by Carla Caruso

Entries to the Adelaide Park Lands Art Prize this year include paintings (using oils, acrylics or watercolours), various types of sculpture, digital art, photos and videos, cut paper, and an array of sketches (in pencil, pen and ink, or charcoal).

You’ll have to wait until the Art Prize Exhibition opens on 24 March to see them all, but in the meantime, we can introduce you to a new, enthusiastic group of sketchers who Love Your Park Lands.

Colombia-born nature lover Mariajosé García Moreno, who’s studying English here, started a group called Urban Sketchers Adelaide in December 2022.

The group is part of a global community of artists, dedicated to the practice of on-location drawing (and some painting). There are chapters in such cities as New York, Berlin, and Paris. The sessions are free to attend.

As Mariajosé explains: “In Colombia, I used to paint with a group called Urban Sketchers. So, when I knew that I was going to come here, I started looking for that kind of group here in Adelaide [online], but I didn’t find it.

“For me, it’s really important to be close to art and close to nature because I am an environmental engineer, but I’m also an artist, always looking to work with art as a tool.

“So, I decided to create this group. The idea was to be close to nature, to get to know new people, and to get to know the city.”

(Editor’s note: There is a similar group locally, Adelaide Urban Sketchers, though the Park Lands isn’t their focus.)

While Mariajosé’s group has more than 160 followers on Instagram, usually a more intimate group of about five turn up to its weekly sessions. These are held on Tuesdays, either from 4pm or 5pm.

The group often attracts newly arrived migrants, keen to get to know the city through their art. And as Mariajosé says, “You don’t have to be an expert”.

Locations for the meetups so far have included the Adelaide Botanic Garden (Park 11), Rymill Park / Murlawirrapurka (Park 14), Grundy Gardens (Park 12), Elder Park and along Pennington Terrace (Park 26), and Adelaide Himeji Garden (Park 18).

Mariajosé says she was “surprised” by the large number of parks “close to the city” and “accessible to people” when she arrived in town.

“Here in Adelaide, there are a lot of parks near to the city and there is really a lot of a public space for the people.

“And I think where I’m from in Colombia, that is something that they need to improve because it’s really populated. There are a lot of people, and the city is growing a lot.

“So, there is more concrete than nature. You can find parks, but I think there is not enough. And also near to the city, it is hard to find a park.

“That is something that really attracted me [to Adelaide] because there are a lot of parks and the space is really big.

“I think that is something that the city has planned really [well] - and I hope that they keep conserving the scenery because I think it’s a really good point here in the city.”

Sketching aside, Mariajosé has been relishing her travels Down Under. “For me, it’s very important to expand my mind in all different cities and different cultures. I want to know how art and environmental education is moving around the world. So, I have always been looking to live outside of my country.” 

We can’t say whether any of Mariajosé’s group have entered the Adelaide Park Lands Art Prize. But there certainly have been several sketches entered into the Art Prize, and it is more than likely that some will be on display as finalists when the exhibition commences at the Festival Centre on 24 March.