I read a mind-boggling article recently, headed ‘Apparently, it’s a bit colder than they say’. It was in The Sun-Herald (17 July), written by Millie Muroi and Stuart Layt, and was all about those ‘feels like’ temperatures we’re offered on the nightly weather forecasts.
Here’s a little of that article:
“‘feels like’ is calculated using air temperature along with factors including wind and humidity. More specifically, despite its less than scientific sounding name, ‘feels like’ is derived from this equation:
AT = Ta + 0.33E - 0.7WS - 4
“In that equation ‘AT’ stands for ‘apparent temperature’ (the ‘feels like’ reading). ‘Ta’ is the ambient temperature reading, the baseline temperature measure. ‘E’ indicates a specific measure of humidity called ‘water vapour pressure’ which is multiplied by 0.33, and ‘WS’ is the current wind speed multiplied by 0.7.
“And then they take four off at the end for good measure.”
It continues:
“As for alternative ways to measure ‘feels like’, there is a BOM [Bureau of Meteorology]-approved equation that tries to account for the effect of the sun, and it’s understandably more complex:
AT = Ta + 0.348E - 0.70WS + 0.70Q / (WS+10) - 4.25
“All the values are the same as the more commonly used equation, with the addition of ‘Q’, which gives a figure for the impact of the sun by quantifying the net radiation absorbed per unit area of body surface.”
Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m all for making life as simple as it can be, and if they tell me it’s 22 degrees out there, and I have my doubts, I’m happy just to say ‘Geez, it feels colder.’
What has that got to do with painting? Nothing at all! So here’s my painting news …
Having sold seven of my 10 paintings in ‘Art in the Mountains’ last month (one of which is pictured above), owners Victor and Sharon Peralta have asked for more. That news made for a particularly feel-good drive home, and I’m looking forward very much to a return trip to Gallery ONE88 in Katoomba and the beautiful Blue Mountains later this month.
I also received an award (Runner-up in the water-based paintings category) at the recent Hornsby Art Society Members’ Exhibition, with my painting ‘Autumn Reflections’. That too was lovely news.
And still the events keep coming:
‘Radiance’ at Gallery Lane Cove, NSW, from Tuesday 9 to Saturday 13 August
ASMA’s ‘It’s all in the detail’ at the Manning Regional Art Gallery, 12 Macquarie St, Taree, NSW, Friday 26 August to Saturday 15 October
Lane Cove Art Awards, at Gallery Lane Cove, NSW, from Saturday 27 August to Saturday 10 September
‘From Parkes to Paris’ (solo show) at The Village Kitchen, 83 Old Bells Line of Road, Kurrajong, NSW, Friday 23 September – Friday 28 October
ASMA (Tas)’s ‘Little Gems’ at Rosny Schoolhouse Gallery, Lot 2 Rosny Hill Rd, Rosny Park, Tasmania, from Thursday 13 October to Sunday 6 November
Until next month.