Boa Vista Road

This is Boa Vista Road in New Town, five minutes drive from the centre of town. 

I catch a bus up this way in my lunch hour sometimes and walk back into the city. The bushy hill is the Queens Domain. This road corkscrews up, over, down and around to the right to meet Park Street. A few metres beyond Park Street is the busy Brooker Highway. Then above that Cleary's Gates Road runs through the bush (lined with parked commuter cars). And even further up the hill is the jogging loop track.

I like doing these urban landscapes and like most artists I shuffle the cars out of the scene because they spoil it. 

I took these progress pics as I went. The red and blue one is the source for the animation below.

In the finished painting above, an old homestead snoozes in a quiet street with apparently untouched bush in the background - a total lie! I like an uncluttered landscape. But at the same time I really love the way the movement of a car across the surface of the earth can highlight the topography. 

I don't know where I am quite going with these experiments. This may just be too noisy with too much squiggle. My boss years ago said one project coming up "might suit your 'crappy style'" and I've always thought fondly of that. At least I have a style.

New Town namaste

A few weeks ago I went for a stroll around a bit of the New Town/Moonah border that was new to me. I am on a non-profit board now (!) and I had to be dropped off for a meeting 40 minutes early for logistics reasons. Its near the New Town High School so I just wandered up through it along what is probably the New Town Rivulet.

I came to a small path and bridge that led from the sports grounds of the school into a back street of industrial Moonah, and there I saw this.

I took some dull photos on my phone and put them on Facebook asking for information. Matt Kirkcaldie piped up to say;

That's the Newtown Cool Store where my friends Laura McCusker and Peter Howard have their furniture workshop. The walls are insulated with human hair clippings!

So I was back there for another meeting today at a more photo-friendly time of day; but the good camera's battery was dying so I just got these two pics. This is some kind of van, and written on the side is  PEANUT BUTTER    MAYONNAISE    SUPER SPREAD.

As I was approaching to take the pics, a tiny man and lady appeared from the other direction, possibly they just crossed the little bridge. Although its a hot day they had a few layers on - the lady trailed a little way behind the man. I said hello to him and he gave me a lovely smile and said 'Good day'. I said 'Good morning' to the smiling little lady and she gave me a perfect 'Namaste' with praying hands. I quickly namaste'd in return. Let me tell you I am not a guy who'll start a namaste on the street but if one breaks out I am quite prepared to join in boots and all.

Anyway, that quite made my day. Here are the phone pics. The strange round rusty thing by the gate, according to Jan Dallas, is a "plough disc adapted for reinforcement of brick wall, re- hinges, I reckon."