52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 24

Week 24: Octopus

Here's my watercolour, watercolour pencil, blue highlighter and permanent black Sharpie blue-ringed octopus on gesso-primed white canvas, accompanied by a newspaper article about my very exciting capture of one at Pearl Beach in 1973. "The Daily Telegraph" did an extensive phone interview by reverse-charges - via the only public phone box in Pearl Beach - but the eventual story was watered down after several more octopuses were caught on the NSW Central Coast on the same day. Must have been breeding season?

Update:
Mixed media collage - on an ink blot. The piece of inverted writing paper has a faint image of planet Earth printed on it. The seaweed was created from a puddle of green watercolour paint blown upwards with a straw.

Week 24: Octopus II

I had been wondering if I could create a symmetrical inkblot octopus. It failed dismally, but I stewed on it for a day or so and then I realised I could salvage it with some collage over the top. That pack of silver/mauve "satin" metallic card was just $2 in a bargain store. Bargain indeed! The eyes are cut from a brown foam animal sticker and self-adhesive "jewels".

And, now, Dad Joke Warning (below): "I'd give seven tentacles to be amoctodexterous":

Week 24: Octopus III

Week 24: Octopus IV

Things you do when you should be packing boxes of books and action figures for the interior painters' imminent arrival: A piece of iPhone photography. I uncovered a cache of stuff last night, including these glass octopuses (above). They are suspended from transparent glass bubbles with fishing line. Originally bought at Fremantle Markets, Western Australia in the early 90s. Took me waaaaaay longer to set up this shot that you'd expect. They kept swimming away!

52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 7

Week 7: Watercolour

My first ever attempt at scenic watercolour. This is Lion Island off Pearl Beach, Central Coast, NSW. My watercolour set is five colours only (and no white!), on white acrylic gesso primed canvas sheet.

Since I never enjoyed "painting" in colouring-in books with those ubiquitous watercolour sets as a kid, I have always resisted buying a set as an adult. I suddenly remembered being given a 365-days paint-by-numbers desk-calendar 2009, which I'd never used - and it contained a brush and little cakes of black, green, yellow, red and blue.

Return to Monkeyhead Rock

Terry toweling bucket hats in 1973

My family recently had a nostalgic reunion holiday at Pearl Beach on NSW's Central Coast and we undertook a quest to find the elusive so-called "Monkeyhead Rock" (above), which we'd nicknamed way back in the 1960s.

At first, while searching on my own, I worried that Monkeyhead Rock may have dislodged itself, like so many other rocks on both of Pearl Beach's headlands:



But we were successful! I was looking on the wrong headland. It was on the way to neighbouring Flathead Beach, not Umina.

Here is our recreated pic, 38 years later. We had expected a lot would have changed, but perhaps more elements had altered than we'd anticipated:


Monkeyhead Rock, 2011

Lion around

Lion Island, as seen from Paul Landa Park, Pearl Beach (2011).

And a recent trip with the school choir, into the recently-revamped Sydney Town Hall in the CBD, had me noticing these stone "lion head" gargoyles (below). I guess I'd always known they were there but I hadn't really examined them closely before, nor noticed that each one had a different expression!







Then, of course, there are two lions in the school library:


Alex from "Madagascar" and "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa"


Alex and friends

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Library lion

And, it's almost Chinese New Year!

Pearl Beach memories

Recently, my family has been reminiscing about Pearl Beach, on the Central Coast of NSW, destination of many McLean family vacations over the years. I'm really not much of a beach person, but made a pilgrimage there today, being the first Father's Day since my Dad's passing, and it seemed like an appropriate time to check out this beautiful part of paradise.


Dad at Pearl Beach, 1968

I've also dredged up a few comparison shots from the old photo albums, which in desperate need of a revamp. Those white "sticky page" albums of the 70s have a tendency to either turn a ghastly yellow, lose all adhesion - and all the photos slide out - or they cling onto the photos and make them impossible to remove for scanning.

I've decided to juxtapose some of the images. For example, here is Lion Island, as seen in 2010 (from the Mt Ettymalong Lookout), and from the beach in 1970, in glorious b/w:





In 1966, 1968 and 1970, we stayed at Bob Godding's beach house on the corner of Diamond Road and Agate Avenue:


House at Agate Avenue, 1966


Ian, Keith & Brian McLean and "Little Keithie from across the road", 1968


House at Agate Avenue, 1968


Replacement house at Agate Avenue, 2010; Bob's house
had been extended in the early 70s, but supposedly burned down and rebuilt


Pearl Beach lagoon, 1966


Pearl Beach lagoon, 2010


Rock pool, 1968


Rock pool under repair, 2010


Mum and Brian, 1968


Rock wall being reinforced, 2010


Keith and Brian; Keith, Brian, fish, and Ian, 1970

Meanwhile, how come I'm always the palest one in any beach picture?


1973



Here's the article about my capture of a deadly blue-ringed octopus at Pearl Beach in 1973. The Daily Telegraph did an extensive interview by reverse-charges - on the only public phone in Pearl Beach - but the story was watered down after several more octopuses were caught on the Central Coast the same day. Must have been breeding season?


Brush turkey crosses Pearl Parade; lizards at Mt Ettymalong Lookout, 2010


Mrs Gava's old house on Pearl Parade, 2010; we stayed here in 1973,
behind the now-sealed up middle door!


Revamped shop/cafe on Pearl Parade, 2010; site of the original Post Office Store.

We hope do do a family picnic at Pearl Beach, sometime soon. More photos as they come to hand!


Shell painting in acrylics on canvas, with driftwood border,
bought from Pearl Beach General Store & Cafe. Artist: Peter Baka, 2009.