The Art of It

CONSTANTIABERG ART SOCIETY KIRSTENBOSCH EXHIBITION

2012-01-14T18:28:00.000+02:00

Constantiaberg Art Society is holding an exhibition in the Sanlam Hall, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens from 16 January to 25 January 0900 to 1730 every day. Entry into the exhibition is free and on Tuesdays entry in to the Gardens is free for Pensioners. Members will be exhibiting some wonderful art at very reasonable prices.

South African Society of Artists Exhibition

2011-05-30T16:09:00.000+02:00

The first of two Members Exhibitions was opened on Saturday 28 May at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Cape Town. This exhibition runs until Monday 6 June 2011.

I entered one of my en plein air paintings done at a private home at Marina de Gama. The whole painting was done on site, I didn't touch it at home in case I messed it up. I hope I have conveyed the tranquility of this beautiful venue. What a place to retire to!

Beacon off Bailie's Cottage

2011-05-27T16:44:00.000+02:00

This was painted on one of those extremely exciting days of painting in the field. Some days everything just works!

Baillie's Cottage, Muizenberg

2011-02-20T14:53:00.000+02:00

I have been very brave and highly stimulated attending an online workshop run by Johannes Vloothuis backed by Wetcanvas. https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register

This free workshop starts at 10pm SA time and it actually keeps me wide awake! I eventually fall into bed at about 12.45 and sleep on all the invaluable information I have received.

I have been having a good look at past paintings and I have now adjusted this one. The trees behind the chimney do not exist and the embankment doesn't quite look like that but that is what art is all about! I think it looks a lot better!

Baillie's Cottage, Muizenberg

2011-02-09T18:55:00.000+02:00

Painting out has started again with a vengeance! I have been trying to finish off my painting out work in the studio and starting to get ill with the smell of my oils. In desperation I tried to go back to acrylics but nearly landed up in tears. I phoned Catherine at Art Source in Observatory and she said that they had just received small starter packs of water soluble oils from Reeves and that I really should try it out as they were only R65. Well, this morning I tackled a photo of Baillie's cottage that I took on the first Monday paint out. Oh what a pleasure to be able to fiddle and fuss and create. I love them! I must say that I did miss using a medium and I must get some of that. It is water soluble as well with no harmful solvents! What do you think??????

Cable Car, Table Mountain

2011-02-09T18:33:00.000+02:00

This is a slightly different view of the Cable Car from Signal Hill. This was on exhibition a few weeks ago and I noticed some changes that needed to be done. Amazing how one keeps on seeing little tweaks that need to be seen to! Hopefully it is now finished!

Cable Car, Table Mountain

2011-02-04T15:23:00.000+02:00

Last year we spent many weeks painting on Signal Hill. This was another small painting done from a short way along the path leading off the car park. I have also done a larger variation of this view which I will post at a later date.

CONSTANTIABERG ART SOCIETY KIRSTENBOSCH EXHIBITION

2011-01-15T16:04:00.000+02:00

Lions Head from Oudekraal

2010-10-14T15:19:00.000+02:00

During the cold winter months we painted at Oudekraal. What a magnificent venue, so quiet and peaceful but oh so freezing. I don't know where summer has gone to as it is still freezing!

Paths to Nowhere

2010-10-08T15:27:00.000+02:00

This was another view of the pathways on Signal Hill where I have participated in so many painting sessions.

and still I battle to photograph paintings! The gloss of this one has interferred with the colour somewhat.

I have just discvovered an incredable website called Wet Canvas and have had the most amazingly mind bending morning learning from the wise words of other artists. If any of you get the chance, go and have a look at this very extensive website.

Life Drawing from June/July

2010-10-04T21:09:00.000+02:00

I discovered that I forgot to post these drawings that I did at the SASA life drawing sessions over our Winter holidays. I truly love life drawing and only wish there was a way to get this much needed practice at a more reasonable cost.

Our trip to meet Jack Hadfield

2010-10-02T18:04:00.000+02:00

We have just returned from a roundabout journey to Johannesburg to meet our new grand son Jack! Our first two nights we spent with a delightful lady, Poppie van Wyk at her B&B in Kamieskroon. We visited the Namaqua National park close by but many of the routes around Kamieskroon needed a 4x4. Our two wheel drive car with low profile tyres was a nightmare on such roads! We even missed the opportunity of visiting Poppie's farm as our car just would not have made it. I was very sad about that as the whole area is quite beautiful, and parts are very reminiscent of Cecil John Rhodes grave site in the Zimbabwean Matopos National Park. There were very few flowers as they had not had enough rain. We did a lot of walking but the heat was incredible. I intended to paint and draw but didn't.

We then headed off to Springbok. We didn't even attemp the Geogab Nature reserve as we had met two ladies in a Toyota Tazz who had got stuck in the sand!

We visited the mining town of Aggeneys but there was nothing much to photograph. We did get a lot of very respectful waves so maybe Bryan looked like a visiting VIP! It is amazing the amount of money required to set up the structures needed for a mining town.

We then headed to Pella to visit the Cathedral in the Desert! After trying to avoid beggars that accost you as you enter the little town, we eventually found the Cathedral which was founded by the London Missionary Society in 1814. A sanctuary for Khoisan driven out of Namibia, the village was named after the one that gave refuge to Christians in Macedonia in biblical times. Abandoned in 1872 because of drought, the Roman Catholic Church reopened the mission in 1878.

The Old Cathedral, surrounded by date palms, has a curiously Arabian atmosphere. Using an encyclopaedia as their building manual, it took two missionaries seven years to complete.

Set on a sandy plain backed by high, sun-baked hills denuded of vegetation but vividly coloured by minerals in the soil, a spring reaches the surface, giving life to a green oasis. Pella’s dates are sold by mail-order to customers all over South Africa and exported to Saudi Arabia.

We then headed off to see the waterwheels in Kaimoes and visited the information office which is now housed in an old Egyption house of worship. It was so cool insite due to the very thick walls. We were now very close to the banks of the Orange river and now started seeing massive vineyards. Yes, there is a wine route up on the orange river. They also do a lot of dried fruit.

Augrabies falls was our next stop. The miggies were too terrible! They got up your nose, in your eyes and ears! The secret was to wear sun glasses, hat and keep a tissue over your nose so that you could breath without bugs! Insect repellent did not work and I believe they are there all year round! The only respite was when the wind picked up. This seemed to blow them away.

There was not a lot of water going over the falls but it was still very powerful. The gorge was spectacular. We spent two nights there, visiting all the viewing points and doing some waking too. The heat and dryness was amazing. We managed to get some spectacular photographs of some Springbok.

From Augrabies we set off toward Johannesburg via the N14. The trucks travelling this route were a nightmare and progress is erratic due to the "RY/GO'es" as lots of work is being done on the roads. A "Ry/Go" is a sign which says you can RY (drive) / Go and the other side says Stop. It is used to control traffic when the road has been reduced to one lane due to construction work on the other lane. We had a truck in front of us that hit the load on an oncoming truck, knocking something off which bounced off the road into the front of our car causing some minor damage. A nerve wracking trip.

We got to Kuruman and could not find overnight accomodation as there was some agricultural show in town so headed on to Vryberg for the night.

Next stop Johannesburg and seeing my son, his wife and little Jack. I still I had not done any drawing but instead I got to feed and burp my first grandson. Amazing how it all comes back! I was actually quite nervous as I thought I would never remember what to do!

Windmills of her Mind

2010-09-26T17:24:00.000+02:00

I loved painting this portrait. It was taken from a photo shoot I did at the beginning of the year but inspiration I think, took it into a different realm. Strangely the lady did not like it. Her loss, my gain I think.

I am a Grandma !!!!

2010-08-15T18:40:00.000+02:00

After only four hours of labour my very clever daughter-in-law produced a beautiful 3 Kilo baby boy. Mum and Baby well and Dad is just so proud, as are we. They have named him Jack. Unfortunately they live in Johannesburg but we are going up to see them in September, I just can't wait!

Moody Mountain Path

2010-06-22T19:48:00.000+02:00

This painting was done on one of our outings to Signal Hill on a beautiful misty morning.

Goodbye Gypsy

2010-06-07T19:30:00.000+02:00

At lunch time Gypsy went out for a wee and could not get back up the stairs onto the verandah. She sat in the rain crying and I just knew that this was it. After drying her with the hair dryer I took her through to the Doctor and he just shook his head. The disease had spread to all four limbs and all stability had gone. She had lost her independence. She could not function on her own anymore. Goodbye Gypsy, we will always remember you and the wonderfully spunky personality you had. Her story is below.

