People & Places

Wendy Shortland, Artist – Pyrmont Art Festival Entrant

1. Tell us a little about yourself and your work I have a background as a project manager in I.T. I went to art school in 2002 as a mature age student and I now have an Advanced Diploma in Fine Art from the Sydney Gallery School (Meadowbank TAFE campus), and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from College of Fine Art (University of NSW). I teach Painting in Acrylics for Sydney Community College and I also work for Derivan P/L who make Matisse and Derivan acrylic paints here in the inner west of Sydney. As well as acrylic painting I also do book art, paper art, and digital art…oh, and some printmaking.

http://www.wendyshortland.com/ http://quirkyartist.wordpress.com/

2. What do you love about what you do? I love colour. I am fascinated with the use of tonal values. I like book art and printmaking for their ability to illustrate a narrative which painting doesn't allow to the same extent. 3. Do you have a favourite contemporary artist you find inspirational? Both Peter O'Doherty and Jeffrey Smart. Each of them is interested in the urban landscape and paring it down to the essentials. 4. You have entered the Pyrmont Art Festival which is great. Can you tell us a little about your entry? I wander round the back lanes taking photographs of rooftops to paint or draw later. I like the juxtaposition of old chimneys and air conditioning vents. In this case it is a back entrance to someone's house, or perhaps a flat above a shop. My colours are not realistic, but once the tones are correct this doesn't matter. I used a brand new medium from Matisse which is not yet in the shops. It is called 'Open Medium', and it makes the paint stay open longer and generally handle more like oil paint. It gives the canvas a beautiful finish. 5. What are you currently reading? "Rancid Pansies" by James Hamilton Patterson, (farce, I guess), "Illegal Action" by Stella Rimington, (spy story by a woman who was head of MI5), and "The New Acrylics" by Rheni Tauchid. 6. Who would be your dream real-life neighbour? Maybe a writer – if they didn't have to still be alive, perhaps Nancy Mitford (Love in a Cold Climate) or Paul Scott (Jewel in the Crown quartet). Otherwise, someone to get me thinking, like Philip Adams. 7. What is/would be your favourite travel destination? Oh, I have many. Ubud in Bali is my second home. Other favourites are Bologna in Italy, Barcelona,….and then I'm longing to go to India. 8. If there were a T-shirt slogan for Sydney, what would it be? "Protect Sydney's heritage." I've been to the shipyards down a Blackwattle Bay recently and was blown away by the colours and the old machinery. They're going to lead to a whole new body of work. We mustn't lose all the old parts of Sydney. 9. What was the last movie you saw and really enjoyed? "Milk". I thought Sean Penn was just amazing.

http://www.wendyshortland.com/ http://quirkyartist.wordpress.com/

Other People

Sailing Sydney Harbour from Pyrmont – All Aboard

What to do on a sunny afternoon in Pyrmont? How about sailing Sydney Harbour and enjoying fabulous food and wine with your friends or work colleagues.

This is exactly what I had the opportunity to do recently with some great people. We met in the Terrace Room at the Australian National Maritime Museum. This superb venue has floor to ceiling windows looking out onto amazing views of Darling Harbour and the city skyline – yes, very nice! Here we enjoyed coffee and pastries by Bayleaf Catering before boarding our luxury yacht with Sydney by Sail – located at Festival Pontoon at the National Maritime Museum and at Cockle Bay Marina in Darling Harbour – to partake in the afternoon regatta. Leaving from out the front of the Museum, we began our sailing adventure, passing the spectacular views of the city and the decommissioned naval destroyer HMAS Vampire.

Sailing out further into Sydney Harbour, we began to pick up speed which made it all the more fun! Each of us also had the opportunity to play sailor by having a go at steering the yacht….T’was very cool. It was also great to see close up key Sydney landmarks including the Opera House, Harbour Bridge, Luna Park, Kirribilli House and Garden Island. Being a Wednesday afternoon, we passed other sailing enthusiasts enjoying the gorgeous blue skies and sunshine as a backdrop. Wow, I could really get to enjoy this lifestyle permanently.

As the afternoon meandered along our sturdy skipper took control so we could kick back and indulge in a delicious lunch and partake in yet more fine wines also provided by Bayleaf Catering – these nice people also operate and provide the yummy menu for Yots Cafe & Bar and the adjoining Port Hole kiosk at the Maritime Museum. Before we knew it, our sensational afternoon was soon to come to an end. We headed back to Pyrmont, passing more gorgeous small coves and beaches nestled along the Sydney Harbour foreshore. Upon returning to the dock, we went back into the Terrace Room for prize-giving, canapes and more champagne. What a perfect way to end the afternoon!

If you are looking for a team building exercise or thinking about what to do for your next event, why not consider a regatta or Treasure Hunt around Sydney Harbour. Or you may simply wish to learn to sail. Either way, look no further than the harbour foreshore in Pyrmont.