Urban Sketches of Brisbane

Since my big solo show is now well and truly over I have been getting back to en plein air sketching. I have joined a group of urban sketchers who meet on Tuesdays, but on other days I still get out there and draw from life in the urban landscape around Brisbane. There is a real difference in approach working from life. It is a good lesson to respond with immediacy to a subject.

 This is my first outdoor effort. It is from New Farm Park looking past the ferry terminal towards the river bank on the other side. I guess it would be East Brisbane over there. In this one I used every media from paint, pencil, ink, charcoal and white charcoal. About 1 hour's work.

This was my second hour out in the open. Drawn from just past the Powerhouse and looking toward the East Brisbane riverbank, past a large fig tree.

My third effort for that day again shows the river in the foreground and higher up the riverbank is Lourdes Hill School. This is just pencil, 6B and HB.

Having got back into the sketching mode I took my sketchbook along to the Northern Districts Horticultural Society Meeting and drew the participants behind a few hanging baskets. Pen and Ink, wash added later.

 This one is from GOMA looking past the elephant sculpture towards Brisbane City. The urban sketchers met here so we were a group of about 14.

 So far I have done a sketch daily. This one was yesterday just down the road in Given Terrace Paddington.

Today it is pouring rain so this is the view from my studio back deck towards Sacred Heart Rosalie Church and Toowong Village. As you can see I am limiting my media to just pen and ink and wash. Just like my painting technique I prefer the splatter and splodges of the accidental mark. Planning to loosen up a lot more than this though!


I am happy to do commissions of such views if required.

Paintings of Brisbane

It is with a great sigh of relief that I can announce that my solo show at Royal Queensland Art Society was a resounding success. In fact I am quite overwhelmed with the positive comments, crowds attending, and yes SALES! Finally after a lifetime of limited sales this current work seems to have hit a nerve with the people of Brisbane. The show was almost a sell-out, except for the very large pieces which people loved but didn't have room for on their walls.


I have realised that it is a good month since the show but I haven't posted the images here yet, very remiss. They are however all on my website

www.robynbauer.com

Here are the larger ones,

This is the title piece "Paradise Found - Close to Home". It is just under three metres wide.

Here is a picture of me and Molly my dog model.

This was taken just before delivering the work to the gallery.

This painting is entitled "Evening Glow - View from Petrie Terrace towards Bardon". It contains more figures than most of the others but with the next series I do intend to put in more figures in this manner.

People totally loved this one but again and again it was just a few centimetres too large for people's walls. It is entitled "Summer Rain - View from Red Hill over Paddington".

This one is called "The Colours of Construction". The new building going up in the middle distance is right on the Milton railway track. That is Torbreck on the horizon at the left. The view is looking from Latrobe Terrace down Gladstone Street towards West End. I had fun with the warm light and cool shadows.

This one is looking up Isaac Street towards St Paul's Terrace Spring Hill. Note the dog and the number plate on the car.

This image is something of a composite scene. The worker's cottages are from Torwood at the back of Milton school and the giant fig tree is from Bardon.

Robyn Bauer Painting of Brisbane City

I actually haven't painted Brisbane City much, but this view from Upper Cairns Terrace over the rooftops and trees shows a quaint row of old worker's cottages and then the city buildings rise up suddenly. It is jacaranda season too.

Robyn Bauer New Farm Park Brisbane

Another with the Jacaranda trees and a faint but accurate outline of the city in the background. This one is "Tending the Roses- Brisbane City from New Farm Park".

Robyn Bauer -  Brisbane painting

I have called this one "Two Trees - Looking up towards St Brigid's church from Paddington". The second tree is of course the the telephone pole.

Robyn Bauer - Hale Street Brisbane

This is the view from Suncorp Stadium over Hale Street. In the bottom right corner is the old La Boite Theatre. First time I have had such fun painting cars. I think the angle of the road gives the work a modern look and contrasts the old with the new.

Robyn Bauer - Paddington Brisbane

I called this one "Jacaranda Evening". The view is up Ewart Street towards the Paddington water tower.

This is just a small selection of works from the show. I will post the more botanical ones in a separate blog post.

Hope you enjoy them!