Not Art but very close to my heart

2010-06-06T18:36:00.001+02:00

The Story of Gypsy

This is the story of the unfailing fighting spirit of a little 1.2 kg puppy with the heart of a lion.

I have not been blogging for the last, nearly two months, due to the arrival of a new member of our family. To start the story at the beginning …..........

Tammy is our little Maltese Cross child who is now 15 and getting very old. She is not in need of that much company any more. She just waits every day for her highlight walk and sleeps the rest of the time. She slept right through the recent burglary we had. She was on the bed when they came in and took my bag from next to the bed! I knew then that a new and more alert dog was needed as another warning system.

I phoned all the shelters but there seemed to be very few puppies around. Probably not the season with winter on our doorstep. Eventually I found a rescued litter at Animal Welfare. I went rushing out to see them, taking Tammy with to see if they were compatible. They had three beautiful little white Maltese puppies and a funny little brown dog. I have no idea whether he was from the same litter or not? I wanted another female so I had the choice of the two little white ones. I liked the one with the rusty ears, she just seemed to have more personality.

They brought her through to the office where I could see her on her own, play a bit and introduce her to Tammy. There was an instant connection; on both sides I think. This tiny ball of fluff even ran and fetched a ball I threw for her and brought it right back to me. “Very intelligent,” I thought! All the ladies in the office were absolutely amazed.

Tammy totally ignored the puppy. I felt sure that she would come around later. Next step was an inspection of my property by the Animal Welfare to see if it was puppy friendly. No uncovered pools, gates that she could get through or drain pipes that she could get into and out of the property. I went home to puppy proof our property.

The inspector came the following day and I must say that I was very impressed. He was very strict and examined every little nook and cranny. Quite a character he was. He told me outright that his first love was animals and their welfare. He has seen more than his fair share of cruelty and did not have much time for humans. After piling up more rocks at the base of one wall where the builders next door were due to put in a pipe, he finally gave the thumbs up approval of the property and said that he would notify the office and I would be able to collect my puppy in a day or two.

On the Thursday I received a phone call that she was ready for collection. She had apparently had a temperature in the morning but was now fine. I have never heard of a temperature from too much playing, but that is what I was told! I was so excited and immediately went rushing out to get there before they closed for lunch. The previous day I had stocked up on chewing goodies and puppy food.

She looked too beautiful for words. All fluffy and clean after a much needed bath! I did all the paper work, paid and signed on the dotted line. To keep her safe while I drove I had brought a box with a towel and blanket in it. On the way home she cried a lot and then there were the most awful retching noises and the smell was too terrible! Nothing I could do about it so I just drove as fast as I could hoping there were not too many speed cameras around!

I got her home and there was sick everywhere. Welcome to motherhood! I cleaned it all up and got her as presentable as possible and proceeded to let her explore her new home. She was rather quiet but I put this down to the strange environment and missing her brothers and sister. At walk time I bundled her up warmly and carried her. Until she had her second inoculation she was not allowed to walk outside our property.

We proceeded to take Tammy for her usual perambulation. On the way back the puppy was sick again. This time I was prepared and held her away from me. When we got back I phoned Animal Welfare. We all thought that maybe it was car sickness and carrying her on the walk was also a form of motion sickness. That night I put her in the kitchen with a “Happy Hugger” and paper on the floor.

I didn't get much sleep that night. She cried an awful lot but I put it down to being lonely and stayed with her, holding her every time, trying to get her back to sleep. The next day she was very lethargic and slept most of the time. This was not the lively little puppy I had chosen. By the afternoon she had diarrhoea as well. She was not a happy chappy.

I phoned the Animal Welfare and was told to immediately take her to the Vet who saw to all their animals. I later discovered that he is also an Honorary Member and Vice Chairman of the Society. This was on Friday. By the time I got her through to his surgery in Pinelands she was just lying limply in my arms and I was a very worried new Mum.

The vet was a lovely very caring Scott, who was furious that Animal Welfare had let her out after she had a temperature. By this stage her temperature was very high and the vet said that he would have to keep her in Hospital until they knew what was going on. He subsequently had the whole litter transferred to his surgery as they all had the same problem.

So, after only one night my little puppy was in Hospital and I went home in tears. On the Sunday the vet phoned to tell me that she seemed fine and I could collect her. I had wanted at least a few days with her before I had to go back to work but this was not to be. When we collected her she was sitting in the vets pocket looking very content indeed! This gave me the idea of putting her into my jacket and taking her to work with me. I OK'd it with my boss and it actually worked very well indeed. She slept a lot.

The nights did not get any easier. After falling asleep on a blanket on the kitchen floor I decided that we needed a new plan. I was just too old for this! We landed up putting a towel between our pillows and letting her sleep there. I am a very light sleeper and that way I would know when she needed to go out for a wee. It worked very well as I put her into her bed next to my bed after the last pyjama walk of the night.

Along the way she acquired the name Gypsy, which suits her well. The chances are good that her farther was a travelling man and her dark, sometimes mournful eyes make Gypsy quite descriptive!

House training went well but unfortunately the runny tummy persisted. I had to feed her on chicken and rice and egg but it didn't seem to help. After a week or so there was blood in her stools and the Dr. said that he wanted to get a sample tested. There had been a very bad outbreak of Parvo Virus in the Somerset West/Strand area and he was worried.

The test came back with the verdict of “e.coli infection” He said that the new strain of Parvo would actually not show up as there was as yet no test for it. There were only two drugs that this strain of e.coli was not resistant to, one of which she could not have until a year old. The other drug was only available in Injection form.

“Easy,” says the Dr., “I will show you how!”

I had never in my life ever expected to have to give an injection and now I had to inject this tiny little puppy! I never even played Doctors and nurses! Horror, but I had no option. It didn't look too difficult but I think it is the whole psychological hurdle of sticking a needle into a living creature. It's a bit overwhelming – and, to add to it, they cry!

I left Pinelands with five hypodermic needles, ready loaded, and my heart sitting in the pit of my stomach!

Well, I managed the injections. There was not a lot of liquid in them and it went well. I had to just keep telling myself that it was for her benefit and it had to be done!

Sadly there was no change. We went from normal stools to pouring and back again. By this time she was very skinny indeed. On one of my trips through to the Dr he wanted to hospitalise her again but I asked him if I could not keep her home rather as she was now house trained and would be happier. Thank heavens he agreed. He gave her her injection for the day but increased the dosage and gave me a further three injections with the increased dose. Now she cried every time. The first time I got such a fright that I had to give it to her twice! Very traumatic.

The following night I chickened out and I took her across the road to a Doctor neighbour who was a bit horrified as she said she had never given an injection to an animal. She actually gave a brilliant injection, thank you Justine! Gypsy didn't even cry! She told me that the main thing was to carry through even if the patient reacted. This helped me a lot the next night when I had to do the necessary.

The second stool sample took another five days to process and unfortunately the e.coli was still there. Another course of injections with the increased dosage was prescribed! This time I was armed with a tube of food supplement (Malt flavour) and powder to put into her water to balance the flora in her tummy. Thank heavens for the food supplement as I was now feeding her by hand! She was a little skeleton of a puppy. It was awful to see but she was not yet beaten.

One Thursday night she kept me awake all night coughing. She sounded like a baby with croup! So it was back to the Dr., who checked her out and said that she had Tonsillitis! I never knew that dogs had tonsils! He gave her an injection and I went home armed with cough mixture. Surely nothing more could possibly go wrong!

Finally, after the first month had gone by, the tummy cleared up and I phoned the surgery to find out if it was now OK to take her through to get her second inoculation and to sign up for puppy classes. They said yes, fine. She was only three days late according to the paperwork I received from Animal Welfare. I planned to take her the next day. Alas that was not to be....

At about 5:30 that evening her left leg started to twitch and she started to cry. I phoned the surgery again at 6:30 but the Secretary said that I would have to contact the Dr. on his emergency cell as he had left for the evening. I hate to worry people out of hours and so waited. I tried to be the proverbial optimist, maybe it would get better? By 8:30 it was worse.

My husband said that maybe with all the problems, I was just getting paranoid! I eventually listened to my gut and plucked up the courage and phoned. The poor Doctor said “Oh dear, sounds like 'Distemper'”.

Always listen to your gut feelings, they seldom lie. How I cried. He said that there was nothing we could do as it was a virus. Keep her warm and bring her through to the surgery in the morning for him to assess. Haven't we all heard that one before! What a night. She cried almost constantly.

