-
![]()
The Sicilian Sketchbook - Catania Cathedral
297mm x 420mm, 11.7in x 16.5in
1600AUDThe architectural style maybe Sicilian Baroque, but when you look closer you’ll discover the bell tower and the figures are styled on its ancient Greek past. Such figures can be found at the Acropolis in The Porch of the Maidens. -
![]()
The Sicilian Sketchbook - Duomo di Siracusa
297mm x 420mm, 11.7in x 16.5in
1600AUDIn the 5th Century BC this building was an ancient Greek Doric temple. You’ll find it on the tiny fortified Island of Ortigia, now the historical centre of Syracuse. The building had many incarnations, from the temple, to a mosque (878AD) and eventually a church. After the 1693 earthquake the building’s facade was rebuilt in the Sicilian Baroque Style. The carved acanthus leaves and statue of St Paul preaching to the people are featured in this drawing. It is thought that apostle Paul disembarked in Syracuse on his way to Rome from Jerusalem. -
![]()
The Italian Sketchbook - St.Luke - Roman Forum
297mm x 420mm, 11.7in x 16.5in
1600AUDThis baroque building by architect Pietro da Cortona went from being a church (Santi Luca e Martina) to a School for the Arts. It was renamed in 1588, as the Accademia di San Luca, the academy of painters, sculptors and architects in Rome. Known as The Artists’ Church of Rome, situated in the Roman Forum, it feels somewhat out of place among the ruins. -
![]()
The Italian Sketchbook - Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza
297mm x 420mm, 11.7in x 16.5in
1600AUDThe corkscrew lantern of this church, conceived and built by Frances Borromine in 1642 - 60, it is a true baroque wonder, found hidden away at the rear of a courtyard. You get your first look at this amazing twisted spiral crown from the tiny Piazza di Sant’Eustachio as you walk from the Pantheon. After the challenge of drawing this I’ve added what I call my baroque sky. -
![]()
The Italian Sketchbook - St Peter’s Baldachin - Bernini
297mm x 420mm, 11.7in x 16.5in
SOLDIn Rome, Gian Lorenzo Bernini is known as the prince of Italian Baroque. Bernini created this freestanding bronze high altar know as the Baldachin. This was one of his largest sculptural pieces, marking the tomb of Saint Peter under the dome of the Basilica. I tried to capture the daylight that streamed through the large space, the fine dust particles created by the perpetual movement of people across the marble floor. I was very mindful here to add people to create perspective, and a sense of scale as you enter this extraordinaryopen space. -
![]()
The Italian Sketchbook - Venice - Santa Maria della Salute
297mm x 420mm, 11.7in x 16.5in
1600AUDVenice in 1630 had succumbed to the plague. Santa Maria della Salute, a so called plague church, sits on the Grand Canal. The city built and dedicated this church to Our Lady of Health as deliverance from the pestilence. Designed by Baldassare Longhena this dome on the skyline inspired artists such as Canaletto, Turner, Sargent and Venetian artist Francesco Guardi. I’ve added my own symbolism with the skeleton and hour-glass (a bridge between life and death). -
![]()
The Paris Sketchbook - Musée du Louvre
297mm x 420mm, 11.7in x 16.5in
1600AUDOn my first visit to Paris, and subsequently, the Louvre in 1982, the square in front of the entrance was just flat ground comprised of crushed stone, presenting a powerful forecourt because of its emptiness. Now looking at the new entrance through to the steel and glass Pyramid, it emphasises the way the French consistently marry style and function without ever compromising the romance of place. -
![]()
The Sicilian Sketchbook - Palazzolo Acreide
210mm x 297mm, 8.3in x 11.7in
800AUDIn the village of Palazzolo Acreide Sicily you’ll find this church of the Annunziata. A small facade, of four twisted baroque columns, it provided a perfect backdrop for this man and his donkey. White shirt, dress jacket, topped with a cap, were the common change of clothing adopted on returning to the hilltop village, after working a full day down in the fields. I took the photo of this Sicilian farmer in 1982, on a small winding back road. He muttered a few words as I held my camera in my hands, “Go get a job!” in Sicilian. -
