A Brush with Coogee is a book of paintings and short essays about Coogee Beach and the coast around it. Most of which were painted on the spot (Plein air), plus some studio works done over many years.
The paintings are beach, street and coastal scenes from Coogee. Between them sit the stories behind the work. The Introduction traces a childhood around Gordon’s Bay, a signwriting apprenticeship and the path to painting outdoors. “The Yellow Lamp” visits Wylie’s Baths, McIver’s Ladies Baths and the surf life saving club. .
“The Morning Swimmers” pays homage to those that swim at dawn.
Other pieces cover finding a composition and variations on a theme, and “Two Hours and Thirty Years” answers the question every painter is asked: how long did it take you to paint that?