By the next morning she had lost the use of her left front leg. I was a bit of a basket case by the time I saw the Dr. He confirmed his original diagnosis and gave her an injection of something that he said would slow down the spread of the disease. We would have to now sit it out and see how things progressed. Keep her warm. The virus attacks nerve endings and the damage would remain for the rest of the animals life. Not too encouraging.

To live with the disease the dog has to learn to sleep with the twitching. This sounds easier than it actually is. Every time she curled up to sleep the twitching would wake her up with a jolt making her cry. Eventually she just lay and cried as she was so tired but just could not get to sleep. It was at this stage that we thought it would be better to be in her bed on the floor as she threw herself around a lot at night and I think we also disturbed her. She was going out through a small low level window to have a wee at night quite happily now anyway. In the evening, on Dr.'s orders, I gave her Valium, which stopped working after the first two nights. We then had to start with the phenol-baritone which the Dr. called “Lethal”; a bit scary but we had no option.

Life has become an emotional roller coaster ride. She goes from crying piteously for hours to playing happily for an hour or two. The disease has now spread. Sometimes her whole body goes up and down in a bowing motion and she often falls over. She sometimes manages to sleep for a while and then plays happily afterwards.

She is eating like a wolf and is now round and rolly poly like one would expect a puppy to be. She is the sweetest little thing and still has just so much spunk! She steals socks off the clotheshorse and chews on books if left within her reach. She has her favourite toy and loves her Ostrich chewer. She tries to take Tammy's biscuits because she knows that Tammy can't see too well and will take a while to find out that it is gone!

I Googled Distemper but there is actually very little on how to live with the neurological effects that the animal may be left with. It seems that not all cases advance to the neurological stage and many animals die before that. The virus may also advance to fits. Distemper is also not found in first world countries. Africa is unfortunately still full of it and those initial inoculations that a puppy must have are vitally important. Sadly Gypsy was just too sick to have her second one.

In 2005 my Dad spent 6 weeks in Hospital dying from post operative MRSA and various other new mutations thereof. He had a 'living will' but at the time one thought he may just pull through. Not one family member even considered 'pulling the plug' even though I knew he was not going to make it. With an animal one can choose euthanasia. This does not in fact make it any easier. If anything it makes it more difficult as one is left with guilt. How can we play God and make the decision that life is not worth living? When things are looking bad then that is admittedly the option. Then, the next day, things go better and she is roaring around the garden, even occasionally using her lame leg, then you just cannot even begin to consider euthanasia as an option. What is quality of life? Being able to go for a walk? Eating good food and having a cuddle? Greetings after being at work all morning? Two or three hours out of 24 being 'happy'?

Gypsy is still fighting. I have a feeling that the virus is still active and we have no idea what tomorrow will bring. All I know is that we love her and this whole episode has emotionally torn us apart. It is an awful disease. Tomorrow we will visit Dr Mac again for his verdict on the latest problems. Thank you for being the most wonderfully compassionate and supportive Doctor. We could not have gone this far without your support.

Destination Lions Head

2010-04-17T14:23:00.000+02:00

This was painted on one of our mornings at Signal Hill. The mist was roaring in from the sea, ahead and to the right and Table Mountain is on the left.

Commission Accomplished

2010-04-10T17:36:00.000+02:00

This painting was a commissioned artwork which thankfully the parents loved. I thoroughly enjoyed painting it and am happy with the finished product.

Constantiaberg Art Society Exhibition

2010-04-07T22:43:00.000+02:00

Yesterday was another hanging day at Kirstenbosch! Constantiaberg Art Society is growing in leaps and bounds as this latest echibition shows. Some beautiful work! Well done all and good luck - may there be many sales!!!

Visions in the Mist 1 Visions in the Mist 2

View from our veranda

2010-04-03T16:35:00.000+02:00

These trees sit on the ridge of Wynberg Hill. I have never established whether they are planted on open land or in someones garden, but they look spectacular from accross the valley.

Oude Molen eco-village

2010-03-27T19:02:00.000+02:00

Many months have passed with no blogging!!! 2010 has so far not been too kind to us but things are beginning to change - in August, we are going to be grandparents!!! Unfortunately my son is in Johannesburg but we will just have to make a trip up there as they don't come to Cape Town very often.

Back to my painting - we started off the year painting at an Eco village in Pinelands called Oude Molen. This is a side view of the little restaurant. To the right is a big veg garden which supplied us with beautiful tasty fresh veg for the duration of our stay at a very reasonable price. I also bought some horse manure for my compost heap.

Di Mc Naughton's Workshop

2010-01-23T14:43:00.000+02:00

Complements of the Season to one and all. Rather late than never!

At the end of last year, 12 Dec, I attended a wonderful workshop held by Di. All my followers know Di, her brilliant writing and her creative work very well. I went for two reasons really, not just because I like her work, although that helped! The main reason was to get better acquainted with acrylics as I have a problem with turps and am now starting to have a problem with Artists Spirits. The other reason was that I wanted to free up, or at least try to.

Di is so creative and wonderfully inspiring. She makes it look just so easy! but it is not! The day disappeared so fast. It always does when you are having fun. I could have continued for longer and only realized when driving home just how exhausted I was. Everyday life got in the way of painting over the Christmas break but early January I took out my attempts at freeing up and studied what I had achieved. The floral one was not great although I did try to get it looking a bit better. I may go back to it again and play some more, but the landscape one showed some promise. It was not as abstract as many of the other works done that day, but also not my usual style. I had some fun adding bits here and there and here is the result! I will probably go back and play some more when the inclination arises.

Di, thank you for a wonderful workshop. I found it very informative and inspiring. It is obvious though that you have delved very deeply into the nuts and bolts of the path you have chosen and it is a long path. I think that every one of us artists needs to just have fun and be free from time to time. I wanted to put a pic I took of Di and her painting but for the life of me I can't find it!!! When I do I will add it!

Centre of the Book

2009-12-01T20:08:00.000+02:00

We spent two Tuesday mornings in the Company Gardens in central Cape Town. The first day I tried to paint this and failed dismally. The next week I used charcoal in an attempt to capture the architectural beauty of the building. Now I must try to paint it again! I love charcoal!

Cheval Voyeur Farm

2009-11-28T20:06:00.000+02:00

The last few "quickies" from Cheval Voyeur Farm.

This was a quick oil while there was still quite a lot of water around.

A charcoal sketch done while hiding in the bushes trying to keep out of the sun!

The Courtyard

2009-11-19T23:06:00.000+02:00

The Courtyard Hotel was the venue for our painting out in the open for a while. The painting of Deveils Peak was painted at the same location. I need more practice with buildings! We are painting in the Company Gardens at the moment and I am getting lots of practice in. Strange how the window is not centred in this building, but that is the way it is.

Painting out in the open again

2009-11-07T22:23:00.000+02:00

For the past couple of weeks we have been painting at Cheval Voyeur in Phillipi, a beautiful farm owned by Colleen and John Beake who have welcomed us painters with open arms. Thank you Colleen and John for sharing this beautiful environment with us.

South African Society of Artists

2009-11-07T12:53:00.000+02:00

After months of plotting and planning and little time left for blogging and painting, our upgraded SASA website has at last been launched! My thanks to Kerry and Dylan at Mallosol for their patience and support.

More of Cape Town

2009-11-04T22:11:00.000+02:00

One of the wonderful places I have been priveledged to paint in was outside The Courtyard Hotel and The Wild Fig Restuarant. From there you have an amazing view of Table Mountain with Devils Peak in front. I painted this at home using an oil sketch I made on site. The trees are actually more crooked in life and bend majestically to the right from the continual South Easterly winds.

The Tops, Wilderness, South Africa

2009-11-01T17:44:00.000+02:00

In January this year we spent a wonderful 5 days at The Tops in Wilderness. Dotty Brink, who is also an artist, is a wonderful hostess and I recommend anyone wanting a B & B or self catering accommodation in the area to stay with her.

One morning at our usual table for a delicious breakfast on the veranda I made a quick sketch of part of the view. I must add here that you have a wide panoramic view from the ocean to the mountains, but I just loved the roof tops of the houses across the valley. I took some pics as well and have finally finished the painting! By the way I took a little artistic liberty and changed some palm trees to something a little more indigenous looking!

Life Drawing - once off

2009-10-10T19:47:00.000+02:00

Hi All. I have not blogged for oh so long. Life is just too complicated at the moment with far too much to do and not enough time to paint!

