Season's Greetings and a Happy New Year 2015!

Original is W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm

The best part of the season is remembering those who make the holidays meaningful. I wish you all the love and happiness this season can bring, and may it follow you throughout the coming new year.

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Winter's redeeming qualities

W&N watercolour on Amedeo 200gsm

Winter has very few redeeming qualities. Many animals find that the best thing to do is simply sleep through it. Studies show that human beings sleep more during the winter months as well. One of the few redeeming qualities of winter is snow, something of which we don’t get a lot here in South Africa. But when it happens, there are few things more magical then looking out the window from your house and discovering those first flurries gently falling to the ground. When the snow builds up outside our houses it envelops us in a warm cocoon.

For my Northern Hemisphere friends, the time has come to put on your warm slippers, grab a cozy blanket, and curl up with some hot chocolate!

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Cosmos in December

 

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm

Here in South Africa we know Christmas is near when the Hydrangeas and Cosmos start flowering – Every March and November respectively our countryside explodes with colour when pretty pink and white cosmos flowers bloom in early autumn and then again in late summer. They grow easily in the soil at the side of the roads disturbed by the road scrapers widening the verges. This year the Cosmos are a bit late as the road crews have not been around yet.

Hope you had a lovely festive season!

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Another Windpomp and a dam

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm

A ‘windpomp’ (windmill) in Magaliesburg. They are such a part of our countryside here in South Africa and they play a specially important part in dry areas like the Karoo where both humans and animals are very dependent on them for water. 

These windmills extract the life blood of the earth and it is usually poured into a cement dam close-by the windpomp. Many farm children swim in these cement dams on sweltering days and I have seen flocks of Egyptian Geese taking a quick, cool dip on their way to somewhere.

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Enjoying Summer

 

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm

At this time of year I really enjoy the silhouettes of the trees and hedges against the summer sky in my garden.

(If you are interested in buying this original painting, you can purchase it here.)

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A little bit curious...

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm

When you come to a bend in the road, aren’t you just a little bit curious as to what lies just around the corner…?

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The joy of snow

 

W&N watercolour on Amedeo 200gsm

We rarely have snow in South Africa, but when we do, there is always great excitement. Schools close, everybody rushes around taking photographs and spreading the word on social media and a ball is had by all. And, of course, it softens and beautifies any garden. But it also causes havoc as our country is not geared up for snowy conditions. Livestock like sheep suffer greatly as they are mostly kept out in the field on huge tracts of land and bringing them indoors is not an option.

So here's to all my Northern Hemisphere friends, enjoy your winter and enjoy the snow!

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A rumble of thunder

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm

A rumble of thunder, a shower of rain and a murder of crows heading away from the rain...

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Guineas are winged wonders

a guinea fowl
molting polka dot feathers—
handmade earrings

W&N Watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm

After years of not seeing any guinea fowl around our property, I was lucky enough to have a visit from them a couple of weeks ago and I was totally thrilled!

Like turkeys, guineas are Galliformes, a group encompassing all chicken-like birds. But while chickens are members of the pheasant family, turkeys and guineas each have a family of their own. Native to Africa, they are known for travelling in large, gregarious flocks. There are seven species of guinea fowl, of which the 'helmeted'  is by far the most common, and certainly the weirdest looking, with its oddly shaped helmet, white, featherless face, bright red wattles, and grey polka-dotted feathers.

Free-ranging guineas spend most of their days foraging. They work as a team, marching chest to chest and devouring anything they startle as they move through the grass. When they discover a special treat—a rodent, for example, or a small snake—they close ranks, circle their prey, and move in for the feast. All the while, they keep up a steady stream of whistles, chirps, and clicks, a sort of running commentary on the day's hunt.

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Summer beauties

W&N watercolour on a back-ground painted with coffee in a Bockingford 300gsm sketch-pad

A clump of Shasta daisies, growing at the rubbish hole on our property after I had removed old plants from my garden. I discovered them during a walk on the property and these little die-hards just seem to have no end!

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Sunrise over a winter landscape

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm – 15″ × 11″ (38cm x 28cm)

Winter here in Tarlton (Gauteng, South Africa) means a late sunrise, often accompanied by clouds, which usually clear up as the day progresses.

“Nature is painting for us,
day after day,
pictures of infinite beauty
if only we have the eyes to see them.”
— John Ruskin

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Muddy tracks

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm

 

Muddy tracks weave o'er hills & valleys enticing continuous exploration of my much-loved Tarlton ...

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Amethyst Sunbird female

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm
Black Sunbird feeding on the Kniphofia (Red Hot Poker) flowers in my garden (Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa).

The Amethyst Sunbird, also called the Black Sunbird (Chalcomitra amethystine) mainly occurs in Africa south of the equator. Its natural habitat is dry savannah but it is extremely fond of gardens.
It goes out of its way to visit a large clump of nectar-bearing plants. Here in my garden, it feeds on nectar from the Aloe, Kniphofia, Halleria lucida (Tree fuchsia) and a nectar mix in one of my bird feeders. It’s diet is supplemented with insects and often hawks flying insects from the trees or bushes, also gleaning them from leaves and branches. Nectar is obtained either from flowers or from garden feeders, which it uses readily (note that in feeding experiments it was found to prefer sucrose rather than sugar).

