Ruth, Tina's daughter, is such an amazing artist. These art works are going to be featured in a prestigious art magazine.
Showing posts with label art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label art. Show all posts
June 13, 2026
May 14, 2026
St Lucia town
St Lucia was one of the most delightful little towns of the trip. It has a relaxed holiday atmosphere, with leafy streets, wandering wildlife, plenty of birdlife, and an easy coastal charm that immediately makes you slow down. There are lots of good restaurants and cafés, and after long days of game drives and birding it was wonderful to stroll around in the warm evening air, enjoy good food, and soak up the laid-back vibe. The town feels perfectly positioned between bush, estuary and ocean, giving it a unique character that is both wild and welcoming.
Local markets
Tourism is clearly a major part of life in St Lucia, and there were lots of small local markets and roadside stalls selling fruit, curios, crafts and souvenirs. It added to the lively holiday atmosphere of the town and gave visitors plenty of chances to browse local products and pick up reminders of the area’s wildlife and culture. The downside was that some stallholders could be quite persistent in trying to convince you to buy things, although it was all generally good-natured.
Jo bought two monkey orange sculptures carved from the fruit we had seen all over Mkuze Game Reserve. They felt like a perfect memento of the trip — simple, distinctive, and strongly connected to the reserve and the bushveld landscapes we had just experienced.
One of the most remarkable things about St Lucia is that hippos regularly wander into town at night. Warning signs are everywhere, reminding people not to walk around after dark, and it is surreal seeing these huge animals casually moving along the main street and grazing on the grass in local parks. Apparently they have been following these routes for thousands of years, long before the town existed — the town was effectively built in the middle of ancient hippo territory. Seeing hippos walking through town was one of the most unique and memorable experiences of the whole trip.
Unsurprisingly, St Lucia is completely obsessed with hippos. Their image is everywhere — in business names, logos, murals, sculptures, signs and souvenirs all over town. The hippo is clearly the unofficial mascot of St Lucia and gives the town a fun, distinctive character that constantly reminds you how closely connected it is to the surrounding wetlands and wildlife.
Local markets
Tourism is clearly a major part of life in St Lucia, and there were lots of small local markets and roadside stalls selling fruit, curios, crafts and souvenirs. It added to the lively holiday atmosphere of the town and gave visitors plenty of chances to browse local products and pick up reminders of the area’s wildlife and culture. The downside was that some stallholders could be quite persistent in trying to convince you to buy things, although it was all generally good-natured.
Jo buys a "monkey orange" sculpture
Jo bought two monkey orange sculptures carved from the fruit we had seen all over Mkuze Game Reserve. They felt like a perfect memento of the trip — simple, distinctive, and strongly connected to the reserve and the bushveld landscapes we had just experienced.
Hippos coming into the town at night!
One of the most remarkable things about St Lucia is that hippos regularly wander into town at night. Warning signs are everywhere, reminding people not to walk around after dark, and it is surreal seeing these huge animals casually moving along the main street and grazing on the grass in local parks. Apparently they have been following these routes for thousands of years, long before the town existed — the town was effectively built in the middle of ancient hippo territory. Seeing hippos walking through town was one of the most unique and memorable experiences of the whole trip.
A town obsessed with hippos
Unsurprisingly, St Lucia is completely obsessed with hippos. Their image is everywhere — in business names, logos, murals, sculptures, signs and souvenirs all over town. The hippo is clearly the unofficial mascot of St Lucia and gives the town a fun, distinctive character that constantly reminds you how closely connected it is to the surrounding wetlands and wildlife.
I loved these murals of other animals we saw in Zululand
March 18, 2026
Darlinghurst Gaol and art exhibition
A fantastic morning exploring the old Darlinghurst Gaol with the Photography Meetup group. It is now a vibrant art school and there was a wonderful art exhibit on at the school which I also really enjoyed. Then a stroll to the Lord Roberts pub for a delicious lunch of grain salad.
King's Cross
Darlinghurst Gaol
Darlinghurst Gaol operated as one of the colony’s principal prisons from 1841 until its closure in 1914. Designed by colonial architect Mortimer Lewis, the gaol was constructed primarily by convict labour using locally quarried sandstone, giving it the austere, fortress-like appearance that still defines the site today. At its peak, it held a wide range of inmates—from petty offenders to some of the colony’s most notorious criminals—and reflected the harsh penal philosophy of the time. Public executions were carried out at the gaol until 1855, after which hangings took place within its walls, underscoring its role as a central institution of colonial justice and punishment.
Conditions inside Darlinghurst Gaol were notoriously severe, especially in its early years, with overcrowding, poor sanitation, and strict discipline forming part of daily life. The prison underwent several reforms in the late 19th century as attitudes toward incarceration slowly shifted, including improved classification of prisoners and modest changes to living conditions. After its closure, the site took on a very different identity: the buildings were repurposed and eventually became home to the National Art School. Today, the former gaol stands as a striking example of Sydney’s colonial past—its heavy stone walls and preserved structures offering a powerful contrast between a history of confinement and its current role as a place of creativity and artistic expression.
Art exhibition at the art school
The exhibition SEARCHERS at the National Art School brings together over thirty Australian artists to explore the evolution of spray paint from an underground graffiti tool to a powerful medium within contemporary art. Showcasing both street-based practitioners and established artists, the exhibition highlights themes of identity, rebellion, and visibility, while examining the tension between graffiti’s raw, anonymous origins and its growing acceptance within institutional spaces.
Darlinghurst
Walk to Town Hall station
