Robyn ANN Crawford - Blog

Robyn ANN Crawford

Local Dwellings, Brisbane, Queensland.

10/13/2019

Cricket Street. Petrie Terrace, Brisbane.
Ah how can you dispute the attraction of a Queenslander, all similar, but none the same, each has it's individual stamp, There are more elaborate than this example, and larger, and some smaller, what they have in common is white, it is the favoured color here in Queensland, it provides a clean fresh look, in fact pride in one's home and community stands out in Queensland, I have seen no shabby this or that, everywhere examples of a well cared for state...

Low key

3/19/2019

I rarely share photos of myself on my website, I'm not one for taking selfies, I have had a natural fear of the camera since I was a young adult, I was never photogenic, but with the popularity on social media and selfies, I overcame my fear, as long as the camera is in my hands.. Overtime I have become a prolific painter of self-portraits, again it is I that is in control.
In this showcase I'm celebrating turning blond, for the third time in my life I have had a major change of hair color. A natural brunette, I was happy to be for most of my life, until the little greys appeared, deciding henna a safe and healthy choice of product, I became a redhead, remaining so for 25 years, now 40% grey I have taking the leap to blond... I like very much.. I call it my transition from Veronica to Betty ( Archie comics for those who are not familiar )
Ha, you may notice I have not penciled my eyebrows evenly, it was about 40 degrees in heat, on the day, I decided to take these shots, applying makeup was a chore and always is for me, haha it wasn't until online I noticed along with a few other oddities.

Nimbin.

10/5/2018

Every second week I drive to Nimbin to buy my organics, at a volunteer run Co-Op, a 90 minute drive from where I live, 20 minutes out of town from Kyogle NSW.
The town is colorful and unique, there is always something going on in Nimbin, this shot is of a mother and daughter, from inter-state, tourism is third on the list for popular destinations in Australia.
There is a strong possibility I may move there to live in the future.

September 30th, 2018

9/30/2018

In the Springtime all is at it's best.View from my front porch

August 26th, 2018

8/26/2018

Below is an example of a painting from many years ago when I was a young mother, soon after I separated from my husband I no longer own, what became of it ?? it was always popular, and could of sold on a number of occasions but preferred to keep it, at a time when I didn't have the huge body of works I now own. What is obvious when looking, is the technique, it was there from the beginning.
Circa 1986.

August 19th, 2018

8/19/2018

Bob Marley

7/31/2018

Winter Cow Paddock.

7/28/2018

Today while in the planned process to work on a self portrait that has been waiting in the wings three years, l was forced to abandone the project, overwhelmed by the noise from power tools my landlord was using around the property, my patio studio had no protection, l needed intense concentration , the oil paint was mixed, what a waste, the long and short, l came up with the brainstorm to paint a plein air of the cow paddock in abstract ..

1st Fleet, 1788, Sydney Cove. With Owen Cavanaugh, Margaret Burgess, Beryl Buckton, and Captain Phillip.

6/15/2018

WORK IN PROGRESS
Since my last post I have moved house again, while settling in I began this piece, it has occupied me for most of the time I have been here, on and off, in fact I have three projects underway, with a new home and community I have new artistic aspirations. At the beginning of the year, before I had moved house, I created a series of studies for large serious paintings down the track, of seascapes.
I had never considered myself a landscape/seascape painter up till recently, though I had attempted a seascape of the 1st Fleet some years prior.
Here is one half of my progress so far, without any knowledge of ship painting, I stumbled along and eventually made an original version of the fleet, today filling the longboat with family members, along with Phillip.. My 5x Great Grandfather Owen Cavanaugh ( able seaman ) and my 5 x Great Grandmother Margaret Dowling ( convict ) were among those on the 1st Fleet, it is to them I have dedicated this painting. According to historic accounts Owen was the first European of the new settlement to set foot on shore.
In the longboat I included my sister Margaret in memory of her passing three weeks ago, my mother who died back in 2002, it is her lineage that connects us to the first fleet.
And there they sit, a whimsical grouping depicting a real event, without being factual, I created an imaginary scene, a comical rendition, dedicated to my sister Margaret...
Oil on canvas.
Not a very good photo, but as it is only a progress shot, I will take a better one including the whole painting, it is in fact much darker that this image, the intensity of the sky lost.

Mountain Mist. Study Piece

2/1/2018

Another example of my latest series, Sea / Landscapes studies.
This year once I move , set up a functional studio, my main focus will be large scale oils on Marine Plywood, marine my favourite support, I love the feel of the smooth timber, it doesn't bow as regular ply does, just love it, I will try for a regular size format for all my work, no more this size and that, at least for paintings, paper work is different.
So here we have a lovely mountain mist painting in mixed media, looking much like our mountains here in Comboyne, cold and misty, with our heaters on in Feb, who would have thought, extra blankets on and winter PJ's, this time last year we were in a heatwave with most days hovering around 40 degrees celcius.
Looking forward to having a real paint out, I haven't stood at the easel must be 8 months..
This year land, sea and head paintings along with the occasional animal...