Hawthorne Canal Community Artwork Launch

On Friday last week, the Hawthorne Canal Tunnel mural was launched. It is part of the Greenway forming across Sydney from the Cooks River to Iron Cove. One side is covered in a giant community mural in artwork, co-created by artists, school children and other community members. On the other side is a "story wall" mural, which I was lucky enough to be asked by Leichhardt Council to put together. At 25 metres, this is the largest design I have ever created.

This is an amazing project which has come to fruition after five years of community work. I was just in on the last five weeks! Project heroes include:

• Nick Chapman - local resident who has driven the project
• April Keogh - RailCorp mural artist
• Nola Diamantopoulos - artist
• Bronwyn Tuohy - Community Development Officer (Public Space Focus) for Leichhardt Council
• Six local schools whose students have contributed artwork!

The band from Kegworth PS & Jamie Parker MP

Every launch deserves a sausage sizzle!

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Weekly Drawing: week 6

Barry was definitely not a morning person

We are currently in the process of moving house, so I'm a little preoccupied at the moment. When I find the time, I plan to colour Barry the Dugong illustration. With blues, greens and beams of light streaming down through the oceans surface.

Weekly Drawing: week 5

Robin Hood (Erithacus rubecla)

Weekly drawing: week 4

 William Dampier and the chocolate drinking pirates 

Anchored off the Pearl islands the buccaneers would raid the mainland "to get coppers for each ship, having now so many men, our pots would not boil victuals fast enough, though they kept them boiling all day" They also plundered the sugar works to get extra sugar to cook up with their cocoa.

In 1587 cocoa drinking was a popular drink in the Spanish courts. English privateers and pirates captured a Spanish ship loaded with cocoa beans they dimissed the cargo as useless. However by 1650 cocoa drinking was becoming trendy with Londoners wanting to taste flavours of the New World.

This drawing was inspired after reading:
A pirate of exquiste mind: explorer, naturalist and buccaneer: The life of William Dampier
by Diana and Michael Preston

Weekly drawing: week 3

Monkey Mermaid

Monkey mermaids

As Gondwanaland broke apart. Madagascar moved away from Africa. The suborder Haplorhini (monkeys, chimps, gorillas, and Homo sapiens) attempted to navigate the Mozambique Channel. Unfortunately many were terrible navigators forced to adapt to swimming the Indian Ocean indefinitely. Overtime the species evolved into Fish Monkeys. Commonly know as Monkey mermaids.

One night in Melbourne

Sounds crazy but it was a great way to get out of Sydney for the weekend. Leaving Sydney 7.00am Saturday morning and leaving Melbourne 8.45pm Sunday gave me the feeling of a full weekend away.

Long-Nosed Bandicoot spotted at Sydney Airport

My list of recomendations:
Degraves Espresso Bar baguette and coffee
City Basement books
Melbourne Open House Royal Exhibition building

Lord of the Fries I had a mini burger deal which was surprisingly perfect

The Roof top bar
The New International Bookshop
35 City Circle Free Tourist Tram
National Gallery of Victoria I have wished to see a Eugene von Guerard Exhibition for many years. Von Guerard was a colonial landscape painter, with a keen eye for the natural environment. Commissioned by many colonialists to paint their newly acquired properties. I love that he would often celebrate the original owners of the land. His work is a powerful celebration of Australia.

Weekly drawing: week 2

Henry had to be careful. He was easily over excitable.

Weekly drawing starts now

I have set myself a goal to draw a picture every week.  For the next 12 months I will upload 52 drawings.
I'm hoping this will make me draw faster ideas,  jot down silly ideas and make me do what I love.

This was inspired by Julie Powell's idea of setting a personal goal and personal deadline.

Frederick muses over his new diet of rolled oats and nuts.

A bedtime story for my daughter

The sun has gone to bed.

Beaneath the sparkling blanket of night and the beacon of the moon,

All the little children are in their warm beds.

Tokoeta, the Southern Brown Kiwis, are very shy.

When every baby has gone to sleep,

They can fossick through the seaweed on the tideline for tasty sandhoppers.

Exhibition, 9 April - 1 May 2011 : Django, Flinders & Joel @ South Hill Gallery, Goulburn NSW

I will be exhibiting a collection of my works at South Hill Gallery in Goulburn, NSW from Saturday 9th April until Sunday 1st May.

Jon Lewis will be opening the exhibition at the gallery from 4-6pm on Saturday 9th April. We would love to see you there! Please add it to your diary and invite your friends.

Django, Flinders & Joel

Exhibition of prints by Joel Tarling

Sat 9 April - Sun 1 May 2011
South Hill Gallery

3 Garroorigang Rd, Goulburn NSW

Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=199360460085868

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