Have been going at breakneck speed with this and that…spinning the wheels, making a lot of smoke and not a great deal of distance….hence my tardiness

oi sometimes Cindy I seem to remember the big wets getting bigger in March April…something I am sure you would like me to bring up.. not…..

Have been preoccupied with really boring stuff this week - tax returns. I LOATHE the hours of dredging paperwork it involves. It is mind numbing and soul destroying. Our acountant has been gently prodding us to get it sorted for a while now, then a polite letter to get it done, then a “WHERE IS IT?” conversation yesterday. Now we find we are relying on another third party for documentation… I HATE TAX RETURNS WITH A PASSION!

Doda, that was an hour and a half. Half an hour would be miraclous I reckon. I do like the buttery texture of oil, but hate the mess, smell and drying time.

Elli! How are you! $38 is for a big tube of violet, but that’s a local Aussie Brand. If you got to New Holland, then expect to pay hundreds of dollars per tube!

I really enjoyed your description of Life Drawing Classes - I think I will have to attend some just to check out the smell. Up here in the Tropics everyone smells all the time - yuk!

No museums up here, the anatomy one sounds intriguing. Still borns must be hard to work with - how does your mind interpret what you see?

Diane - NOOOO!!!! You threw them out???? I would have LOVED to have seen them. Quick, get Bill to pose for you now so we can see your style!

Mandy, Hamish is looking like he’ll be here by tomorrow night/Saturday morning. Great. And I hope you are making the most of that rain! What’s your daughter doing? Would love to see…

Tazar, yep -hot and humid this way as well. I had to give the garden a really good drink today as thigs were looking very sad. Fingers crossed for rain (but not too much) from Cyclone Hamish over the weekend!

for a first-time-study this is very good, i must say!

recommendation from an old woman: draw nudes on big sheets of strong paper. do
fast position changes rather than long periods of posing. with fast i mean less than 1
minute. consider anatomy studies. draw, draw, draw. and draw males instead of fe-
males: they are much better defined in their muscular structure. try to attend ana-
tomy classes - it’s sickening smellywise, but it does pay off. if such stuff ist not avail-
able, then try to have a look at anatomy museums (i did that and i still do that al-
though the next anatomy museum is about 4 hours away by car; am currently working
on a series of still born babies, which are also handicapped e.g. with spina bifida etc.).

draw until you go nuts. then go for acrylics and knives.

i love drawing nudes. i love if they change position ever 30 seconds or even less. they
are an easy prey that way and they sharpen your sense for lines and proportion to
the utmost.

i truly would like to see more linework of yours! it might be rewarding. especially for
you. and of course for everyone else