Easter Sunday at Coogee

                                  

This is the surf club at Coogee beach in Sydney.  It is at the far south end of the beach and not a spot I had been to before but thought the composition was good and I was excited about it.   The sky was blue when I left home but as I headed east the clouds were brewing.  It started lightly raining before long but I persisted even though the ink was spreading and watercolour marking with the drops.  I gave up after a while but the drawing was finished and colour started.  

Heading home the road was flooded in a number of places.  By the time I got home the sun was shining again.  I plan on returning soon...a lovely location.

Mortuary Station

                                  

I returned to Mortuary station again yesterday with friends.  The rain didn't stop us recording this most unique building.

This railway station has an interesting history.  In the mid 1800s the cemeteries were filling up and closing.  The state decided to open up a large area of land outside of town for this purpose and it was called Rookwood Cemetary.  Transport was required so a railway line was built between Redfern and Rookwood for mourners and the casket.  There were specific stations built at each end of the line and this was the city station.  They were designed by colonial architect James Barnet. Both stations were similar and featured sandstone carvings of angels, cherubs and gargoyles.

After these stations opened in 1869 the casket and the mourners joined the train at Redfern or anywhere along the line.  Food and drink also came on board and sometimes a party started before they arrived at the Cemetary.

Como

                                        

Sketch club travelled to southern Sydney to a riverside suburb called Como.  There is a grand hotel built in 1878 overlooking the water sketched above.    I then moved along to a lovely park with a rock hill which overlooks baths and boat sheds.  One of the sketchers was perched up there enjoying herself very much.

We had a sausage sizzle at lunch time with the group which was great.

                                                

Rose Seidler House

      

I went to Rose Seidler House today with Marrickville Heritage society and saw two Seider houses, this being one of them.  This house was built by Harry Seidler for his parents in the early 1950's.  Harry was 25 years old at the time and this was his first solo project.  The house was very different for conservative Sydney at that time and people either loved it or hated it.   

It is set in the bush in an elevated position and the windows and stone used brought the outside in.  There is a deck that the house surrounds on three sides and the living room opens up to it.  The original mural is on one wall, photo below.

Harry would not let his parents use their old furniture and he decorated it himself with furniture imported from USA, particularly by Eames. He only allowed his mother a tea set that she had brought from Austria, nothing else.  The house is still as Seidler decorated it, much of the original furniture remains.

I loved this place!!

Side view

Mural on Seidler deck

Rushcutters Bay

                                     

Four sketching mates (including myself) met at KingsCross walked through to Potts Point, Elizabeth Bay and Rushcutters Bay.  The building's above and below are on the Harbour at Rushcutters Bay.  They are made of corrugated iron and are owned by the Navy.  There seem to be various businesses within these unusual and historic buildings.  A wedding was happening nearby and we enjoy seeing the outfits passing by.

         

The street scene below is at Elizabeth Bay.  There were strong midday shadows.

Callan Park

                                        

Callan Park was a purpose built psychiatric hospital situated in Rozelle in the 1880's.  At the time it was the most expensive building project in the nation.  It is a large property running down to the harbour front and has more tree species than Central Park in New York. It is owned by NSW Health and these buildings are leased by Sydney University, College of the Arts,

Urban sketchers came here today and had a tour by one of the  Friends of Callan Park before spending a few hours sketching.  I sketched at the back of the buildings today.

                                          

This is the front of this building sketched on another occasion.

         

Pitt St sketches

                                   

I joined other sketchers in the city on the weekend, sketching on Pitt st.  Pitt st is one of the city's main streets and was named after an English prime minister at the time of early Australian settlement.  This end of the street has a lot of cheap hotels and pubs and quite a variety of building styles. I was attracted to the Westend Hotel sign in the above sketch.

                                         

This is an Art Deco hotel called the Civic.