How to use this Page

A couple in a cafe on Goodge St., London
Watercolour 15cm x 21cm. Click to enlarge.

More odds and ends from the café sketchbooks.
Watercolour, brushpen. Click to enlarge.

Back in 1995 Cyberia was London's first internet cafe....probably one of the first on the planet. My studio was on the same street, and one day I saw it was unusually crowded. They were holding a special introductory event about this new thing called "the internet". This businessman started chatting to me; he couldn't understand what the internet was for and yet he was terribly anxious about being left "out of the loop". He was so worried that he didn't notice or care that I was painting him.
Watercolour 14cm x 10cm. Click to enlarge.

The Frog likes to sport a large Borsalino, which lends a bit of swagger to any situation. Unfortunately it looks ludicrous on me.
Watercolour on unsized paper. 15cm x 29cm. Click to enlarge.

Two versions of The Frog, in London cafes.
Watercolour, both 18cm x 14cm. Click to enlarge.

At Raoul's cafe, Maida Vale, London before the smoking ban.
Marker pens. 17cm x 11cm. Click to enlarge.

Lethargy set in during tea at The Mock Turtle in Brighton
Felt tip pens 21cm x 15cm. Click to enlarge.

The shaved Frog from different angles.
Watercolours approx A5 size. Click to enlarge.

This afternoon's visit to the Van Doesburg show was followed by coffee and cake with the Frog. We discussed my Fretless Ladder (top left), and the sport of Egg Ping Pong invented by Jean Arp. I urged him to visit the rockin' zebra finches . This prompted a lengthy rant about the latest addition to the Frog's guitar collection. Meanwhile Serota floated past our table and I ate most of the cake.
Pen and ink with stabilo markers on Moleskine 9cm x 14cm. Click to enlarge.

Rare use of a double page spread for me, being somewhat reluctant to draw on the back of previous pages.
Felt pen and wash 22cm x 16cm. Click to enlarge.

Two coffee-length sketches of the Frog.
Watercolour 10cm x 15cm and 12cm x 15cm. Click to enlarge.

Cross your eyes to view this in 4D.
Two moods of the Frog, in Cleveland St., London.
Watercolour. Each page 11cm x 11cm. Click to enlarge.

Two recipients of Care in the Community at the park cafe.
Brushpen and watercolour A6 size. Click to enlarge.

El Frog wearing his new Borsalino at the Brazilian cafe.
Watercolour 15cm x 14cm. Click to enlarge.

Mutual sketchfest with the Frog at Sharon's cafe. He sports the dreadful lapels.
Sepia wash 24cm x 24cm. Click to enlarge.

My mother / a couple in a café.
Watercolour 20cm x 27cm. Click to enlarge.

Two sombre blokes in a cafe on Cleveland St.
Watercolour 19cm x 14cm. Click to enlarge.

Had lunch with The Frog today. We discussed the possibility of coverting a disused factory chimney in Hackney Wick into a dwelling. Instead of creating different floors linked by a staircase, we came up with a single floor, moved up and down by an hydraulic ram.
I had mushroom soup which was excellent.

View Larger Map
Watercolours each 14cm x 17cm. Click to enlarge.

A quick sketch of Nigel in a London cafe.
Watercolour 12cm x 12cm. Click to enlarge.

Various people in various cafes in London.
Watercolour 18cm x 13cm. Click to enlarge.

A bloke having a beer at theGare du Nord, Paris.
Brushpen 9cm x 11cm.

Sketchbook fragments: a couple of women in London cafe.
Watercolour 8cm x 9cm and 7cm x 6cm. Click to enlarge.

I just love the bowl and the cup in this one.
Watercolour 18cm x 25cm. Click to enlarge.

Evidently, Melbournians are full of angst about the prices they pay for their food stuff. Please, come north and compare! We wished we could truck it all back to QLD with us! The fresh, the exotic and the range of cooked delicacies from everywhere - we were in a constant state of salivation!
The Coburg Fruit Garden run by Toni [here with Geoff] and his brothers Milad and Fred was the first big eyeopener - B-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l!

Northeners look at the quality and the prices and drool!
Melbourne is flush with markets - in the suburbs and the urban cities and Melbourne CBD. Good value and high quality is the hallmark of these places.
The fish and meat markets at the Victorian Markets.
Have a variety we don't see up north and the prices - well, you can see!
A freshly baked spinach and cheese wrap with a cup of coffee at the Markets gave me back change from $5.00.
Eateries in Melbourne are often literally on the curb side!
A Greek eatery with mouthwatering selection of goodies - cake and coffee with the traffic at your elbow - this too was Coburg. Yannis Patries and Cakes, in Coburg, served you a shave away from passing trucks and cars.













Service everywhere was friendly and everyone was helpful! Michael Lorenzen's Highway 31, Cafe & Diner in Brunswick has the reputation for the BEST burghers in Melbourne. If mentioning service, Geore of "C&B" in the CBD and Vishal of Seven Eleven would have to be singled out as exceptional!














Last but not lest, chocolate to die for.....tucked away in Acland Street, St Kilda is San Churro, Spanish Chocolateria.


Don't forget Haigh Chocolates in the CBD either! YUM!