Last Saturday we at SASA organised another once off life drawing session. This time in Pinelands. For the first time in my life I was confronted with a male model to draw! I really battled. Analising it all afterwards I came to the conclusion that we see the female form every where; press, magazines, TV. Plus I am female, which helps. The male form is very seldom shown. The model we had was a dancer and what a beautiful body. I think I was just so busy analizing and absorbing the different shapes and angles that the creativity died a little. The best drawing was actually done in the last ten minutes and it was his eyes which captivated me. Once again I go back to the portraiture that I love so much!

Last 10 minutes of the longest pose from a differenct angle

This was a quick 10 minute pose that the poor guy regretted after the first 5 minutes! All of his poses were incredable! Very much a professional.

This was the last longest pose which I eventually gave up on and did the little top ten minute portrait.

Another Visit to the Cape Town Two Oceans Aquarium

2009-08-15T17:40:00.000+02:00

Many thanks again to Yvonne for the tickets and for the permission to sit and paint and doodle. The Two Oceans Aquarium is a wonderful peaceful place to spend a quiet afternoon, provided there are not too many school groups arriving. It is though, tremendously challenging. Everything moves!!!! You have to look and remember!!!! Oh well, I tried!

Here is a sketch of the Security guard who really wanted to be drawn!

And this drawing using charcoal and watercolour penciles was done at the river walk where you can see the African and rockhopper penguins. I must add that the wonderful Volenteers who take people around and give them all the interesting snippets of information are the most highly under rated people in the organisation. Our thanks go out to them, one and all.

Below is an attempt at a watercolour of the kelp forest. In the end I gave up and just gazed, oh so peaceful, I could have spent all night there. Thanks again Yvonne.

Last Day of Life Drawing

2009-08-08T18:31:00.000+02:00

Well this was the final day of Life Drawing. Mind blowing and very addictive - I can't wait for another few sessions! We are hoping for September but have to find a venue!

and Still More Life Drawing....

2009-08-04T20:07:00.000+02:00

You can tell that I really enjoyed myself can't you .....

More Life Drawing

2009-08-01T14:26:00.001+02:00

Here are some more of the drawings from the second week. The second time was a lot easier. We will be hosting another workshop in September for any locals who would like to join us.

Life Drawing

2009-07-31T22:20:00.001+02:00

Life is getting just a little too hectic. I have not posted for ages. I have not visited any of my favourite blogs. I have been working though and have piles to upload!

Rampedi (fellow Council Member of our local Society) and I organised a series of four life drawing workshops over the June/July school holidays. I have never done this before and found it totally mind blowing! We started off with one minute poses, going on to 5 minute 10 minute, 20, with the longest being about 45 to 50 minutes. It is quite amazing how ones mind seems to click over to the right side and you slide into a different world. Over the next week or so I will be posting a couple of the charcoal drawings I did over the full four weeks. I was actually amazed at how free they were.

More of Hout Bay Harbour

2009-06-21T16:34:00.000+02:00

Another day of painting in the harbour. This time we went after lunch and painted facing the boats. About 4.30 we then turned our easels around so that we were facing Chapmans peak drive and painted the sunset. I would say that this was the second most exciting "painting en plein air" I have experienced. The mist on Tafelberg still takes number one!

en Plein Air - Hout Bay Harbour

2009-06-18T20:57:00.000+02:00

These are some of the views from our en plein air Tuesday morning sessions. Many paintings get recycled but every now and then there are some that I want to keep. For the moment anyway.

Hout Bay Harbour is home to the famous Snoekies fish shop. Last week I bought some Kablejou there and cooked it for supper. It was the best fish I think I have ever tasted! Next week that will definately be a stop for me before going home after our usual morning painting.

Painting from Life

2009-06-17T21:08:00.000+02:00

My New Years Resolution, for what they are worth, was to indulge in en plein air and life drawing and painting. This I have done with a vengence. It has been an incredibly stimulating time. This is "Amy" and was done over two mornings. You know that "butterflies in the tummy" feeling? well this was one of those times. I will be adding a touch of light to the bottom left hand side where her knee is, but have just not had the time to get around to it.

Christmas came early this year

2009-06-10T19:54:00.000+02:00

This painting was done from a photograph with the kind permission of Diane, the photographer. Thanks you for the oppertunity! I thoroughly enjoyed painting her and hope I have done her justice! Maybe if you are still in contact with the parents you cen get them to have a look see.

En Plein Air - again

2009-05-06T21:26:00.000+02:00

Being very short of time at the moment I have put in three weeks worth of en plein air paintings. This is the first. This mountain of ours is very imposing! These were all done from the Tafelberg Road parking lot.

This was the second painting from the following week. The first was a total write off! These things happen, and I am learning to live with it.

Then came Tuesday the 5th May!!!! The mist came swirling in over the saddle betweenSignal Hill and Lions Head. It came roaring up through the City and over Devils peak. This was the most amazing painting day. We couldn't get our easels up and functioning fast eough. Butterflies in the tummy! You could smell the mist while you painted! What an experience!!!! I managed to do two paintings. The first facing Signal Hill, which was invisable, and the second facing Devils Peak, which kept on disappearing.

All the above are very small, 285mm by 200mm. I feel more comfortable at the moment painting small. The last two paintings I did on a pure white background of primer and Gesso. I actually prefer the white. It somehow portrays the icy cold of a Cape winter with the cool grey rock of the Cape mountains. I wish I could be out there every day!!!!

en Plein Air

2009-05-03T17:54:00.000+02:00

This was a quick sketch I did while waiting for some fellow artists to arrive. I sat in my car on the Rondebosch common side of the Redcross Childrens Hospital.

This is the, again quick, painting I did once they arrived. For those who do not know our mountain, this is the other side of the mountain from where I was painting on Tafelberg Road.

We really are very fortunate to have such a magnificent mountain on our doorstep!

En Plein Air - Tafelberg Road

2009-04-11T13:32:00.005+02:00

Our venue was changed from Maidens Cove to Tabelberg Road parking lot, due to the direction of the wind. We paint with this amazing lady who knows all these things due to many years of painting en plain air. For those who don't know Cape Town, this road runs along the base of Table Mountain and the Cable Car lower station is situated on it. In every direction there are spectacular views. Now I start my brush miles in ernest!

This was my first take on the area, looking directly up towards the cable car on the top of Table Mountain. This is one very imposing mountain.

This was done the following week looking towards Devils Peak, Table Mountain is on the right hand side of this. You can see some of the burnt trees from the regular fires we have in March.

Painting outside is incredibly difficult and totally addictive. While standing out there in the wind and sun in this spectacularly beautiful place we are so fortunate to live in, you get surges of excitement rushing through you. Very difficult to explain but you have to just keep going back for more! I think it is a bit like a drug. I am addicted!

en Plein Air Workshop

2009-04-11T13:19:00.002+02:00

After much nagging, Lynn Northam finally set a date for her workshop. She spent the morning going through all the things to take, how to stop your brolly from blowing away (which is simply ingenious) etc etc and generally giving some amazing tips on how to. She then did a beautiful demo showing her technique of using Liquin in her base coat and rubbing it out with a cloth to get your highlights. It dries very quickly so you can then go directly on with adding the rest of the painting. Then we started painting. Unfortunately the canvas that I had taken was not prepared properly and I had to laugh off the painting part. It was a very short time anyway so it was not a problem, I just sketched. I do think that the workshop should have extended to another day when we could have painted in the morning, without pressure of time, under Lynn's supervision. She gave us so much information on the basic things that I was definately brain dead afterwards. Now for the practice! The brush miles!

Water Colour Workshop

2009-03-21T19:32:00.005+02:00

At the beginning of March I attended one of the most stimulating workshops I have so far been to. I had seen Cherry Nichol do a demo at a Constantia Art Society meeting and absolutely loved her work. It was also very fiddley and I must say, I love to fiddle! She firstly paints beautiful washes onto her drawing in the colours she has chosen. Then, painting into the negative spaces she goes into the background and uses a gel called ATP paste (similar in smell to wood glue) which she blends into the wet paint. Then, she uses a tooth pick or pallette knife to move the paint around forming ghost like flowers and foliage. She uses gouache to cover any underpainting e.g. stems and then goes in with Leaf Green and Shadow Green to really bring out the colour. A tiny brush is used to paint Sepia into the darkest areas to highlight the lights. She grates water colour pencil into the wet paint. The splashes of white in the poppies are gouache flicked onto the page from a paintbrush. These are my attemps at the poppies and landscape - a far cry from her expertise, but I am rather chuffed with the outcome. One of the biggest lessons I learned was that there should always be three values. Go in with washes for your first value then go in darker with the second and for the third value go in even darker! Amazingly enough I had not gone in dark enough with the landscape until I looked at the demo she had done and realized my mistake I went in darker on the trunks of the trees and the whole thing began to sing! Needless to say, despite being somewhat brain dead after the workshop, I learned so much! Thank you Cherry, you are an inspiration!

