The pause in the number of postings on this blog will have been noticed by my two regular readers. REASON : I've been to England for the past month, my mother has been ill so my daughter Jo and I took the opportunity to fly across and do what we could to help and cheer her, and Dad, up. Mission accomplished I'm glad to report she is much better, putting on weight and is now strong enough to have a small operation that will make her life much more comfortable. Dad's a bit brighter too though I think he'll miss his red wine drinking accomplices !!
The last two weeks were actually reasonable weather - it was summer after all - though it's the first time I've been in England in the summer for 35 years. There's no football in the summer is the main reason for that. This time, though, I had the opportunity to watch the European Championships live in prime time - superb and some of the football played by Russia, Holland and the eventual winners Spain was brilliant in the true sense of the word. Thoroughly enjoyed it - the Olympics, despite the jingoistic hype, will definitely be a very poor relation to the Euro's.
Got to enjoy things that make an Englishman living abroad misty eyed - the beautiful villages, a pint at the local, long light evenings, 'real' pork pies, good bacon, Musk's of Newmarket pork sausages ( the world's best - no doubt) - by the way I really like eating pigs !! A few negatives though - the traffic is awful, driving is a pain and the legendary English road courtesy appears a thing of the past. Finally what a seedy over rated place London is - though I'm a country boy at heart and most cities drop in this category.
It was nonetheless great to get home and there's something really special about seeing the WA coast below you as you head back to Perth.
I'm now armed with a 'secret' suffolk pork sausage recipe so local pigs better watch out !!!
Here's a couple more wedding commissions that I've just completed both are A2 size - for our North American friends that's 16.5" x 24" ( I grew up with that system it seems so archaic now ... when are you going to change ? ). Weddings really push through a lovely steady stream of work and there are four more in transit through the 'workshop' at the moment.
Here's a new commission, well away from my normal 'comfort zone' a 30th Birthday caricature for a guy that plays in a rock band. It ended up OK, the pose (if it looks familiar) is based on a famous statue of Jimi Hendrix.
Dead easy isn't it, a quick 'copy & paste' and add it to your website graphic. I did this caricature of Kevin Rudd, the Australian Prime Minister, about 12 months ago, I wasn't really happy with it. It isn't on my website just on this blog.
A quick rework of my self caricature - had some business cards to print and 'the shaven one' is no longer and is unlikely to make a return in the near future. I grew the beard from the end of 2006 and after getting approval from 'she who must be obeyed' it's here for good.
Couple of new commissions with a farm theme - it's the Tractor Boy's 30th Birthday and the 'Pig and the Princess' was for a wedding anniversary - didn't really get too involved in the background to theme - 'I just draw 'em !!"
One more 'Pano' - I took this last weekend just South of Nannup on the Pemberton Road. I was confronted with this wall of green and had to take a shot. We've had some good rains in the Autumn and the 'Sunburnt Country' has taken on an Irish look. Colours are natural no 'twiddling' in Photoshop.
This was a 'mega' shot which I should have had my tripod set up for - 10 photos and almost a complete circle. This is Cradle Mountain and Dove Lake in Tasmania. Stunning scenery.
This is a panorama taken 18 months ago of Canal Rocks near Yallingup in the South West of our State. Four photos stitched together for this one.
A retirement caricature for a librarian who, to everyone's surprise, had kept her pilots licence a secret for many years !!!
This is my attempt at Philadelpia, USA based caricaturist Angie Jordan. A self confessed 'Ninny !' and a very good artist and fellow NCN member.
A few more commissions to keep us in firewood and food as winter approaches !!
A panorama I took four years ago in Tasmania. This is Brady's Outlook looking over the Tamar Valley just north of Launceston. Brady was a bushranger and sat here looking for likely victims travelling the road below.
