Beach scene. Original art deco painting in Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle.

These 'pages' take a look at Newcastle and other parts of the state and jump from one to another and contain mutterings about all sorts of abstract topics.  From 2006 onwards.

Nobbys Beach Newcastle

The final cut

Kuta Lines Surfshop, Redhead, where a local legend keeps shop in a unique building using recycled timber from old Lee Wharf on Newcastle Harbour. Large beams, sandstone blocks and other large pieces have found a place there as well as surf-inspired art works and a collection of surfboards from down through the decades.

Kuta Lines surfing goods have gone global after small beginnings in the seventies when two surfing brothers from Newcastle visited Bali and were impressed by traditional Balinese textiles and asked for a few clothes to be made and then worn back here.  When other people asked about these it led to the start of the business which involved Balinese workers.
The work of Tony Brown and Kuta is recorded in the National Gallery in Canberra and describes how hooded 'Streaky' jumpers used fabric developed in Indonesia.  Traditional ikat weaving and dying techniques were adapted to create a fleecy, heavier weight fabric that would keep surfers warm on cold southern beaches. Streakies came in many colours and became something of a cult fashion item on and off the beach.
It is said that the art of traditional textiles, in Indonesia, is in decline because it is very labour intensive and time consuming and modern conventional textile workshops have taken over and Kuta fashions are still made there.

National Museum, Canberra.

going going going .........gone!

Driverless transport and driverless video capture!  Not a recent effort.

Outlandish Christmas decor gets the thumbs up.  Conventional suburb but never judge a book by its cover. Anything is possible!
The shaped tree on the left is a lovely little work.

Brand Newcastle logo arrived for the promotion of Newcastle. If it had Java script it could be easily published, well, to the extent of what is possible from a computer illiterate. And converting stuff to jpg format.  Something to explore one of these days.  

Talking about trees...... blossoming trees seen around Newcastle suburbs this week.  Wait all year for one splendid showing.  And these pics haven't done them justice.  Believe the smallest tree is a mango tree with fig trees in background. 

Complaints department here.  What have I got to lose?

The above was, sort of, a unique set of shops, possibly from the thirties or so, original shopfronts, 5 or 6 matching, woodwork and tiled or tessellated entrances.  The colour scheme was crap.  Never had a chance at this quiet end of the street.
Not anymore.  Modernisation has taken over and each shop has been wrecked and given the standard, glassy front treatment and grand new addtions at this end make the premises twice as big as before.
Superficially, these shops needed clever rejuvination in retro style. They were perfect for vintage.  A suitable paint scheme would have worked wonders and the shops could have become specially appealing.
But, in the cold hard light of day, any darn thing is tried to make an investment viable.