Playing with Pastels

2009-03-17T21:06:00.006+02:00

Having bought soft pastels to use with water colour (a demo by Cherry Nichol) I had the urge to play, using a technique I had seen done by Heather Selby. I used soft pastels on water colour paper, later discovering that you should actually use hard pastels first then the soft on top! I also had problems with the lighter colours becoming muddy but later discovered that you should use fixative on the dark colours before going into the light! But this is how we learn! Next time I will know what to do! I don't normally copy out of magazines but as this was just an experiment, I did.
I then used some grey home made paper, soaked it and covered the pastel portrait with the saturated hand made paper, pressing lightly to transfer a ghost image onto the wet paper. Well it didn't work. The grey was not right. I didn't even bother to photograph it. After fixing the original pastel portrait I then used a sheet of white watercolour paper and soaked that. I covered the pastel and gently pressed down and this is the result!

Interesting isn't it?

Motorcycle Stunt Riders at the Knysna Waterfront

2009-03-08T19:26:00.003+02:00

In a post shortly after our return from a short holiday in Wilderness at the beginning of the year I mentioned that we happened upon a demonstration by international and local motorcycle stunt riders. This unexpected entertainment took place at the Knysna Waterfront in a small area surrounded by the waterfront buildings and the quayside. We stayed to watch and I used the opportunity to test my Cannon S3IS camera's built in "Sport" mode. A few of the pictures captured at this amazing demonstration are posted below.

As an enthusiastic motorcyclist for many, many years I was keenly aware of the skill exhibited by these riders. Several of the stunts were performed using special lightweight trials machines designed to traverse "impossible" obstacles as riders compete to negotiate extremely difficult courses without putting a foot down. Each time a rider's foot dabs the ground to keep his balance he loses points. The winner is the rider with the highest points at the end of the course.

The rider negotiating a narrow steel stair with a 180 degree bend half way up and bouncing his front wheel over a prone, and remarkably brave, member of the audience used such a machine. However, as a rider of many larger, heavier machines in my motorcycling days I was astounded by the skill of Christian Pfeiffer riding a BMW F800GS off-road motorcycle. This is a big, 800cc, twin cylinder machine weighing over 200kg and yet such was his control that the machine and rider could have been a single entity. He spun the heavy motorcycle in circles standing it on its rear wheel or front wheel at will. His most spectacular stunt comprised accelerating across the tiny arena toward the same brave girl who had lain so still while the motorcyclists bounced and flew over her prone body and, at the last moment, bringing his big machine to a stop, standing on its front wheel, while he kissed the girl.

What a show!

Flight of Fancy

2009-02-23T19:18:00.004+02:00

The drawing competition is on Thursday and I had no idea what to do for it. Flight of Fancy is very difficult for a reasonably well grounded Capricorn, and that is the subject! I started drawing my little dog and then got carried away with fairies etc. Maybe not so well grounded! The closer you look the more you will see.

Very strange and rather amusing drawing I think.

While I have been drawing fairies, Cape Town is once again burning. Yes, it is February and our winelands are taking a beating. Three winefarms in Somerset West have had extensive damage done to them and we are choking on the ash that has blown towards Table Mountain. Today helicopters have been grounded due to bad weather conditions and my house looks like a giant with dandruff has had a good shake of this head!

Farm Road - Franschhoek

2009-02-20T19:07:00.004+02:00

I completed this oil painting about two weeks ago and got so wrapped up in my plein air painting that I forgot to post it. I am working with a set 40cm x 30cm canvas board at the mmoment and I really like the control I have over the whole painting. I wondered about putting a figure walking down the road then decided that the road was in fact the subject and dropped the idea.

Plein Air Painting

2009-02-17T20:41:00.004+02:00

Wow - I am in seventh heaven!!! I have just had the most wonderful morning! I joined a group of Plein Air painters at Maidens cove, near Camps Bay. Now firstly, I have lived in Cape Town since I was 17 and I have never been to Maidens Cove, and secondly, I have never seen so many paintings just waiting to be painted in one place!!! .... and I didn't have the confidence to take my oils! - I left them at home!!!! Well we women make a plan! I first sat under my enormous garden umbrella on a rock and sketched. Just let the juices flow! It was sheer heaven!

Yes, the woman is a rock! there are five of them, although I could only see four. Then I got out my watercolour paper and drew another view of her - keeping a careful eye on compisition etc. One gets so tied up in detail that I really battled to get her shape right! But eventually I had enough down on the paper to bring out the watercolours. I am rather chuffed with the result even if it is rather pale and misty- that's the way I paint!

Cycads - Kirstenbosch

2009-02-16T20:37:00.003+02:00

I just found this painting I did while sitting on my own at Kirstenbosch. Only two of us pitched up for this Plein Air outing at Kirstenbosch. I am glad I went though. While sitting there, the cloud got heavier and heavier and it started spitting with rain. Tourists poured past and it was difficult to just focus! Isn't it wonderful to be able to create out in the midst of this wonderful world we are so lucky to live in?

Exhibition Closes Tomorrow

2009-01-31T20:25:00.002+02:00

Two weeks of exhibition have come and gone. We close tomorrow afternoon. What a very busy time! In these really bad economic times I think we did very well. Liz sold two paintings and I sold one. Yes, Jessie is now sold. My husband was getting very fond of her sitting in our passage, but that's the way it goes.

Experimenting with Media and Techniques

2009-01-31T19:07:00.013+02:00

I went to a fascinating demo by Cherry Nichol at the Constantia Art Society monthly meeting. She uses watercolours but adds splotches of a medium called ATP Clear. This absorbs the watercolour and you can move it around like oils. It dries leaving a texture. She also uses pastels in the wet watercolour for highlighting stems etc, and Progresso Aquarell woodless coloured sticks which she sanded into the watercolour. This created little flecks which partially disolved.

I have decided that this is the year of workshops and Plein Air painting!!! Cherry Nichol will be holding a workshop which I definitely want to attend.

I am not yet confident enough to use oils outdoors and so have been using charcoal and water. The sketch below was done in this medium.

I then took some very old fat crayons that my daughter was given when she was a child to paint on faces. Using these I started adding a bit of colour.

The sketches above were done at Kirstenbosch and are very rough.

I then bought myself some of the woodless coloured sticks that Cherry Nichol uses. They are magic! The following sketches were done at the Montebello Centre while sitting at the exhibition. Lots of practice is now needed!

Winefarm Cottage

2009-01-18T17:05:00.003+02:00

This is now finished! I have added some highlights and thickened paint here and there but I don't think it needs much more. I think this will just be one of my freer paintings!

Invitation to Exhibition

2009-01-18T16:47:00.002+02:00

A Stay at The Tops and a visit to the Knysna Waterfront

2009-01-17T20:08:00.005+02:00

To continue the story of our recent short holiday in Wilderness this is a photograph of The Tops Guesthouse where we stayed and which we used as a base. It is located on the hillside above the village of Wilderness and has magnificent views over the village to the beach and the sea beyond. This was our second stay and we can highly recommend it. The rooms are attractively furnished and comfortable, the view is amazing and it is literally 5 to 10 minutes walk from the centre of the village.

The photograph shows Carol sketching the view from our breakfast table on the deck. Our room opened onto this same deck near the tree in the background. Beyond the tree are the beach and the sea, not really visible in this picture, which was taken on a misty morning.

The day after we arrived we took a leisurely drive from Wilderness to Knysna. Knysna is a very picturesque town stretching around an magnificent lagoon, which opens to the Indian Ocean. It is a water sports paradise very popular with yachtsmen, water skiers, fishermen and boating enthusiasts of all descriptions. But it is much more that that. It is a very attractive holiday destination with a lot to see and do.

A fairly recent attraction is a waterfront development partly modelled on the much larger and very popular Cape Town Waterfront. The Knysna Waterfront offers a mix of shops, restaurants, boat trips, entertainment and an upmarket residential area with direct access to the lagoon via a series of canals. The picture below was taken from the commercial part of the waterfront looking toward the residential section.

By chance we noted that there was going to be a demonstration of motorcycle stunt riding at the waterfront and decided to hang around for an hour or so to see it. I was a keen motorcyclist for most of my life and have only recently sold my last machine. The story of this demonstration will be the subject of a separate post but to say the least, I was blown away by the skill of the three riders who entertained a very enthusiastic audience.

