Art Stuff - Old Cowshed Matakohe Northland New Zealand from my Visual Diary

Mum and I went to Dargaville the other day to get some things sorted out for Christmas Day. Of course as per my usual bad habit, I had the camera and my sketch book with me just in case I spotted anything interesting. Mum was really into stopping at all sorts of places and my camera's memory card was full of really great images. She spotted this old milking shed, then stopped so I could get some photos and a quick outline sketch of it. The result is above, now in my visual diary. I'll be doing a couple more small water colour sketches of it then I'll do a painting of it. While we were in Dargaville we stopped at Mum's favourite cafe for some lunch and they had some art on the walls from some local artists. The kids asked where the landscapes were. I guess like all things art seems to go through phases of different styles. Most were abstracts with purple and pink swirls. Very creative and very clever. I've done abstracts myself, but I think I've found more enjoyment with painting our local scenery and of course wildlife than having a creative type inspiration. I was reading The Artist which is a UK publication. This one I've had for heck knows how many years, but I love the art magazines I get now and then when I can afford them. This one had an article about how the art schools had stopped teaching the fundamentals of drawing and composition. Being creative is one thing. Learning the basics of good drawing and painting I feel should be a must. I'm glad I'm still learning with each new drawing and painting I do. And this one I really enjoyed doing.