57 cm (w) x 38 cm (h), pastels on brown paper.

In Adelaide, the weather is dictated to a large extent by the winds from the North and the winds from the south-west. The winds from the south-west are cool and fresh, coming straight in off the gulf waters. When the wind comes from the North, the temperatures soar, the air feels prickly, and people’s tempers get shortened. The North Wind brings in air off the northern deserts, low in negative ions. It sometimes also brings in a considerable amount of soil as well, in the form of dust storms. I did this drawing onsite from the eastern edge of Barrette Reserve at West Beach, looking back towards the Adelaide Hills during a North Wind.

It was hot, prickly, sweaty and uncomfortable, and my arms and hands were often sticking to the drawing paper.

It may not be easy to appreciate the discomfort, inconvenience and difficulties in concentration that occurred during the production of so many of my drawings and paintings, but those things were an important factor in the ‘doing’ of the actual artwork, and an important part of the sense of achievement I gained from doing the actual artwork at the time (my perseverance, persistence, and ‘drive’ to achieve).

Even for me, looking at my artwork after a few weeks of having completed it, the difficulties encountered during the actual production seemed to fade quickly from what was being radiated from the artwork, leaving just the impact of the final image. However, appreciating the actual construction of a piece of artwork should never be taken for granted, and indeed provides other important dimensions to the piece.