Having drawn 1 or 2 disappointing night sketches in Auckland over the years I wasn’t expecting much of this sketch of Our Lady of Dolors, the largest church structure in Asia*. To make the sketch read correctly I decided I needed to capture the basilica in context . It's an impressive structure to record but without placing it into a bustling Indian street scene is a bit 1 dimensional – it could almost be anywhere. I was standing in a continuous stream of cars, motorbikes and people steadily passing by... horns were beeping, it was hot, people were brushing past me constantly and neon lights were glowing, so adding suggestions of these was necessary to add the context that helped to tell a story about the look and feeling of the place. Back to my expectations around night sketching. As I expected I was feeling suitably unimpressed with my effort on the night. I was happy with how elements like telephone wires, neon lights and buildings framed the basilica and even helped le...
She's a bit run-down and worse for wear, her nipples no longer flash and the clock above her no longer keeps 'Vegas Time'. A bit like Karangahape Road in general really, it still has it's moments (as I sketched a couple of working fa'afafine casually looked over my shoulder to check out what I was up to), and the brass lettering beside the door boldly proclaims 'Australasia's Premier Striptease Club', it's all a bit optimistic I think!
The Las Vegas Strip is one of the last remaining clubs from the streets seedy 60's and 70's heyday as Auckland's red-light strip. When I heard the place was on the market, I thought I'd try to capture that infamous sign before it disappears forever. With any luck it might go the way of a neighbour, the The Pink Pussy Cat and get redeveloped as an art gallery.
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