Wandering through the old town area of Hanoi is about as chaotic as life gets. Thousands of motor bikes, bicycles and pedestrians squeezed into every square inch of open space. There seems to be only two road rules – Don’t hit anything and don’t get hit.
Fruit Delivery
Furniture Delivery
Vegetable Vendor
Electronic Repairs, Modifications and Maintenance
Naked Chickens
Fruit Vendor
Motor Bikes Repaired, Rebuilt and Maintained
Industrial Transport
Following the road east from Mataranka out to Roper Bar brings you into the top of Limmen National Park. The Northern region of the park is popular with Barramundi fishermen, but heading south along a badly corrugated road towards Cape Crawford brings you to Butterfly Gorge and a number of areas dotted with strange sandstone formations. 
Butterfly Gorge (minus waterfall at end of dry season)
This little Azure Kingfisher spent a lot of time patiently watching the ever diminishing waterhole for fish.
Pillars of sculpted rock.
Heading south east, we camped at the Ayrshire Hills. Another spectacularly weathered landscape 70kms out of Winton.
We entered Kakadu National Park from the south, via Pine Creek with a 3 day permit to enter Koolpin Gorge. After collecting keys from the ranger station, we bounced our way down the road towards Gunlom. Crossing the South Alligator River, we turned South East to Koolpin. The road was badly corrugated with some nasty twists and turns.
This poor guy found out the hard way that taking it easy gets you there quicker.
Koolpin Gorge is a string of waterholes linked by waterfalls in the wet season. The three lower pools are the home to salt water crocodiles, but beyond those it is safe to swim.
Walking up through the gorge is spectacular. The track cuts up over the ridge in places with great views of the surrounding country.
From Koolpin we moved on to Red Lily Billabong. There are no facilities there, and the track in is pretty rough at the moment, so not many people head out that way. We had the place to ourselves. A young couple with a tent called in, and seeing the number of crocs there, decided it wasn’t the place for them.
The billabong is a large expanse of water and covered with huge red water lilies. Lots of bird life and numerous large crocodiles.
Sandy Billabong is a favourite spot. The early morning light, rising mist and lurking crocodiles make the twisted old paperbarks look kind of creepy .
Yellow Waters Cruise on Jim Jim Billabong at sunset is one of the highlights of Kakadu. This is the fifth time we have done the cruise and it is always spectacular.
Afternoon fires turned the setting sun into a glowing red ball.
Kakadu Birds Slide Show Not Working?
We saw a number of small herds of water buffalo scattered through Kakadu. They had almost been eliminated but over the past few years are breeding up again.
This old landcruiser was used to chase down buffalo back when they were in large numbers.
After the Blackall workshops we headed out through Western Queensland and up into the Northern Territory.
Interesting architecture – Kynuna, Western Queensland
Ancient council caravan, seen better days.
Willie Mar’s Chinese Market Garden – Winton
We found ourselves in Katherine for the annual rodeo. The town was busy, but we were able to stay at the show ground where the rodeo was held, so we got to see all the practice and preparation before the events.
Abandon swings outside the rodeo grounds
On the morning before the rodeo we were treated to an impressive hour of hard core polo practice.
June, July and August have been busy months with workshops in Cairns, Gladstone and Blackall.
Cairns Art Escape is held annually in “The Tanks” – an amazing venue inside enormous old WW2 oil storage tanks converted to studio and performance spaces.
July we were in Gladstone at Gallery 67 for a 5 day workshop after which we reloaded the truck and headed out to Blackall for the annual artist retreat workshop.
Blackall – Artists Retreat
Local Blackall drover, Stu Benson, kept us entertained with stories of the area and spoiled us with tea and damper.
Old shearing shed at Dunera Station where we were made welcome and enjoyed smoko and an interesting walk around the property.
Louise and Lexie, who drove out from Currumbin for the workshop, took Dianne and I out to the property where Louise grew up. The old homestead is now abandoned and slowly decaying, it was great to look around at some of the relics remaining from when Louise was a little kid.
Old Homestead
Machinery – Blackall wool scour
We were lucky to be in Blackall for the Camerata of St John’s, Queensland Chamber Orchestra’s performance. It was fantastic – all young, enthusiastic and incredibly well rehearsed players touring through outback regions of Queensland to help raise money for drought relief.
Western Australia’s mining boom might have slowed, but our recent visit showed a state still prosperous and positive, despite the economic downturn. Our first workshop was in Mandurah, 70km south of Perth. A spacious well lit venue in the RAAFA complex kept us busy and dry in the cold squally outside conditions.
In this demo the subject is finely detailed in contrast to the simple, understated foreground. A rough meandering brushstroke and pale splash of Cobalt Blue take the eye through the empty foreground and up to the focal point.
Placing muted colors in a field of grey, built up with a series of washes, gives the feeling of dampness and clearing rain.
Washes of Phthalo Blue through the water and over part of the buildings tightens up color harmony and allows the warm focal area to dominate.
In Bunbury an old, heritage listed school building right in the middle of town has been handed over to a number of art groups as a permanent venue. The light was great and the old school had a fantastic character.
An interesting subject treated in a simple, graphic way. Disregarding perspective and focusing on the composition and simple color arrangement amplifies the character of these uncomplicated, white washed buildings.
Breaking waves are always fun to paint. Phthalo Blue and Green, Ultramarine, Alizarin Crimson and Indian Yellow create the unmistakable color of the West Australian surf.
Another simple, graphic approach – no perspective or surrounding clutter to take away from the weathered patina of this sea weary fishing trawler up on slips.
In Perth our workshop venue was spacious, well lit and not far from the city. We did three two day workshops, so new faces seemed to pop up all the time.
This weathered sandstone outcrop is full of color and texture. Eliminating most of the foreground and background gives the monolithic outcrop an understated simplicity. Ultramarine Blue gouache dropped into the shadows contrasts with the warm orange and makes the shadows much more vibrant.
A predominantly warm color arrangement made from Alizarin Crimson, Permanent Rose and Indian Yellow is relieved by Ultramarine Blue in the sky and small patches of Phthalo Blue tinted with White Gouache in the buildings. A simple abstract mark leads the eye across the open foreground and up to the focal point. 
Small calligraphic marks either side of this resting trawler suggest buildings, jetties and nautical paraphernalia without being too descriptive. This simplicity contrasts with the apparent detail in the trawler to engage the viewer and make the painting more interesting.
New $9.95 Instant Video Project
This ancient pair of garden shears make a fantastic painting subject. Years of wear and tear plus numerous adjustments, to make them as comfortable as they are practical, have given them a character way beyond their original appearance.
Join me in capturing that character using just three colors and a handful of brushes, pens and pencils.
The great thing about this project is the fact that so few materials are needed and the results are surprisingly detailed and emotive.
Splashing Paint 