Huatoki eels

I decided that I wasn't done with the Huatoki Plaza so I did a watercolour sketch of the people feeding the eels that live the Huatoki stream. Most people that cross the pedestrian bridge like to stop and have a look over the edge to see how huge and freaky these things are looking today.

(The 2nd half of the video looks a bit strange with the walkway and the sky reflection; it's like the eels are in the sky or something.)

Huatoki Plaza

Huatoki Plaza was a retail building that was removed to expose the covered stream beneath it. New Plymouth made a reasonably boring urban space for people to ignore. One day, an artist put up a paste-up image of a face to try to make it better. It probably did because these days, the Plaza has several artists' work on various buildings that face it. I've sketched one of the buildings a few times and currently has artwork by Phil 'Suspect' Jones. His studio is actually in the Plaza and his murals are all around town.

California Dreamin

Sea Lions snoozing at La Jolla near San Diego

San Diego Zoo

San Diego zoo

San Jose - Apple HQ Silicon Valley

Ford Trimotor San Diego Air & Space Museum

Outside Fort Hunter Liggett Army Base between San Francisco & LA

Bronze 'Top Men' hauling in the sheets - Dana Point

One of Rodin's 'Thinker's' - Stanford  University Palo Alto

Rainy Villa

On a covered deck in the rain I got a cold that lasted a week. Now, the sun's back and so am I.

Salmon Building

I only see this place in winter even though it's painted a bright salmon orange. The plants and moss growing on the side of it camouflage it into the fresh spring leaves. I did this one in September and the building's already starting to disappear among the trees.

Waitara Whitebait

Whitebait fishing means lots of big nets and tiny fish. It sounds like cheating if you say it that way.

Good & Bad Parking

Even though these racks are for bicycles, the scooter beside the upright rack shows an example of good parking. The bent over one adjacent to the parallel car park area shows a past-tense example of bad parking.

TUPARE

TUPARE ,  a National Garden of Significance here in New Plymouth . always a wonderful venue for sketching given the variety of subjects .  This simply , elegant gate leads to an area of Rhodo's set against the huge boundary trees and the gardeners cottage in the mid-ground .  MLB.

CAMELLIA

A few weeks ago the Taranaki Sketchers visited the National Camellia Show , held in New Plymouth .   Since then our special Camellia has fully blossomed .  It is called Betts' Supreme, named after a cousin from Te Awamutu. A large flower , in soft deep pink.  MLB

DOGS

The Taranaki Sketchers did a 'DOGGIE' day - so while in Hamilton I got these down . Some dogs sat still , others did what most dogs do I guess . Some I completed with the help of my phone camera like the dog in the car window ( apologies to the purist artists ) . And I watched where I walked !  MLB

HAMILTON GARDENS

A few days in Hamilton so visited the Gardens . Each section themes a country. Well done and a nice day out .

Ava the greyhound

At the 'We Love Dogs Expo' I was drawing the dogs that I loved the most - the greyhounds.

PUKEMARA GARDEN

Alan Morris'  garden , PUKEMARA. Alan is one of the Taranaki Sketchers and offered us the chance to draw in his  New Plymouth garden - see it in the upcoming 2018  Taranaki Garden Festival 

Rover 3500

I was talking to the owner of this car as I drew this. He said that he bought the Rover 3.5 brand-new in 1972. He's also had several cars since then, but always kept this one. I really liked it too.

Vintage and Classic Cars

Great day out, sketching  cars at an event to raise funds for the Cancer Society. Fast and furious , no detail as such ….and then gave away better ones where owners wanted something to take home !

Hong Kong Fast Food

A couple of sketches ago I posted the Broadway Fast Food in Stratford. Today, I'm bringing you the Hong Kong Fast Food from New Plymouth. I don't know why it's called that really. They specialise in meat and potato roast dinners. (Just like the ones you can get in Hong Kong?)

New Plymouth Coastal Walkway

"...and at the first sign of sun, the urban sketcher leaves his studio of hibernation to once again draw and paint the world." (It seems bit early for weather this nice, but I'll take it.)

Broadway Fastfood

This is a sketch of the signage for a takeaway restaurant in Stratford. My favourite part is the hand-painted signage since we're seeing that kind of stuff less all the time. Most businesses these days have computer printed signs and the hand-painted sign is a bit of a lost art. My second favourite part is the claim of the "Great Tasting Healthier Takeaway". That seems a pretty gutsy, yet hard to prove, boast. Finally, the fact that this place is "Fully Licensed". So basically if you're there to pick up some fish & chips, you can probably get a gin & tonic.

Moturoa BP

Five years ago, I did this sketch of a weird BP service station in Moturoa. Since it was kind of a house with fuel pumps in front of it, I wondered how long it would last in today's safety regulated world. It turns out, about 2 years. The new modern replacement looks like any other in the world and has a bit less charm. It does have a small cafe inside the kiosk though, in case you want to sit around and watch people pump gas*. 

(*like me)

Turquoise

Winter sketching means having a cooked breakfast in a warm cafe and sketching from the window.

Pre Dinosaur - Permian Period

Pre-Dinosaur - Permian Period 260 million years ago - Puke Ariki Exhibition

Permian Period

Permian Period creatures - Puke Ariki

Sketched by Patricia

The Messenger House

Architect Frank Messenger built this home for himself.  His uncle put the road through over Mt Messenger, and some of the timber from the road clearing is used in this home.

Arno Stone Carving

Arno on his next work.  Check out his non rocking rock chair for sale here https://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=1658937210&ed=true

Michigan & Texas

The Dinky Drum Co playing outdoors to the Houston Museum of Fine Arts patrons

Items at the Houston museum of Fine Arts

Bugatti at Henry Ford Museum of Innovation - Detroit

Cross between a Traction Engine and a Train.  Who knows what happens at night in the museum.

New Plymouth Airport (NPL)

If you are ever sketching people at an airport and you hear someone using a phone say, "Where are YOU?.. I'm at the airport... You haven't left yet?" This means that they are there way too early and are about to not only move, but go back home.

Len Lye Selfies

What to do on a New Plymouth weekend? Take a selfie in the stainless steel surface of the Len Lye Centre. (Long exposure, above, and short exposure, below. The third one was from about 18 months ago.)