The Kingfisher Trail, Wilderness

2009-01-14T22:19:00.004+02:00

A favourite walk of ours in Wilderness is the Kingfisher trail, which meanders along the banks of the Touws River ending at two picturesque waterfalls cascading into a series of pools. These are perfect for a refreshing swim.

The trail is around 8km, there and back, through shady forested countryside. National Parks have constructed wooden walkways and stairways through the "difficult" bits to prevent erosion and make the going easy for even us "old" folk. The original pathway, which we first walked several years ago, was washed away in the recent floods and a remarkable job has been done in re-establishing this very popular route.

The photographs below show the two waterfalls. They were taken on a beautiful, if rather hot day. In the second photograph I was experimenting with a slow shutter speed to add a sense of movement to the water. Without a tripod I was a little restricted but in the full resolution image it worked reasonably well. Unfortunately down sizing the picture to post here has partially obscured the effect.

Wilderness Beach

2009-01-13T20:49:00.004+02:00

A recent holiday stay in Wilderness provided an opportunity to take some new photographs of this magnificent part of South Africa. I hope to be posting several of them over the next few weeks. Although we frequently visit this area, it's one of our favourite places, changing weather, light, tides and floods (more of that later) provide new photographic opportunities on every visit. This picture was taken on the beach in the early evening of the day we arrrived. It was a cloudy, misty day and I loved the moody feel of the beach

The Art of Fine Dining - Cargills Restaurant, Rondebosch

2009-01-03T21:58:00.003+02:00

A family celebration shortly before Christmas gave us the excuse to sample a highly acclaimed local restaurant. Roussouw’s restaurant guide describes it as, “a neighbourhood gem.”

Cargills, located in Station Road opposite the Rondebosch Metrorail Station, is a small and intimate restaurant catering to those seeking a superior dining experience. The décor is simple, uncluttered and elegant. A selection of artworks, many for sale, decks the walls. The lighting and colours are soft, creating a relaxed ambience. Its size and popularity with local residents makes reservations essential.

The way in which you are welcomed and shown to your table on arrival and the very professional service immediately tells you that this is not an ordinary restaurant but one that takes pride in providing a special experience in the art of fine dining. The menu is small but with enough variety to satisfy most discerning diners. Three of us selected the recommended Camembert in Phyllo pastry starter and one of us chose the back mushrooms. A Thelema Sauvignon Blanc, a favourite wine of ours and a recommended special, was chosen to complement the starters. Everyone agreed that the preparation, presentation and flavours of the starters were excellent.

The house speciality is their slow roasted duck. This was the choice of two of our party. I preferred the recommended special of the day, a beef fillet in a wine and bone marrow sauce. The fourth member of the party chose an ostrich fillet. A selection of roasted vegetables and potato croquettes were served with the main course. The cooking is traditional with a French influence; fresh top quality ingredients cooked with flair and subtlety. Carol’s roast duck was adjudged “the best I’ve had.” My fillet was perfectly cooked to a delicate, moist pink, as requested, and delightfully complemented by the subtle flavour of the sauce. Some of the ostrich was apparently not as tender as it should have been but it was well prepared and enjoyed. We were recommended another wine special to complement the main courses, a Diemersfontein Pinotage. This was not a wine I know and I am not normally a lover of Pinotage but having accepted the recommendation I was not disappointed. It is a superbly well-rounded wine, smooth as silk with a lovely fruity nose and a lingering chocolate and coffee after taste.

Throughout the evening the service was attentive but discreet and extremely professional. The cost for the four of us, including wines was R880,00. This is by no means cheap but considering that it included two bottles of top quality wine and four truly memorable meals I consider it excellent value.

Playing in My Digital Darkroom

2009-01-01T19:52:00.004+02:00

I first started to take photographs when black and white film was mainstream, built in exposure meters were unheard of and most amateur photographers relied on the piece of paper in the film box for guidance in setting aperture and shutter speed. By today's standards the technology was very restrictive and quite costly but its very limitations taught us a lot about the art of photography. Working in black and white you had to learn to "see" tonal range and visualise your end product in shades of grey although the image in your camera viewfinder was in full colour. You needed to develop a feel for the average luminance of your scene so that you could select appropriate camera exposure settings. Film was costly as was processing and printing the pictures; make too many mistakes and an exciting hobby became a costly burden.

Later, as sophisticated cameras became more affordable due to a combination of Japanese competition in the market place and a rising income I was able to work in colour and to experiment with doing some of my own developing and printing. The ability to crop the image, exercise some control over the tonal range and even combine and manipulate images in a darkroom opened up new creative opportunities. Creativity no longer ended the moment you pressed the shutter button.

Today, very affordable digital cameras with sophisticated automatic exposure control and long-range zoom lenses make capturing a technically high quality image very simple. Reusable image storage media mean that mistakes may be discarded without any real cost. Experimenting is effectively free and, post processing of the recorded images using a whole host of readily available software is relatively easy. It does not require the huge outlay previously necessary to acquire a lightproof room, equip it with developing tanks, chemicals and an enlarger. And yet, to produce worthwhile work still takes talent and a big investment - an investment in time.

It is at this time of year, when earning a living takes a back seat for a few short days, that the time becomes available for me to experiment and to learn to use some of the tools available to a 21st century digital photographer. I spent a few happy hours playing with an image created in the depths of winter, when our recently pruned Plane tree was bare of leaves. The silhouette of the branches against a winter sky provided the inspiration for the original image but it had some unwanted background clutter in the bottom right hand corner. The tonal range was also very stark. I decided to experiment and see what could be done. After cropping the image, cleaning up the background and then adjusting the tonal range and contrast I had what I believed was an altogether better picture. Then, just for fun I played with hue and saturation, treating the tree and the sky independently. I reduced the colour saturation of the tree to zero, making it black and white and increased the contrast significantly. I then changed the hue of the sky and clouds turning the blue sky to a reddish brown and the clouds to gold with white highlights. What do you think of the result? (You can click on the picture to see an enlarged view of it)

Wine Farm Cottage

2008-12-29T20:47:00.002+02:00

I was given a beautiful new box easel for my birthday! My first painting using it was done on the veranda of our home. (This was the recycled red roofed house by the way). It looks much better doesn't it? The inspiration was a photograph taken at Hillcrest Wine Estate during a recent visit. I kept it as originally painted and not tried to show too much detail. I rather like it as it is! What do you think?

Sculptures by Zimbabwean Artists Exhibited at Kirstenbosch Gardens

2008-12-28T19:38:00.003+02:00

At the beginning of October Carol was exhibiting at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. We took the opportunity to take a walk around the gardens and I spent some time examining and photographing the work of a number of Zimbabwean stone sculptors. I find this work extraordinary and in everyway comparable with some of the best work produced anywhere in the world.

Although the work on display in the gardens is recent it has it roots in a tradition dating back many centuries. The stone carvings found at the Great Zimbabwe, an archaeological site dating back to about 1200 AD, are quite similar in character and style. Carving in stone began to experience a revival in the early sixties. Artists working from small workshops, with encouragement from the director of the National Art Gallery in Zimbabwe, began producing a substantial volume of work, much of which was sold to tourists by informal traders operating at places like the Victoria Falls, the Great Zimbabwe Ruins and at sites in and around the larger cities.

Close examination of the work reveals its unique character. Much of it is very stylised and abstract, depicting people, animals and forms from tribal legend and stories passed from generation to generation. Often termed Shona sculpture, because most of it is produced by artists of the Shona tribe, it moved into the international arena toward the end of the twentieth century and is now exhibited in galleries around the world.

The materials used by the artists are carefully selected to compliment the subject matter. I have read that many of them feel a spiritual connection with the rock and believe that they are freeing a shape already present inside the stone. Favourite materials are green opal, serpentine, a dark brown or black stone, Springstone, a very hard serpentine with a fine texture and verdite, a semi-precious stone. When sculpting is finished the stone is heated with a gas flame, which brings out the colours of the stone. It is then waxed and polished to a brilliant glossy finish.

The photographs do not do justice to the works. To fully appreciate their powerful impact they need to be seen and touched. The magnificent Kirstenbosch Gardens provide a majestic backdrop to these remarkable works. If you have the opportunity, go and see for yourself!

Another Disaster

2008-12-27T16:56:00.002+02:00

This one will also be relegated to the recycle bin in the near future!

Paintings that just don't work!

