Page 46 - Australian_How_To_Paint

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Society, I still love nothing more than heading off with my
sketchbook to explore Western Australia’s quirky country towns
or the bustling cities in and around Perth and Fremantle.
My favourite artist would be David Western, the well-
known English realist who produced his own beautiful
sketchbook while travelling through England and mainland
Europe. Another favourite was Keith Norris who until his
recent passing, lived and worked as a professional artist in
NSW. Keith produced the ‘Great Australian Sketchbook’.
He visited my studio during 2009, and during the visit he
commented to my wife that he felt he could not teach me
anything when it came to drawing. However he did help me
in many ways especially with his enthusiasm for my work.
I have many half-filled sketchbooks kicking around my
studio, partly filled with spontaneous responses and honest
attempts to record in pencil whatever had inspired me at
the time. Often when I return to the same spot to draw,
I find it interesting looking back over the years via my
sketchbooks to note how I have changed my approach,
drawn the scene looser or in finer detail, or emphasised
different aspects, and picked up things previously missed.
In recent years I have been having my artwork professionally
framed, which is something I would recommend to all aspiring
artists, as professional framing really lifts your work and has

46 Australian How to Paint