Following on from my blog post of 14 September, I have created another Sketchbook video. This time I’m taking a close look at the Hardenbergia violacea. It is in flower at the moment where I live in Jerrabomberra, but it occurs all over the ACT, NSW some areas of Qld, Vic, SA and WA. Once again the focus is on learning about the plant through drawing and painting. This video ended up being longer than I had intended as the subject is quite complex and I should have chosen a smaller area for my painting.
If you don’t have this plant near you, there are links to photographs in the comments of the YouTube video.  This should be a low pressure, fun experience, using whatever materials you have - even graphite is fine if you don't want to paint.
 Link to the video is here 

Recently I’ve decided to learn more about the species in the area where I live. I’ve been doing some researching using guide books and websites, observing the plants, taking photographs, and asking friends and experts in order to identify the local species. It occurred to me that perhaps other people might like to do the same thing.
So I’ve put together this video (hopefully there will be more) where I take a closer look at a particular plant, and then paint it. I’m painting in a sketchbook style, so this is suitable for complete beginners. It is about observing the details of the plant, and drawing them, and I will be painting them. The paintings are not intended to be framed works of art, I’m painting them in a sketchbook that I can refer to later if I wish, but it is all about the process and educating ourselves. So in this first video I’m looking at the Eucalyptus polyanthemos, or Redbox, an Australian native tree. If you have some of these near you, then great. But if you don’t, hopefully you can still learn something which you can apply to other species. This should be a low pressure, fun experience.
So grab a pencil and paper, some paints if you have them, and have a go. And if you’re out walking this weekend, see how many Redbox trees you can find.  Link to the video is here

Cheryl won the QPRC Regional Art Awards Exhibition Award in 2017 with her chestnut painting (from Hoskinstown’s Tweenhill Chestnuts). Since then she has been travelling around our Shire, visiting her regular haunts but always keen to explore new places. She has discovered nature reserves and conservation areas. Passionate locals have welcomed her to their properties, showing her the ‘fruits’ of their labours – from pepper berries to cider apples to honey, and beautiful local wildflowers. Along the way she has also found fascinating insects, which are often overlooked.
 
Cheryl painted many of the natural treasures that she discovered across the Shire in her signature delicate watercolour style. Her aim was to  ignite curiosity in others with her paintings and accompanying stories. For example, the beautiful Monga Waratah near the Clyde Mountain is very accessible via the “Waratah Walk”. Nearby is a boardwalk at Penance Grove, with its ancient plumwoods and Gondwanian landscape. In and near Queanbeyan are nature reserves with flowers you may have never seen before. Cheryl wants to impart the thoughts she carries with her every day: wherever you are you can find something interesting and unexpected, if you take the time to look.

Cheryl also wrote about her visits, and researched some of the species she painted. ​Click here for the 'stories behind the paintings'.

I have had a lot of positive feedback from my solo exhibition "Botanical Capital" in March this year. It was such a learning experience for me as there was a lot of research involved, both on the history side and travelling around Canberra, sometimes to places I hadn't been before. I decided to make a video which includes not only photographs of the paintings from the exhibition, but also some of my reference photographs, and some pics I took along the way. I thought this might be a good way for people who couldn't get to the exhibition to have a bit more insight into my work. Apologies for the reflections in the glass. Thanks to my family for their support during the lengthy (approx 2 years) exhibition preparation, and to my son Jack for helping me put this video together.