2008-12-26T19:35:00.003+02:00

Amazing how many paintings just never get off the ground. I have discovered that the best thing to do is simply scrape off as much of the paint as possible and move on. That is what happened to this one! It was painted en plein air and that in itself was a challenge. It is quite depressing when that happens but I think it is better to cut your losses than to keep struggling with a painting that is going nowhere.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS

2008-12-24T20:18:00.002+02:00

To all those who celebrate it, Happy Christmas and a healthy, happy and safe New Year. May it bring all we hoped for!

Hillcrest Restaurant, Durbanville Wine Route

2008-12-24T19:59:00.003+02:00

About a week ago we played hooky, call it our "staff Christmas outing", and visited the Hillcrest Restaurant on the Durbanville wine estate of the same name. The plan was to do some last minute shopping at the Tyger Valley Centre and then have a relaxing lunch before heading home.

Hillcrest Estate is located on the Durbanville wine route, about 20km northeast of Cape Town. It sits high in the Tygerberg Hills with a panoramic views taking in large stretches of Table Bay with Robben Island clearly visible on a clear day. The vineyards stretch in an arc across the hills around the restaurant providing a lush foreground and a delightful country ambience.

Hillcrest Restaurant is a popular lunch venue for Capetonians, particularly those living in the northern suburbs. It has a relaxed, informal character with a mix of Mediterranean and local styles. The small menu offers a selection of salads, meat and cheese platters, burgers, sandwiches, daily specials and a selection of deserts. The wine list is small and restricted to wines from the Hillcrest Estate. Seating is mostly outdoors on the veranda and grassed frontage with a few tables inside in the wine tasting area.

We both selected the burgers, which are prepared from high quality ingredients on home made ciabatta and a far cry from those you get in a fast food joint. They were exceptionally good and both of us enjoyed a tasty lunch at a reasonable cost in a delightful atmosphere. Burgers are served with French fries but the restaurant is quite willing to substitute salad if you request it. We finished the meal with homemade ice cream with a dribble of chocolate sauce for Carol and cheesecake for myself. The chocolate sauce was rather sparse but Carol declared the ice cream delicious. The cheesecake was first class, fluffy and creamy with a rich cheesy flavour.

The bill, including a beer and a bottle of the zesty Hillcrest unwooded Chardonnay came to R245,00.

River Café – Constantia Uitsig

2008-12-21T19:58:00.003+02:00

Constantia Uitsig is one of those very special places that are probably unique to the City of Cape Town. It's a wine estate producing world-class wines located just 20km from the city, centrally positioned on the peninsula and surrounded by the southern suburbs where we are lucky enough to live. It was originally part of the Groot Constantia Estate and the present homestead dates back to 1894.

The farm, now owned by the McCay's, is a favourite spot amongst locals as well as visitors to our wonderful city. It offers a luxury hotel, a spa, three world-class restaurants, stabling for horses, a private cricket oval and a rural atmosphere enhanced by breathtaking views of the vineyards stretching across a valley to the distant mountains in the middle of the bustling southern suburbs.

On a recent public holiday we took the short 15-minute drive from our home to the River Café,located on this magnificent estate, for a sumptuous breakfast. The River Café and adjacent wine shop have a continental café or bistro vibe with a large outdoor terrace under trellises decked out,at this time of year, by fragrant star-jasmine creeper. It offers different breakfast and lunch menus comprising a smallish but appealing selection of well prepared dishes. The breakfast menu offered omelettes, eggs Benedict, a traditional English breakfast of eggs, bacon, chicken or pork sausage, mushrooms, tomato,toast and marmalade, a breakfast grill which added fillet steak to the English breakfast, scrambled egg, and a modest selection of similar offerings. The food is well prepared and the helpings generous without being overdone.

Carol chose a smoked salmon omelette, which she declared delicious. I ordered the traditional breakfast and found it perfectly prepared and very satisfying. The meal came with toast and a selection of marmalade and jams. We finished off with two delicious, frothy, cappuccino coffees.The bill was a reasonable R210 including the tip.

This was our first visit to the River Café, although I was a guest at another Constantia Uitsig Restaurant, La Colombe, a couple of years ago. The River Café is a very different restaurant in a very different price bracket and we both agreed that another visit is a must. It may even become a family favourite!

River Cafe
Open 7 days a week
Breakfast: 08h30-11h00 Lunch: 12h30-15h00 Afternoon Tea: 15h15-17h00
Tel: + 27 (0) 21 794-3010 Fax: + 27 (0) 21 794-1812
E-mail: rivercafe@uitsig.co.za

Slangkop Lighthouse - a different perspective

2008-12-21T16:48:00.005+02:00

This painting was developed from a photograph in which the fence started at the bottom right and lead in to the picture toward the left. I started painting it this way but it felt wrong. My eye instinctively reads from left to right and so eventually flipped the photograph and repainted the picture. If anybody happens to take a walk along the Kommetjie coast toward the Slankop Lighthouse they will see what I mean.

Exhibition at Kirstenbosch

2008-11-30T21:31:00.002+02:00

I recently joined this Art Society after being on the waiting list for a year! They only take 120 members due to the venue being very small. I hope it has been worth the wait. I am exhibiting two small paintings this time, feeling my way.

My Monet!

2008-11-29T17:36:00.005+02:00

This was another project that we had in Margie's class. To copy an old Master! What a lot of fun I had and learned so much! Not too tacky!? I still want to fade the features on both faces a bit.

Painting from the soul

2008-11-15T19:36:00.002+02:00

This was the first oil I attempted after being ill. It started with two dried rose buds. Thats probably just how I felt! It was a painting that evolved and developed as it went along, nothing was set up, it sort of came from within, and this is the result.

Constantia Craft Market

2008-11-14T19:46:00.003+02:00

The Constantia Craft Market will be held this Saturday 15 November 2008. Our friend and fellow Artist, Elona, has a stall this year and she will be selling candle gift packs and flower arrangements. She will also be selling Liz's and my cards, which are reproductions of some of our paintings. We had them printed at Hot Ink who have been great to deal with. Thank you Nic and Lerato. The final product, you must admit, looks terrific

Preening Ducks

2008-11-02T20:13:00.008+02:00

I have been so sick, Bronchitis, and really not in a creative mood at all! I did play around with my water colours a bit though and here is the result. They were photographed at Kirstenbosch on exhibition day.

Mist Rolling in over Fishing Trawlers Moored in Hout Bay Harbour

2008-10-07T19:54:00.004+02:00

Oil on Canvas 76cm x 38cm

Kirstenbosch Annual SASA Art Exhibition

2008-10-04T18:25:00.005+02:00

The South African Society of Artists Annual Exhibition opened at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens in Cape Town this morning. The paintings on this exhibition are those picked at the selection I described in a previous post.

After weeks of rain and miserable cape winter weather, we were blessed with a magnificent sunny spring day. Kirstenbosch was at its best, full of colour with lush green lawns and Table Mountain rising majestically above. A perfect setting in which to display the work of some very talented people.

Virginia MacKenny, senior lecturer in painting at the Michaelis School of Fine Art, UCT, opened the exhibition and gave an inspiring speech encouraging all of us to continue expressing our individuality through our art. She advised us not to use the selected works as defining what is good art and something we have to copy.

The exhibition is well worth a visit and will be open until the 10th October.

Lynn Brown, President of SASA, introducing our speaker.

Jessica Brown, who was the model for my portrait "Jessie" which was selected for the exhibition, presented the prizes for the top paintings.

Simonstown Waterfront

2008-10-03T23:39:00.004+02:00

We have never seen the Simonstown Waterfront with such a low tide before! Bertha's is a restaurant we love to visit and there is a wonderful art gallery above it, well worth a visit.

Snowdrops and Pearls

2008-09-20T18:15:00.003+02:00

This is a bathroom or dressing room painting. It has now been framed in "stressed" white wood with a border to match the painting.

Shades of Autumn

2008-09-09T19:49:00.004+02:00

74cm by 60cm including the frame.

This painting started with a walk on a very cold Cape Town autumn evening. A new house has been built up the road from us and the owner has planted about 30 full grown trees! These leaves and seed pods were strewn on the pavement and in the road, just waiting to be painted. Hope the neighbours didn't see me bending down and collecting leaves from the gutter!

Selection Day

2008-09-07T17:34:00.004+02:00

An enormous emotional and physical experience! For details of this SASA event go to The Art of Intuitive Painting. Di McNaughton has posted a brilliant article on her Blog describing the procedure and the emotions that go with it.

