A small pomegranate, from our garden - painted where it sat on the table. I loved the contrast between the weathered skin, warm reds and golds, and the quiet white space of the sketchbook page. Sometimes the simplest subjects hold the most character.

Early light, quiet colour, and a few fallen eucalyptus leaves. Pllenty of white space—to keep things calm and minimal.

This morning I added a bit to this older watercolour of sunrise. Built up in light washes to keep the atmosphere gentle and slightly diffused. Trying to say more with less here—minimal marks, softened edges, and letting the white of the paper do some of the work.

Meditation in blue. A limited monochromatic palette — cool indigo and phthalo blue throughout — which I hope gives a mood of stillness that feels almost meditative. Guildford area.

Rust and shadow - a study in dried leaves. Does anyone else find dried leaves more interesting to paint than fresh ones?

Pat found this eucalyptus branch on the ground and handed it to me to paint. There’s something I love about that — the ordinary made worth looking at. Calligraphy brush on hot press paper, taking my time with the shadows and the quiet detail of the seed caps.

Pat found these eucalyptus leaves on the ground—not picked, just as they were at playwright John Romeril’s property a couple of days ago. We were part of a group attending a performance about John’s life. Sadly John has dementia and the script was words spoken by the performers were all John’s.

I've been exploring how little I can say with a painting and still hold a feeling. This watercolour is really about simplicity —paring things back to just a few shapes and letting the space do the work. I'm less interested in describing a place exactly, and more in suggesting it.

A quiet Sunday morning drawing, loosely after the Danish painter Vilhelm Hammershøi. I’ve always been drawn to the stillness and introspection in his figures turned away from the viewer. Working on newsprint lets the sanguine marks stay soft and atmospheric.

Less is always more. Dried eucalyptus in watercolour — muted, minimal, and a little meditative. The unpainted space is half the painting.

A little sketchbook pastel drawing after a Georges Seurat conte drawing of Paul Signac.

Collected from the ground at Kalimna Park — never picked from the tree. Fallen eucalyptus leaves have the best colour: muted blues, olives and warm greys. Minimal — just the forms, no background — painted in watercolour on hot press paper for clean edges and quiet tonal shifts.

Wok time. Still life, Sunday morning watercolour.

Exploring how to paint watercolour in a woodblock style. This is after Archibald Bertram Webb’s work, which I only came across this morning.

Walking at sunrise. Pat and Jane chatting.

Owl feather - sepia acrylic ink, painted with a small brush.

Landscape study painter from memory and imagination. Watercolour on cold press paper.

A little wabi-sabi : finding beauty in imperfection. A feather Pat found in the bush. I used sumi ink and a 10/0 NEEF brush.

Quiet at the lake’s edge. A study in creating atmosphere; it’s like trying to paint the air.

Still water. Distant land. Time passing quietly. A study in blue.

What is fishing, but an excuse to be still together? To watch the same horizon, to hear the lake sigh, and say nothing at all. .

Beach study in ultramarine blue, raw umber and burnt sienna.

This morning’s study of leaves from Kalimna Park bush, using my favourite calligraphy brush.

Sunday morning brushwork of leaves found by @patgrumont in Kalimna bushland. This is on @st.cuthberts.mill cold press paper not the usual hot press.

Conte crayon from today’s life drawing session.

Pastel study.

Leaves from Kalimna. Getting ready to sell at Buda Castlemaine Traditional Arts Fair this Sunday 16November. Any money I make is donated to Buda.

A study of the canola fields at Glengower. Trying to convey the wide expanse of this area heading towards Ballarat which is very different from travelling to Ballarat through the rain forest at Daylesford. Painted on hot press paper for this one.

We have been watching White-winged Choughs return to a mud nest they built last year and hatching young birds. They build large mud nests and have a complex social structure, with young birds taking a long time to mature and then helping to raise the next generation.

Saturday morning playing with conte crayon and watercolour.

Life drawing - quick pose (2min) - sanguine conte crayon on newsprint. I prefer the quick poses as they are more dynamic and you can get a gestural, expressive feel with the drawing. That’s my idea anyhow.

Gongbi is a traditional Chinese painting style characterized by meticulous, realist, and highly detailed brushwork. The term "gongbi" translates to "skillful brush" and involves first outlining with ultra-fine brushes, followed by applying multiple, carefully applied layers of ink and color.

Study for early morning from Kalimna looking over Moonlight Flat. Cold press paper - ultramarine blue, raw umber.

Friday brushwork of leaves from Kalimna.

Nan River, Thailand. The small boats are long rectangles with flat bows and sterns. I watched them early morning rowing across the river. Some have outboard motors, I think. I didn’t see any of these. A peaceful scene. Raw umber, permanent orange & van dyke brown.

Nan, River, Thailand. We recently spent time in Nan with @duangtengtrirat , who organised a wonderful two weeks experience of food, cooking, culture and conviviality. Watercolour using raw umber and van dyke brown.

Today’s eucalyptus leaves from Kalimna bushland.

First leaf watercolour since returning from Thailand. Raw umber and Van Dyke Brown.

Airport sketch, Bangkok on the way to Nan, Thailand.

An enjoyable day wandering through the Shepparton Art Museum.

Yesterday at the Shepparton Art Museum @sam_shepparton to see the Brett Whitely Exhibition. I loved the gestural drawing of a young wren bathing. I sketched it using a fountain pen. Really enjoyed the exhibition and our second visit to the museum with Pat, Alison and Claire.

Once a month I drive to Ballarat to have fun drawing with a Sketchclub organised by @annelangdon. Last Monday we had a focus on scribble drawing, (for want of a more descriptive term), and a response to a poem. For the drawings I usually use either a fountain pen or ballpoint.

Oh, what leaves does the fair Patricia Joan select from the ground for me to paint.

Birds in flight. A few washes with this watercolour and I wasn’t sure I should stop but here we are.

As usual leaves collected from the ground in Kalimna bushland by Patricia Joan for me to paint. On @st.cuthberts.mill hot press paper and I experimented with adding a few drops of gum Arabic to the paint mix.

A watercolour study of a eucalyptus tree nearby. I enjoyed paint this and had to tell myself to stop as I knew I was about to overdo it. Something that has happened all too frequently.

Two paintings sold to different people last week. Each was to give as a gift. Another three leaf watercolours ordered.

Sunday morning brushwork before I head to from a white gum in Victory Park, Castlemaine. These leaves are from a gum tree in Victory Park, Castlemaine, picked up by Pat on our way to @johnnybaker.au for croissants.

I enjoyed the challenge of painting this watercolour today. Because I don’t do any underdrawing I have to keep checking which layer goes on top and I do get confused. Maybe that’s because I’m getting old. Nice, dry, chewed eucalyptus leaves.

Another watercolour of a Silver princess eucalypt. This branch is from a tree we planted many moons ago.