Unseasonal rains through the north of WA closed the Fitzroy Crossings and meant an enforced stay here at the Gateway Caravan Park, just out of Broome. While it did get a bit frustrating after a few days, there are certainly worse places to be held up. A clump of trees adjacent to the camper van provided an opportunity to paint in the shade of the van. I am particularly pleased with the outcome and felt that finally I was starting to use carful but loose strokes to capture the nature of the scene and that Jacob Aguiar's Patreon group was finally paying off!The De Grey rest area, just north of Port Hedland, has some beautiful old white gums scattered through it and this one was right next to my camper van. The beautiful markings and colours were just asking to be painted, though my rather mediocre watercolour skills failed to do it justice! Still, it's all practice!Well, here I am again travelling to Darwin via the coastal route. This time I have a little travelling companion in the form of my rescue dog Coco. After a rather cold series off days travelling north from Perth we have finally hit some warmth, here at the old Whimm Creek Hotel, south of Roebourne. its a great place to stay for the night, very quiet and only a couple of other travellers here. so much better than a crowded concrete rest area. I have very happy memories of stopping here with Jack and having a beer in the long historic bar. So sad that it didn't survive the last cyclone.The lovely weather in Darwin continued as I headed out to East Point, where a painting can always be found among the small coloured cliffs and sea. I was struck by the beautiful shadows left on the damp sand as the tide moved out. Had to get these in quickly as, over the two hours I painted, they eventually disappeared as the sun moved over the cliffs. Once again, I used an alcohol wash to set some colours. As I made my way home, I felt a scratchy throat developing. Little did I realise that I would test positive for Covid the next day! Glad I got this painting day in!On Tuesday 19th, spent a peaceful morning painting at this large recreation reserve just out of Darwin. With the lagoons dotted around and the diverse vegetation, it provided myriads of spots for plein air scenes. I began with an alcohol wash using a fan brush which I was pleased with. While I was very happy with the final outcome, and felt it represented well the feel of the morning, I was a bit frustrated with the amount of underpainting I covered up. I must work on this. Also must remember to use a more powerful insect repellent for the midges and reapply!!After traveling 4-5000km over 6 weeks I finally joined up with Lou, Chris, Evelyn and Theo at th caravan park at Douglas Daly. The scenery on our walk to The Arches was typical NT rivercourse scenery, with beautiful green-blue water, rapids and rock formations. While the others swam in the NOT crocodile-controlled water, I managed an ink sketch sitting on the bank, which I later colored. |