Uluru

Once named Ayers Rock, now named Uluru, it’s a magnetic place that defies description. Why do people travel to the middle of Australia to a barren desert to see a big rock? Maybe the color of the orange-red sand complimenting the deep blue sky is visually stimulating, but there is something else that pulled us…

Adelaide

We came to Adelaide to meet with friends about a series of workshops we are planning for 2013. Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney will be our locations for the first three events, because we have artist friends in each and have now scouted locations as well. Adelaide is known as the city of churches but offers…

Australia’s Great Ocean Road

To really experience the best Australia has to offer, you have to drive through the bush at least once. I was told that the Great Ocean Road was an opportunity not to be missed, so we rented a car in Melbourne and spent a few days driving to Adelaide via the Great Ocean Road. To…

Tasmania!

Tasmania is a beautiful surprise for those who dare adventure to the southeast corner of Australia. Home to Platypus, Echidna, wallabies and the infamous Tasmanian Devil, this incredible place is a paradise for anyone seeking the extraordinary. Every corner I turned offered a new a spectacular view. We landed in Launceston, in the north central…

That Melbourne Vibe

Ninety minutes in the air from Sydney to Melbourne provided an expensive lesson in Aussie air travel. I’ll save the wrenching details and skip to the end result…won’t ever fly Tiger Airways again. Thankfully Australia has a lot of other, better airlines that connect all of the major cities. Arriving in Melbourne was actually a…

Katoomba Winter Magic Festival

On the advice from our new mate, Simon, the best host you could ever want in a hotel manager, we took a day trip out of Sydney into the Blue Mountains to the small town of Katoomba for the WinterMagic festival. From Simon’s description I imagined a fusion of Trekkie convention, Costume Party, and Steampunk…

Small world

Believe it or not, one can be in New York, Los Angeles and Sydney, Australia on the same day. Well, at least in the same 24 hour period. There is an international date line issue that confuses things and eats whole calendar dates. I missed Father’s Day entirely this year. My kids called me before…

“Blown Away” mural by Paul Jackson

At the southeast corner of Broadway and Hitt Street in Columbia MO, you’ll find the Alpine shop, featuring a new mural on its west wall. My crew, (mostly family), spent the last two weeks painting “Blown Away”, a 16×68′ design that is stopping traffic already. I love ambitious projects, and this one occurred at a…

Paul Jackson’s Traveler Brushes

Sneak preview! Just in time for our Italy workshop, my new “Traveler” watercolor brushes are almost ready for their debut! After years of travel and beating up brushes, I finally broke down and designed the perfect paintbrush set for adventures. No more junky brushes in the field! The set features two collapsible, self-contained, Kolinsky Sable…

“Secrets of the International Contemporary Watercolor Masters”

I’m very honored to be included in this latest book, “Secrets of the International Contemporary Watercolor Masters”. It’s only available in Chinese, but you should be able to find it on Amazon.com/ci. I haven’t seen an actual copy yet, but got my chapter in advance.