Weekly drawing: Blackberry picking

Sometimes we'd walk the long way down to the beach, to pick berries. 

But because blackberry is an invasive weed these vines were only edible 

for a limited amount of time before they were sprayed. 

Part of me wished they wouldn't spray them, so we could enjoy the free food. 

But another part of me wished I knew more about bush foods.

So I could find lots of free food which wasn't classified as a weed.

Weekly drawing 75: Underwater gardening

Realising the joy of underwater gardening.

Before: I built the stone steps and oyster-free swimming cove

I was just out of Art school doing odd jobs and my friend Matt offered me some work, building stone steps for a property at Cottage Point. I have always enjoyed landscaping with stones, so I jumped at the opportunity.

The stones for this particular job were all gathered from the site. Experience has taught me, when working with stones it should be within a 5-1o meter radius from were I want to use it. By doing this the stones will suit the environment and I won't break my back moving them around. To my joy, I also discovered stones are a lot lighter to move underwater. So I used this to my advantage and saved a lot of time.

The time I saved making the steps, I used to landscape underwater, creating a small oyster-free cove for launching a row boat or a place to swim. Unfortunately the couple who paid me for the days work thought I was just mucking about in the water.  To give you an idea of what they must of seen, use your hand and cover the underwater part of my coloured drawing - I just look like I'm just playing in the water.

It wasn't until I'd gone home, they went down a had a closer look and realised what I'd created for them. A functional and subtle design which the fish also loved.

Weekly drawing 71: William Barak the ngurungaeta (leader) of the Wurundjeri

28th March 1881, William Barak, the Ngurungaeta leader of the Wurundjeri people,
lead 22 Coranderrk men on the long walk to Melbourne to try and save his community from the poor policy
choices of the Aboriginal Protection Board.

This week's drawing is based on the insightful documentary series 

First Australians, Director Rachel Perkins and Beck Cole.

Melbourne was originally Wurundjeri land, but within 30 years of white settlers arriving in the area 

the Wurundjeri people found they "…have no place to hunt kangaroo or maintain they way of life they have developed over so many years", 

Historian, Professor Janet McCalman. 

Watching this documentary highlighted the implications of the government system at the time called a 'land grab'. This policy allowed free settlers to claim land for a home and farm. Ironically this is system was also used to effect by the Wurundjeri when they chose Coranderrk on the banks of the Yarra river in 1863. However their claim was only 1% of what they already owned. To me it's an extremely generous compromise and the most peaceful outcome given the fact that we'd pushed them off their own land.

"…It's a refuge and a place for them to work the land and show 

the white people they could make it a success." 

Associate Professor Richard Broome, historian. 

Coranderrk was an extremely successful community that quickly prospered. Unfortunately the government red tape tore holes in their thriving community. I feel very sorry about the way it all ended up. The Aboriginal people of Coranderrk really tried to work within our system and we let them down. It would have been amazing to see it still running today, it sounded like it was an wonderful place.

Oddly enough, the documentary made me think of John Macarthur, who around the same time claimed 5000 acres of prime pasture land (Camden Park) and got stinking rich. When his ancestors decided to reduced their land holdings, they sold it back to Australian people, and made even more money. History can be so cruel.

For more information watch episode 3: "Freedom of our Lifetime"

Weekly drawing 44: Wise old forest Red Gum - Sydney's oldest citizen

Wise old forest Red Gum

This weeks drawing is the start of children's book idea about the massive Forest Red Gum living in the Sydney Botanic Gardens. As the oldest living Sydney citizen the tree has seen many changes from Aboriginal corroborees, arrival of Governer Phillip, First fleets farming attempts, the building Harbour bridge, the building of the Opera house and the growth of the city. The story will follow the tree from young impressionable seedling to wise old Forest Red Gum.

The original seed of this idea began after reading Tim Low's insightful book 'The New Nature'

"Inner Sydney's oldest citizen is surely the massive Forest Red Gum (Eucalyptus tereticornis) in the botanic gardes near Lion Gate Lodge. She is a stand-out example of Sydney's original architecture, with no plaque to tell her story and no rail to guard her dignity. Australians can't see the past for the trees"... Tim Low  The New Nature

Weekly Drawing 43: Fruit Bat umbrella design

I love creating a design which plays on the shape of an object. To me a Fruit bat already looks a bit like an umbrella.  When it's open it looks like the bat is flying and closed it's alseep.  Plus imagine if this design took off. The next time it rained it would look like a flocks of bats flying out of every pedestrain tunnel in the city. Pretty cool!

Weekly drawing week 42: The Surly Water Dragon

The Surly Water Dragon sits by the river.

This weeks drawing is a tribute to all the surly Water Dragons I've recently seen sun baking by Toongabbie creek. As I would walk up to the creek bank they would scurry as fast as they could and splosh!! into the water. I think the term "Chicken would be in order for the these fearsome looking scardey cats"

Weekly drawing 30: Blue Banded Bee

Amegilla cingulata Blue Banded Bee, an Australian Native Bee.
We recently had six of these little pollinators in our Marrickville garden enjoying the tomato plants.

Weekly Drawing: week 23 Muttonbirds

The big day for a young Shearwater