2. Early Acrylic

1993-94

In December, 1992, I was strolling with my daughter, then aged 10, in Victor Harbor, and we went into the Lewitzka Old Telegraph Station Gallery. Inside, I found two things:

1. As we walked along a corridor, we came close to a room where Terry was painting in oils, and we both backed away from the pungent smell. It struck me then that I could never paint indoors in oil, the effect on my family would be awful.

2. After browsing through the gallery, we came to a small paint supplies shop, and there I saw acrylic paints for the very first time. There were also various mediums, and copies of the technical booklet by Chroma paints, which I read in detail in the following days. I found acrylics, with minimal toxic effects, could be suitable for using indoors at home.

It was perfect timing. My children had reached the stage when my time was no longer needed of an evening, as it had been during their early years, and at that time my work didn’t occupy my evenings.

Over the next five years I spent most evenings painting at the kitchen table, and many lunch breaks were spent outdoors in the city with my pocket sketch book.

How to . . .

01. Garden Pot, 1993

Student acrylic on cartridge paper, 14 x 11″

Painted on a table in the rear garden during the Christmas holiday break. I found Adelaide’s mid-Summer weather is not suitable for outdoor painting with acrylics, as the paint was drying on the brush before I could apply it.

After reading the technical bulletin by Chroma Acrylics, I sought out one of the few art supplies shops which were open during the Christmas/New Year break, and bought the student quality acrylics to trial them, and I was very pleased. Although I expect the student grade are water-fast on children’s clothing, I found they were not on my paintings, so I soon swapped to artist quality acrylics.

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02. Still Life, 1993

Acrylic on paper, 11 x 14″

Student grade acrylic. Painted indoors on the kitchen table, as were most of my acrylic paintings.

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03. Indoor Plant, 1993

Student acrylic on cardboard, 12 x 9″

This plant was at the front of church where my weekly evening bible study was held. One evening, I arrived a half hour early with my sketchbook to record enough to paint it at home, checking colours on subsequent weeks.

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04. Beach scene, 1993

Acrylic on cartridge paper, 11 x 14″

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05. Glenelg, near jetty in Winter, 1993

This was done from a photograph taken when strong winds had blown sand onto the esplanade.

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06. Glenelg Beach, 1993

I was fascinated by the huge kites that had become available, very different from the string and brown paper ones we made as children. The kite flyer offered me a short try at holding the controls, and it needs some strength. I decided I would like to do that in retirement, but I never got around to it, and I doubt if I would now have the strength to control one of those.

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07. Port Adelaide, 1994

Painted from a photo taken at Port Adelaide when one of the sailing ships was in dock.

My mother selected it as a gift for her, and it hung on her wall until she went into a nursing home.

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08. Port Adelaide Sailing Club, 1994

This was painted at a time when the sailing club was adjacent to the Nelson St. bridge, on the northern side.

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09. Glenelg Patawalonga Outlet, 1994

I had known this view from childhood. When we rode our bikes to Glenelg, we would ride across the top of the locks at the Patawalonga outlet, then turn right to be on the wide open public beach.

It all changed about ten years after this painting was done.

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10. North Terrace, 1994

This was a view along the gardens in front of the wall of Government House on North Terrace. The gardens then had flowering plants.

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11. From Glenelg Patawalonga Outlet looking North, 1994

This was a view looking North from the side of the river after crossing the locks at Glenelg. It was used as an area for launching sailing boats from the nearby sailing club.

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12. Grote Street, Adelaide, 1994

I used to get off the bus mid-way in Grote St. in the city, to have a walk in the morning before starting work.

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13. Still Life with chocolate wrappers, 1994

I put a red tablecloth on the kitchen table to paint this. The flowers were everlasting, so there was no problem in timing. Still life gives the opportunity to use strong colours, and I added to that with chocolate wrapping papers.

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Early Acrylic, 1993-94