Sketches from Oz

Last month I embarked on a brave adventure to visit my oldest friend in Sydney, Australia. Artist, Aaron Matheson and I grew up together in Cornwall, running around the moors, swimming in rivers, and exploring caves as well as sharing the same art teacher who was a very important part of our development as artists.

This sketch was in the cafe at the Art Gallery of New South Wales where we saw the Archibald prize for Portraiture and some incredible contemporary Aboriginal art as well as the most curious, giant playground installation by artist Mike Hewson

I was really struck by the birds in Sydney. Every day birds are colourful and exotic. These (rather large!) ibis are apparently known as bin chickens and they roam around outdoor cafes, looking for scraps. Like seagulls in Cornwall but somehow much more interesting.

Aaron took me to see the Liverpool Street Gallery where he shows and we met the gallery owner who was quite a character. We even got to visit his house where he has an incredible collection of modern Australian art on show.

Living in Sydney for two weeks was a fantastic experience. I met some really interesting people, drank some incredible coffee, ate amazing food and filled my creative cup with art and inspiration.

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