This Sunbird is not threatened, in fact its range has increased recently due to the spread of wooded gardens.

Swartsuikerbekkie [Afrikaans]

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Keep discovering life

 

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm

I yearn to keep ‪walking‬, keep ‪drawing‬ and keep discovering life along the way.

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A Windpomp and a gate

 

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm

A familiar sight in South Africa – a windmill drawing the life blood from the earth.

Water availability has shaped life and society in many ways, with aridity shaping the landscape and soils and determining where we live, grow our crops, raise animals and build our cities. Without these wind pumps, farming, and life in general, would not be possible in the more arid parts of our country.

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Waiting for the rain

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm

The fields are quiet, the lands are empty – oh, for the sound of rain!

Summer has hit with a vengeance - Spring was short-lived and after freezing temperatures, we went straight into 30℃ heat.

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Arum fields

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm

A happy meander through the fields and flowers of a sunny Spring morning ...

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Winter is golden

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm 

Winter is always depicted in cold colours of blue and grey, but here in South Africa, cold as it is, the sun is shining on a bright brown, yellow and green landscape. The only time we have blues and greys is in summer when it is raining!

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The Guineas are back

For the first time in many years (except for a brief visit in December 2013), I've had Guinea Fowl visiting my garden again. They even stopped to have a quick snack of corn which I put out for Solly's chickens.

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Africa burns

 

It's winter, which means it's once again time for our annual veld fires (wild fires). A couple of weeks ago we had one rushing through our property, but luckily the grass had already been cut in preparation of the event and the damage was minimal. But with strong winds, it is scary the speed at which these fires can travel.

The fire rushing through our property

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Three cheers

Winter is still persisting but three cheers for rising temperatures this morning. A spring in my step and a smile on my face!

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Colourful country living

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm

A colourful front door on a smallholding not far from where I live. 

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Sit beneath the sky

sit beneath the sky and find a way ...

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm

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If you are lucky enough...

… to be at the beach…
then you are lucky enough.

W&N watercolour in Moleskine 200gsm sketchbook

This is the walk-way down to the beach in Chaka’s Rock, Ballito, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

What better way of whiling away winter hours than dreaming of being at the beach?

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Don't settle

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Winter with a vengeance

Winter has hit us here in South Africa with a vengeance and it's snowing in many parts of the country. Last night we experienced -6℃ and all the bird baths and water bowls had a quarter inch thick ice on top. I'm sure if it snowed here in Tarlton it wouldn't be this cold...

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HOME Décor - throw pillows

 African Indaba

You may be interested in purchasing some of my art printed on throw pillows, the perfect décor accessory for any home, with a wide variety of colours and themes. You can head over to my site at RedBubble and on any artwork, click on the THROW PILLOW option.

Redbubble’s new Throw Pillows are really something to get excited about! As soft and comfortable as an alpaca full of marshmallows but considerably better looking! The super soft 100% spun polyester pillows come in 3 sizes to suit even the most extravagant of couches. And with such a vast range of excellent designs to choose from it’ll be a breeze to personalize any room.

• Selected design printed on both sides
• Three square sizes available: 16”, 18”, 20"
• Concealed zipper for aesthetic wonderment
• Soft yet hard wearing 100% spun Polyester Poplin fabric
• Available with or without 100% recycled polyester fibre insert

Care Instructions: Dry or Spot Clean Only

 

Affirmation for Healing the Earth

 African clay pots - Ethnic series

African Lion - Ethnic series

A word lovingly written

Cosmos beauty

Daisies in Spring

Kingfisher Daisies

Daisies postcard

African Tribal dress

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Looking back at your art

Looking back at my art since early 2009 when I started this blog, I've come to the pleasing conclusion that my art has improved, I have grown and I seem to have developed a "style". Style comes about by our preferences - preferences of the colours we use, preferences of subjects and preferences of how we look at things. I think every artist's fear is stagnating and getting nowhere, doing the same thing year in and year out.

My subjects have stayed the same - landscapes, birds, wildlife - the things in nature that I love. I did branch out into portraits, and there was a slight improvement, but I found that portraits were not really my forté at all, so I don't do many of those. I also now and then try acrylics and oils, but unless I spend a LOT more time practicing in those mediums, it's not going to get very far!

Early paintings

Recent paintings

What do you find when you look back at your art? I hardly ever throw anything away. Even though I cringe at some of the older paintings, it's a reminder of where you were. I love scratching through some old pieces, finding something that might have some potential and adding to it. Often something of value appears, if not, it's then destined for the dustbin. It's amazing what a feeling of freedom arises from the fact that it doesn't matter whether you botch it or not, it gives you a free hand to really go for it!


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