Caricatures from life.

Gympie, 1982. The Gympie Art Society members staged a promotional "Art In The Park" event in Queen's Park, Gympie. This was my first attempt at drawing people from life in public. I had not  considered doing this sort of thing until another GAS member, a shop owner, suggested I come and sit outside her shop in Mary Street and draw portraits of the passing public, to promote her business.
The idea of interacting with the public was not in my artist toolbox at the time. In fact, it clashed with my shy nature and almost gave me the sweats, just imagining how I would cope. It did, however, start me thinking of how I would go about the drawing task. What materials should I use - paper, board, paint, ink, pencil, pen, brush, charcoal, pastel, chalk - what sized paper or board and how long should it take, what would be the quickest style to use, etc. etc. ???

The Park event gave me an opportunity to test myself and some basic tools: newspaper stock paper and oil crayon. I was surprised at how easily the likenesses appeared and how people were not scary at all when they assumed I knew what I was doing. I caught the bug! Over the next 8 years I privately tried different tools and settled on doing line drawings with brush and ink without any pencil construction lines first. Without shading, they produced a thick/thin brush line in black on white cartridge paper with minimal bleeding. The flexible brush line gave the picture some dimension short of shading, which I had not yet worked out how to apply. From photos and observation, it was really an extension of what I was doing for the Gympie Times. I did not do any more public live caricature for the remainder of my time in Gympie, That idea was tucked away as a "possible" until it eventually grew into a "practical".

In the meantime, I enjoyed my art at Murrays Views, Gympie Times and Gympie Art Society. my next few posts will feature some of the work of each.

Changes Happening.

Want to hear about my introduction to Christianity? A lot of people have missed out on connecting with God through Bible study and prayer but I have found that many do like to hear how others found that connection, so here goes. Stay with me for an interesting story.

I mentioned earlier that I smoked heavily when I reached Gympie. It was during winter, 1982, the year after I arrived in Gympie and just after I had started my weekly cartoon on current local affairs for the Gympie Times, that I came down with the 'flu.  It sent me to bed for a week to recover. I did not even feel like inhaling on a cigarette! My workmate, Joy, was an angel who brought around fresh orange juice daily ("to flush out the toxins", she said). I had never met anyone kinder in my life! It caused me to ponder why and I guess it got me thinking about a bigger picture of life than I had been immersed in to that point. Anyhow, by the time the week was over, my 'flu symptoms had become nicotene withdrawal symptoms and then both had evaporated. It was miraculous! I found myself with no craving for, nor even interest in, cigarettes. I have never had the need ever since, so have not smoked since then. My food started tasting better, too. It was not that much longer after that when my "grey colour" (Joy's quote) started to change to a normal skin tone.

Of course, the inevitable happened - I began eating more since food now tasted better! That led in a very short time to my being over weight, despite my walking a couple of kilometres to work and back each day. Joy took the opportunity to advise me to join a weight-loss program being run by her church pastor, which I did. It opened my mind to the subject of Nutrition and started me on plant-based foods, the source of real nutrition. Within a short time of substituting pies and sandwiches with fruit and veges and adopting a routine of healthful meals, I lost the extra weight I had gained and I felt great! Appreciation for the pastor's knowledge and application convinced me he may have been able to explain the bible to me as well, so I arranged for him to visit weekly and study that book with him.

Wow! Talk about taking positive steps! Within the first three weeks, Pastor Maurice Woods revealed Jesus Christ as the focus of the bible and His relevance to my life. It was an overwhelming revelation and the start of a life-changing transformation of not only my lifestyle but my character. I will be eternally grateful to Jesus for dying in my place and demonstrating His power to resurrect me from death, just as He did, himself. I will be His follower and friend forever, viewing this earthly life in a new perspective - as a poor substitute for the life He originally intended and which He has enabled me to yet achieve - salvation by His grace alone- to eventually experience that new life He intended for all of us. I will also be eternally grateful to Joy and her (our) pastor for their roles in starting my Christian education. 

Merv Todd 80th Birthday