I just feel so desperately sad about the huge quantity of quality work that was turned down. Only about 300 out of 500 paintings could be selected due to the available exhibition space at Kirstenbosch. I was very happy to have one painting accepted. It’s a portrait called “Jessie” that I did with a life-painting group in Pinelands. It got a high enough score to be included in the approximately 300 works selected for the exhibition. One of our top Cape Town artists, who sells her work very successfully at high prices, didn’t score enough for any of her paintings to be accepted. I am proud of my achievement and consider myself very lucky.

I was one of the helpers on the day and when I climbed into my car, sometime after five, I felt totally shattered; one major, big time low! I was totally spaced out and could not think coherently. I drove home on remote control, partly, I think, due to physical and emotional exhaustion. At the end of selection I had to help hand back the scored entry forms to the artists. It cut me to the core to have to say to too many of them, “Sorry, you had nothing selected.”

A brilliant exhibition could be held with many of the art works that did not attain a high enough score. It was extremely difficult to see why some works were highly scored and others not, but then, I have no formal art training and have absolutely no experience in such things. Perhaps it would help if the judges explained what they looked for and what criteria they used to evaluate a painting. I found it very confusing. One very positive comment from one of the judges was that the standard of the work was exceptionally high. I would not like to have been in their shoes! Big congratulations to all those who had works accepted.

I studied many paintings during those long hours. Of those that did well, some I really liked and some, although I thought they were good, had no emotional appeal at all. I know where I am going and I know what I am trying to achieve. I must get back into my studio and work. Hard work and perseverance and somehow I will get to the next step, but when there, I know that there will always be another step to go. The staircase is never ending, but wow, what a journey, what a view from it. I love what I do, as Di said, “Warts and all”!

The Kirstenbosch Selection Exhibition will be held in the Sanlam Lecture Hall on Saturday 3 October 2008.

Shadows

2008-08-31T17:40:00.003+02:00

This painting was set as an exercise to show how much colour there is in a shadow and how shadows form. I found it hugely challenging. It took almost a day to paint the folds in the cloth! I am quite pleased with the result.

I am also trying out a new brand of canvas board made by Art Stuff in Observatory. Fantastic! Amazing texture. I'm loving it!

Colours!

2008-08-26T19:47:00.002+02:00

This was another art class where Margie dumped this huge selection of shopping goodies together and we had to paint it! Enjoy colour! Play with colour! I am not a colorful person and found this project very difficult! I sort of cheated and started with an almost black background which helped a bit. I don't like the result and find it slightly disturbing. Not a comfortable painting,

Reflection - SOLD

2008-08-24T19:45:00.000+02:00

Charcoal Nude

2008-08-24T14:34:00.003+02:00

Still Life - White Painting

2008-08-05T19:06:00.003+02:00

This painting was done in a class with Margie Johnson. The still life she set up was all white, yes, she even painted the egg box and eggs! Everyone knows of course that white is not truly white.

Another Watercolour Wave

2008-07-27T20:00:00.005+02:00

I wish I had the time to study and paint the sea as a full time project! Maybe one day!

Nude

2008-07-20T19:17:00.004+02:00

This is 50cm by 60cm and something completely different done in acrylic and using mendall 90 made by polycell to create a relief form. I think it should be framed in black.

Jenna

2008-07-14T19:30:00.004+02:00

SOLD
To her Mum because she just had to have it! Oil on canvas board 36cm by 46cm. I know it will have a very happy home with a lovely family.

Stormy Days

2008-07-12T19:38:00.004+02:00

Don't think that your painting will always turn out as you carefully planned them - sometimes things go awry! This was supposed to be a romantic sunset. Obviously a lot of angst was ready to erupt!

I bought a lemon

2008-07-06T17:41:00.003+02:00

About eleven years ago I bought a lemon tree. It did nothing until recently when it produced two or three of these:-Now it is suddenly producing magnificent lemons! Strange!

Hout Bay Harbour Watercolour

2008-07-05T17:30:00.002+02:00

Another "Kitchen" Painting

2008-06-15T20:30:00.001+02:00

Still Life

2008-06-14T16:17:00.004+02:00

I have never liked still life and it was a bit of a battle to get to grips with painting it, but it helps if you really love what you are painting. My boots were like that, and now this old kettle just took my fancy. I call this "Kitchen Art" A row of these could look really great in a kitchen.

Journeys End

2008-06-08T18:46:00.004+02:00

SOLD to a truly lovely lady shortly after the opening of the exhibition. For me a new journey has begun. Such mixed emotions in seeing your first painting sell.

Art Exhibition

2008-06-02T20:04:00.002+02:00

The South African Society of Artists is holding their 2008 Members' Exhibition at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. The exhibition will be open from 9.30 to 17.30 daily from the 7th June until Sunday 15 June.

Noordhoek Beach Again

2008-05-18T18:35:00.003+02:00

This is another of Bryan's photographs taken on Noordhoek beach. The mood of the beach changes so much from day to day that there are often opportunities for new pictures. This one was taken on the same day as the pictures of the surfers in our earlier post.

Imhoff Farm, Kommetjie

2008-05-03T19:10:00.003+02:00

Looking to go somewhere new on a recent public holiday we paid a visit to Imhoff Farm and the Blue Water Café. The farm is part of a gift of land made to widow, Christina Rousseau by Baron van Imhoff for her efforts in supplying produce to ships of the Dutch East India Company anchored in Simon’s Bay in the mid-1700’s. The area became known as 'Imhoff’s Gift' and includes the land on which the settlements of Imhoff's Gift, Ocean View and Kommetjie now lie.

Today Imhoff Farm has been converted into a commercial centre at which a number of local artists and craftsmen sell their wares. There are shops selling homemade breads and cheese, preserves and pickles and similar farm food products. Activities include pony, horse and camel rides for little kids and big kids and a snake park, which we didn’t visit.

The Blue Water Café is a family friendly, relaxed and very casual restaurant. There is an indoor area, a veranda overlooking the Noordehoek Valley and rough wooden benches on the lawns beyond. The service was friendly but laid back. The meal was excellent and the house white wine fruity and delicious. We noted with amusement that although the wine was labelled as South African, Wine of Origin, Ashton, it had a note at the bottom of the label saying that it was especially imported by a company in Harare!

These are a few photographs taken at Imhoff farm and later in the afternoon during a stroll on Noordehoek beach before heading home.

Slangkop Lighthouse, Kommetjie

2008-04-18T22:53:00.003+02:00

SOLD

Slangkop lighthouse is the tallest iron tower on the South African Coast and sits at the one end of Kommetjie. It measures 100 feet from base to the balcony and has been operational since 1919.
Every lighthouse has a different frequency of flashes and this one emits four flashes every 30 seconds as it turns and can be seen for 33 sea miles.

Here is an oil painting of the lighthouse from a photograph Bryan took. I would like to do a watercolour of it sometime soon.

Watercolour Wave

2008-04-05T17:30:00.002+02:00

Thanks Liz, for getting me back to my water colours!!! It was great fun and really freed me up to at long last finish my lighthouse which I will be posting soon. I have not touched my water colours for over 10 years so I needed quite a bit of encouragement - not a bad first try I think, after such a long time!

Lesson on value and tone

2008-03-18T19:47:00.007+02:00

The last three weeks has been spent bending the brain! Margie, that was the most challenging painting I have ever done and I have learned so much. It was well worth the hours of work. The first step in the project was to paint a mono tone painting, anything we liked. I had already started to paint the centre when I remembered to photograph it.

Then we had to divide the painting up into segments. Most people did squares. Yours truly decided to do circles which became slightly distorted as they went out, sort of like looking through a porthole. Then we had to paint each segment using just two colours plus white, matching values for the differing tones. Each segment was to be a different colour combination.

If anyone has been to the Sixty Minute Artist lately you will know how he has been concentrating on tone and value. Very challenging and difficult to get right. I landed up repainting four of the circles as the colours where just too way out.

Now to photograph it for this post! Oils are even more difficult to photograph than acrylics! You can never get an exact match to the painting! Then as another exercise we grey scaled it to see if everything was correct – not bad at all – even if I say it myself!!!! There are the odd places where you can see the circles but not many. This was a huge learning curve and truly strained the brain!

The Girls - Our Friday Social Art Group

2008-03-15T16:34:00.003+02:00

This is a photo of our social art group. We get together every Friday morning during term time at the Frank Joubert Art School in Newlands and have a great time. We share the cost of hiring the room. We paint in all mediums, help each other when needed and swap news and gossip. Some of the topics of conversation are very interesting indeed.

If any local artists are interested in joining us, we have a few vacancies left for next term. You can comment on this post or use the form at the bottom of this page to contact me. Please provide contact details so that I am able to get back to you.