side. I couldn't get to see this because of the cages.

This is one I started yesterday but didn't get finished so I spent a bit more time on it. Bromeliads and Orchids.

For this last one, I was encouraged to sit right in front of the display in quite a prominent position. Not the kind of spot I would have chosen as I had quite an audience watching me work. I did this pretty fast as a result! So much work must go into putting these displays together. This one was full of tiger lilies, orchids and succulents. That is a second prize banner in the foreground.

Robyn Bauer

Finally a couple of shots of me working which I am happy to have as a record. This one shows the purple case I have been dragging behind me all week with my art materials. I also have a little fold up stool.

Robyn Bauer

There is an Ekka photographer who is doing the rounds in an official capacity.

Just look for the hashtag #theekka