Hot weather!

It's been so hot lately (even for the high country of the New England), that all I want to do is sit and read. I'd go swimming at the town pool, but somehow I can't seem to raise the energy to do all of that. Hopefully it will cool down soon......

Panda has the right idea:


Image: Panda Reading by Alisa Perks. Gouache on paper.

 

Grevillea Frieze: Botanical painting

Hello Readers

Recently I entered a Botanicals art competition at Light Space and Time, an online art gallery based in the USA.

My entry, Grevillea Frieze, was selected for Special Recognition which, I think, may be equivalent to a Highly Commended. It was nice to be counted amongst some fine artworks in this competition. Click on the gallery link above to have a look.

Grevillea Frieze is inspired by Art Nouveau repeat designs for wallpaper and furnishing fabric. I have always loved this era of design, with its swirling lines and muted colour-schemes.

See what you think:





Image: Detail from Grevillea Frieze by Alisa Perks. Gouache on paper.

I love the curved fiddle shapes in grevillea flowers, as they are offset against the spiky leaves. The grevillea which inspired this painting is a ground-cover variety which grows beneath the front hedge. It is a very tough plant but very beautiful.

 

Protecting peaches from fruit fly: More ideas

Dear Readers

Here are some further tips to add to my previous post about making organza bags against fruit fly attack on the peach tree:

I've started to use nylon bridal netting for these bags now, instead of organza. Netting is much cheaper than organza and does the same job. It's that coarse netting, not the fine tulle used for bridal veils.

The netting I've used for my latest bags only cost $2.99 per metre. The netting comes in a range of colours, and I think this is important, as it looks festive and pretty having coloured bags all over the peach tree. They look good and serve the brilliant purpose of protecting developing peaches against Queensland Fruit Fly! They also safely keep birds and flying foxes away from the fruit, as the netting is too fine for them to get tangled in it.

Below are instructions for you to make your own anti fruit fly bags:



Image: How to make your own fruit fly exclusion bags out of nylon netting.

Nylon netting doesn't fray, so there's no need to finish off raw edges or hem around the opening of the bag. These fruit fly bags take only minutes to make. Tie them onto the branch with a strip of old t-shirt fabric or some other scrap of stretch fabric.

Happy food-growing! Talk soon.
 


PS. I have made fruit fly bottle traps to protect uncovered peaches, but I'll let you know if they worked or not in a later post. They contain yummy Vegemite.

Russian Orthodox Church in Lidcombe, Sydney

Hello readers and also hello to my readers in Russia!

I recently visited Sydney and saw through my train window, once again, the Russian Old Orthodox Church of the Holy Annunciation - Assumption, in Vaughan Street, Lidcombe. 

This church really stands out as a beautiful piece of architecture, with its golden and coppery domes and white-washed walls. 

I few years ago, I did a painting of this Russian Orthodox Church in Lidcombe, to celebrate the fabulous shapes of its domes. The medium is gouache on paper:

Image: Russian Old Orthodox Church of the Holy Annunciation-Assumption, Lidcombe, Sydney. Medium: Gouache on paper.

Lidcombe is a very multicultural place, as is much of Sydney. I think this makes Sydney a very exciting and interesting city to visit. Sydney is also a culinary feast, with delicious foods from so many cultures available in restaurants, cafes and food stalls. 

One of my favourite places to eat in Sydney city Chinatown/Haymarket) is Eating World, an Asian food court featuring a dazzling choice of dishes from China, Vietnam, Malaysia (including Nyonya), Japan, Thailand and other cultures. It is busy and bustling at midday, as many workers enjoy eating their lunch there. One dainty lady nearby was steadily working her way through an entire fish!