![]()
The Sicilian Sketchbook - Ragusa Ibla
210mm x 297mm, 8.3in x 11.7in800AUDSanta Maria dell’ Itria can be found in one of the oldest parts of Raguse. Its steep, narrow alleys cast strong shadows from the stone buildings allowing a little respite from the hot Sicilian sun. -
![]()
The Sicilian Sketchbook - Ragusa - San Giorgio
210mm x 297mm, 8.3in x 11.7in800AUDThe cathedral ‘Duomo of San Giorgio’ sits proudly at the end of Piazza Duomo. I went hunting for some film locations to sketch. This baroque building was in the titles of a famous TV series - Inspector Montalbano. I’ve drawn this cathedral a few times, but here I found the statue of St George and the dragon sitting high left on the first section of the facade. You just have to stop before you start the walk up the large steep staircase and look up. -
![]()
The Sicilian Sketchbook - Streets of Noto
210mm x 297mm, 8.3in x 11.7inSOLDNoto, destroyed by the destructive earthquakes of 1693. Was rebuilt in the Sicilian baroque style, some 16 kilometres south of the original spot. You became aware as you enter Noto on the present site how they utilized the sloping hillside to create the most scenic effect. Built of local limestone, dubbed the “Stone Garden”, Noto assumes a golden glow at sunset. In this drawing, Nonna is walking the cobblestone that shine with centuries of wear. -
![]()
The Melbourne Sketchbook - Ballarat Central
210mm x 297mm, 8.3in x 11.7in800AUDOne hour out of Melbourne you'll discover Ballarat and her Victorian heritage built on the gold rushes of the 1850s.I was busy drawing here on a weekend where my art was on the wall of the Backspace Gallery. This fountain sits in the middle of the Sturt and Lydiard St Intersection. You'll find this monument to the infamous 1860 Burke and Wills expedition situated on its extra wide garden strip.Dr. William Wills, was the astronomical and meteorological surveyor for the expedition. He was working in the Ballarat Survey office, before heading north with Burke. -
![]()
The Melbourne Sketchbook - Flinders Street Station
210mm x 297mm, 8.3in x 11.7in800AUDUnder the clocks above the train station in Melbourne became a famous meeting place for young and old heading into the city. “Meet you under the clocks”.This drawing has special meaning for me, the now discontinued rail line to St.Kilda is in memory of my father. As a young man Dad’s home was at the end of this train line. From home he would walk down to the local football ground - St.Kilda Club, to train and play many a match. I stopped the clock at ten to four in memory of Tom Meehan. -
![]()
The Ubud Sketchbook - Pura Desa - Hindu Temple
210mm x 297mm, 8.3in x 11.7in800AUDI have many, many drawings from my trips to Bali covering a range of subjects. My urban sketchbooks from 1996 mainly cover scenes of daily life and its very rich traditional history and culture. Hindu temples, ceremonies, village life in the fields, the gardens and grounds of the local art galleries, an endless source of inspiration. This temple gate is in the main street of Ubud Jl Raya, so easy to walk past, hidden behind a high stone wall on a narrow footpath. I’m just tall enough to rest my sketchbook on the sloping top of the wall to draw this scene. -
![]()
The Ubud Sketchbook - Stone figures
210mm x 297mm, 8.3in x 11.7in800AUDIn Bali, I often sit and draw live on location. After getting the subject quickly on the page, I return to my hotel room or the restaurant to add the shading and detail. As you can see here even the back of a stone figure is I’ve been seen in empty temples, on the main streets, in markets and the grounds of art galleries, quietly drawing away. I truly admire the skills of the local wood carvers, stone carvers, painters and artisans in the villages. I am always inspired to draw here.
