The T2 Tea House in North Ryde, Sydney

This is the famous T2 Tea House in Sydney - scene of many a pen and ink and watercolour sketch by Liz and Borromini

Liz knows how I love drawing interiors - particularly ones where eating and drinking are involved and I was tickled pink to get a sketch of the interior of her favourite tea house in Sydney.

Liz has impeccable perspective as always - even when it comes to shelves of tea and a counter of other goodies. I am so impressed by the writing on the blackboard and I'm hoping there was a little trick involved there with resist maybe?

The T2 Teahouse, North Ryde, Sydney

It was raining when Liz did her sketch so on the reverse I got another of my favourite Liz sketches - what she was eating and drinking.  It looks to me as if Liz was sharing a virtual cream tea with me! :)

I have to apologise to Liz for being extremely late in posting this - it dates from before her recent trips to the Dominican Republic and the USA.  I've got very behind with posting cards received and getting cards sent and am in the middle of a big catch up!

Where to find the T2 Teahouse: Macquarie Shopping Centre, Level 4, Shop 440, Cnr Herring Rd & Waterloo Rd, North Ryde, Sydney, NSW 2113 Australia

Five things which are important to Liz Steel

Architecture, her religious belief and a cup of tea!

I love this card because it tells me it's been painted by Liz Steel - even if I didn't recognise her very characteristic sketching.

There are three things which are important to Liz Steel.

Liz loves sketching architecture (see Sketching Architecture).  This is the church of St Francis of Assisi in the Paddington area of Sydney.  (The link in the name tells the interesting story of the architecture of this church - just in case Liz doesn't already know it.)

Not a very Australian subject...  Most parish churches in Sydney are simplified English Gothic...so of course the dramatic morning shadow of the main arch caught my eye.

Liz's religious belief is very important to her - and I regard the church as symbolic of that

Liz also believes in the vital importance of a cup of tea - I do love the fact that her cups of tea appear all the time in her sketches and now I've got one of my own!

Finished the card off with a cup of tea - Taylors of Harrogate Earl Grey in a Royal Albert Regency Blue cup + using a surprise gift teapot from Cris in Malaga Spain who I met in Lisbon

Actually - make that four things most important to Liz Steel.  Sketching with friends is also high on her list of very important activities - and it's nice to see this also reflected in her card.  Lisbon was the venue for the 2nd Urban Sketchers Symposium and the link goes to all Liz' posts about sketching in that city.

Borromini looks after this sketch - as per usual

I also loved the Borromini Bear stamp on the rear!  As if any sketch by Liz could be produced without his presence! :)

Duh!  Make that five things which are important to Liz Steel - architecture, her religious belief, a cup of tea, sketching with friends and little Borromini - who's a very well travelled little bear!

PS  Now I've got it I want to know what Liz used for her postcard.  It looks like the ideal surface and weight for painting postcards.

Towers and Tea From Sydney

My turn to receive a card from Liz Steel. Another super combination of architecture and afternoon tea!
I particularly like this side with the Sydney Town Hall tower on it. The unfinished towers in the rear, which i guess are office buildings, give a great insight as to how Liz works.  Basically no hesitancy and no fuss!  I need to try and instill that into my own pen work.

The rear as ever has beautiful stamps and the special one of Borromini.  I met up with Liz while she was in London a few weeks back and we had tea and scones then too. Sadly our tea didn't come in such a brilliant tea pot.  This colour red is lovely!!

Thanks Liz, it's a super card and a wonderful reminder for me too of our afternoon.  I hope you'll make it back to London soon! 

Toasty Warm at T2 - from Liz

Though Liz and I are experiencing similiar freezing cold weather on our southern side of the globe, her postcard arrived full of the warmth of her beloved T2 tearoom, a place I think I could walk into and feel perfectly at home after getting to know the cups, teapots, decor and even the menu through Liz's sketches. She was sitting next to a South African man as she sipped her delicious sounding tea - "a green oolong base swathed in sublime notes of nougat & almonds to warm the coolest of nights." (and boy, are we having the coolest of nights!) and sketched this card. I love seeing close up her confident lines and washes, and on the other side her amazing architect's handwriting plus the famous Borromini Bear stamp.

I'm so looking forward to meeting them both, and seeing lots more sketches, when we join the Urban Sketchers in Lisbon next month!

High Tea with Liz Steel

This gorgeous postcard is iconic because it is impossible to have a cup of tea without thinking of Liz Steel and her beautiful sketches from tea shops around the world. Now I have one of these to treasure myself and it is particularly special because it was sketched on location in the T2 Teahouse at the Macquarie Centre in my home town, Sydney.

The envelope is a prize in itself with its genuine Australian postage stamp featuring none other than the famous little Borromini Bear.

Thank you, Liz I love my postcard.