Category Archives: ink and watercolor

New Zealand – Turangi & Tongariro Natl Park

On to day 6, we leave Rotorua and head toward Tongariro National Park and Mordor, a land of remarkable scenes used in filming Lord of the Rings. Here’s a map with our stops.

First stop was Tokaanu Bay on Lake Taupo, to see the black swans.

We stopped to enjoy our lunch at an old hydro plant at Beggs Pool, on the Tongariro River. The Tongariro is a famous spot to fish for rainbow trout. Very lucky to have Phil, our guide, spot a rare blue duck.

Beggs Pool falls

Our final sketch spot was with views of Mountains Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro. Mount Ruapehu is an active stratovolcano.

Mount Ruapehu sketched on site

Mount Ruapehu done at home

New Zealand – Rotorua & Wai-o-tapu

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On day 5 of our trip, we headed to Wai-o-tapu Thermal Park, a place of extraordinary geothermal activity. After getting our tickets and going in, we were told we could catch the geyser show, they do this once a day, where they add soap and cause a crater to look like a volcano. Wouldn’t you know, we “just” missed it, and only caught the tail end.

Lady Knox geyser

Continuing around the park, we (of course!) stopped at The Artist’s Palette, with such lovely colors, I was unable to do them justice with my paints.

Colors of the Artists Palette

Sketches at Wai-o-tapu Park

The Artist’s Palette

The rock formations and colors were spectacular, again, challenging to capture on paper.

Wai-o-tapu rock formation

Got in a quick sketch at Rua Ōwhanga

Rua Ōwhanga

Another pool was Roto Kārikitea, also known as The Devil’s Bath, an eerie bright green phenomenon caused by a toxic mix of sulphur and ferrous salts combined with minerals from the Champagne Pool.

Roto Kārikitea

Ending this supernatural visit, we went to a local spa on Lake Rotorua, with geothermal hot springs, with pools of alkaline or acidic baths in varying temperatures. A superb finish for the day!

New Zealand – Okere Falls & Maori wood carvers

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Before I get too far ahead, on our way to Cathedral Cove, here’s a cute New Zealand quail who walked along with us for a bit. Many NZ birds have little or no fear of humans, and some have even evolved to lose the ability to fly.

We traveled quite a bit on the following day. In the morning, we passed by kiwi and avocado orchards, sustainably harvested tree farms, and stopped to pick up lunch in an old gold mining town, Waihi.

Old pumphouse in Waihi

From there, we stopped near a river to enjoy our lunch, and then on to Okere Falls. I had trouble managing the colors and trying to sketch the water, so I did this quick color layout for reference on site. We were lucky to see several rafts pass by, and sketching the rafters was more my speed than water, as you can see here, sketched from my photo.

Later we stopped at Tikitapu (Blue Lake), a very serene place to take out our paints. Finally, we went to see two Maori wood carvers, where they work, their tools and how they decide what to carve. We then enjoyed a home cooked dinner with them, very delicious and a great end to a busy day!

Maori wood carving tools.

Photos of Maori wood carvings

Maori sketches for wood carvings

Palette update

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With a stay at home mandate, we can pause and see what we wanted to do, but didn’t have “enough” time. Now, many of us have more free time than ever before!
I took advantage of this to update and switch to a different watercolor palette, made by Craig Young. It’s not new, it’s been here for 5 years, and I haven’t used it because it seemed too heavy for urban sketching. After spending a couple weeks with other artists who manage just fine with even larger palettes, this one doesn’t seem as heavy.
There’s more space to mix colors, and I’ve adapted it to fit my pans with magnets, as I never know when I might dare to switch a color! (See my list of colors below.)
What are your favorite colors?

It’s interesting how different two cobalt turquoises can be! I bought the Schminke one for New Zealand, and while there, I got a sample of a Windsor & Newton one, and do love both of them!

Top row: Lunar blue (DS), Prussian blue, Cobalt turquoise (W&N), Cobalt turquoise (Schminke)
Second row: Warm sepia, Sap green, Cobalt blue
Third row: Burnt sienna, Brown ochre (DS), Hooker’s green with Perm. green, Perm. violet
Fourth row: Quin. gold (W&N), Raw sienna, Alizarin crimson (W&N)
Bottom row: Perm. yellow deep, Perm. yellow lemon, Translucent orange (Schminke), Quin. red (DS).
Note: all colors are Holbein, except where labeled.

New Zealand – Cathedral Cove

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We stayed at motels in NZ, surprisingly comfy, clean and with kitchen facilities. It’s a very friendly country for hikers and campers. Breakfast was typically groceries purchased by Phil, our guide, that we could take and each enjoy in our rooms before leaving for the day.

This day we headed to Cathedral Cove, accessible only on foot or by boat. Of course, the ferry wasn’t running the day we went! A beautiful sunny day, but I guess the sea wasn’t cooperating. So it was on foot in and out, up and down around the hills, about 2 miles with an elevation change of 500 ft. People swam, took selfies for social media and enjoyed the gorgeous beach and rock formations. One of our group was upended by the strong surf! Glad she was okay!

There were also perfect places to rest and sketch on the return walk.

We all enjoyed a well-deserved ice cream on our return!

When you spend time in the sun with footwear like this,

you can end up with a Maori-inspired tan! (More about Maori art later. 😉)

New Zealand – Auckland & Whitianga

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Finally getting down to the business of sharing this amazing trip with you! Looking back on it, every day held new and inspiring views.

Note: this trip began the last week of February, just as the first cases of the corona virus were starting in the US. Arriving home last week, as a safety measure, I decided to self-quarantine for 2 weeks, even though I have no symptoms.

In case of any jet lag, I arrived a day early. Went across the street to walk around Parnell Rose Garden in Auckland. Reminder to self: They drive on the opposite side! Be extra careful crossing streets!

I could tell it was a magical place when I heard a unique sound in a cemetery on a hill, as if it was whispering to me. Stopped to sketch this tree, and then a few flowers in the gardens.

The next day, the rest of the group arrived. There were 6 of us plus Karen, an Art Safari tutor, and Phil, a guide with Wrybill Bird Tours. We left to get lunch at a local bakery, to Parnell Park to enjoy our lunches in the warm sun, and then off to Devonport’s north shore to walk and sketch at Torpedo Bay. All in all, a very good start!

Rangitoto Island

Auckland skyline

We sketched from here, a former military fort.

The next day, we headed to the Coromandel Peninsula, stopping at Tairua for lunch and a sketch, then on to Whitianga, in Mercury Bay.

Whitianga scene

Glad to have Phil as our guide, he knew where to find the birds!

Another unique trip happening soon!

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I thought I’d be so busy with Grey Matter, that I wouldn’t have the time or energy for anything overseas this year. But – fate (and Art Safari!) has a way of throwing things at you, and when this trip showed up, I decided to take it!

So, I’ve renewed my watercolor palette, and switched out compose blue for a cobalt turquoise. (So yummy!)