DRAWINGS ON WATER

Visceral Reflections whilst Kayaking on Middle Harbour, Sydney Australia.

RALPH KERLE

DRAWINGS ON WATER V I S C E R A L R E F L E C T I O N S

2 0 1 3

DRAWING ON WATERV I S C E R A L R E F L E C T I O N S

Two or three mornings a week around 6.40am come rain, hail or shine, I walk down the Castle Haven Track, Castlecrag, Sydney, Australia, a

steep 450 metre bush tracks built on the remnants of Sydney sandstone steps framed by local forests of dry Australian eucalyptus trees and lush undergrowth often disturbing Australian yellow crested white coc-katoos or Australian native bush turkeys and their tor-merntos, the local domestic dogs looking for an early monriong meal, to drop onot the foreshore of Cast-lehaven Reserve,a small sheletered inlet in Sailors Bay, Middle Hrabour, Sydney.

It is here secured by chain and rope to foreshore trees, I moor my second hand sea kayak bought cheaply off eBay in a moment of desperate inspiration.Two years ago pharmaceutical remedies had driven me further into depression rather than alleviating the problem leaving me no option but to consider the phy-sical in search of a way out of my immobilising mental darkness. This kayak has become my optics onto a world I am

now beginning to perceive and treasure.It is impossible to convey literally the therapeutic cleansing that occurred immediately. An early morning dose of nature mixed with fresh air, sea water and oneness accompanied by the imperceptible exercise of core stomach muscles and the upper and lower body moves the darkness of black thoughts rapidly.

Over months I began to physically and metaphorically sit on the powerful sea water of the natural environ-ment of Middle Harbour, Sydney. Slowly but surely a new consciousness emerged driven by a powerful vis-ceral voice that spoke to me regularly in a way where depression was no longer the main character. As it did, my mind discovered the core of the visceral it had been seeking in a surprising manner – the surface of the water forced my mind to seek new pathways of perception. Oh...and technology in the form of the iPhone helped me capture fleeting glimpses of my mind working as my eyes adapted to these new natural perceptions.I hope you find as much joyous puzzlement and reflec-tion in these pictures as I did in creating them.

Ralph Kerle, November 2013

Standard Profile, URL, details

My kayak journeys are in Middle Harbour (or Warring-Ga), a semi-mature tide dominated drowned valley estuary, the northern arm of Port Jackson, an inlet of the Tasman Sea located north of Sydney central business district on the coast of of New South Wales, Australia. Middle Harbour has its source in the upper reaches of Garigal National Park where it forms Middle Harbour Creek and flows southeast to become Middle Harbour at Bungaroo and travels for approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) before reaching its mouth at Port Jackson between

Grotto Point near Clontarf and Middle Head. Within Middle Harbour are, from upstream to downstream, Shell Cove, Pearl Bay, Long Bay, Sugarloaf Bay, Bantry Bay, Fisher Bay, Sandy Bay, Sailors Bay, Powder Hulk Bay, Willoughby Bay and Quakers Hat Bay and the catchment area is approximately 100 square kilometres (39 sq mi).

Middle Harbour, Sydney Australia

caption, date & coordinates details here

caption, date & coordinates details here

Caption Here, Date, Coordinates

Caption Here, Date, Coordinates

caption, date & coordinates details here

Caption Here, Date, Coordinates

Caption Here, Date, Coordinates

Caption Here, Date, Coordinates

Caption Here, Date, Coordinates

Caption Here, Date, Coordinates

Caption here, Date, Title Coordinates 2013

caption, date & coordinates details here

caption, date & coordinates details here