The Mulder's Drift

But the majestic river floated on, Out of the mist and hum of that low land, Into the frosty starlight.
-Arnold, Matthew


"The Mulder's Drift" - ink sketch and watercolour in Moleskine sketch-book 8" x 5.5"

The area of Tarlton is surrounded by a plethora of streams and little rivers, many originating as storm water flow offs from Randfontein, Krugersdorp and Roodepoort or from springs emerging in various vleis (swamp lands) situated all over the Witwatersrand. This little stream, known as the Mulder's Drift, originates somewhere in Strubensvalley, and flows through the sleepy village of Muldersdrift on its way to join the Crocodile River, eventually ending up at Hartebeespoort Dam, from where the overflow joins South Africa's biggest River, the Orange River, which passes the southern edge of the Kalahari Desert and winds through the Namib Desert before draining into the Atlantic Ocean at Alexander Bay, South Africa.

Below you can see where this humble little stream ends up!


The Orange River mouth and wetland on the coast of Namibia. At the mouth of the river are rich alluvial diamond beds. A sandbar at its mouth limits navigation, but the river is used extensively for irrigation.

When can you call yourself an artist?

The true artist paints for himself.
- A. C. Leighton

A daily practice of sketching and painting gives you a chance to exercise the big three P's - practice, practice, practice!


Wet-on-wet mountain landscape - watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm - 12" x 8" - Maree©

For this wet-on-wet scene, after wetting the paper, I sketched the main outlines of my scene using my Rigger and Cerulean Blue, a "trick" I picked up at my watercolour workshop on Wednesday. I'm sure many of you use this technique (I know West Coast artist Marie Theron does), but I've always been somewhat of a sketchy person, using my pencil, going into great detail with a lot of erasing happening. It's only been the past couple of months since I started practicing painting with no sketching beforehand that I feel confident enough to consider doing this.

The other day I was reading the article "When can you call yourself an Artist?" -
- and yesterday morning I felt like an artist! Standing in front of the easel, arm outstretched with the Rigger, creating a beautiful masterpiece!

I didn't use any reference material either, just my imagination.

By the way, to answer the question above, I think the best reply was as follows :

“You are an artist when you make art. Many artists spend their lives not selling their work … One of the first requirements for an artist is to ignore those who would define whether they are artists. The only real measure is the person making the art or, if need be, posterity.” -- Jon

Low tide

It's hard for me to put into words why I like the beach so much. Everything about it is renewing for me, almost like therapy...Beach Therapy”

--Amy Dykens

A daily practice of sketching and painting gives you a chance to exercise the big three P's - practice, practice, practice!


"The beach - Low tide" - watercolour in Moleskine watercolour sketch-book
8" x 5.5" - Maree©

In Wikipedia the tides are explained as follows:

• Sea level rises over several hours, covering the intertidal zone; flood tide.
• The water rises to its highest level, reaching high tide.
• Sea level falls over several hours, revealing the intertidal zone; ebb tide.
• The water stops falling, reaching low tide.

To me this is very similar to the feelings we experience throughout our lifetime - we all have our ups and downs. So when you're feeling down, just remember - after every low tide comes a high tide.

The Seagull and the beach

"Jonathan Seagull discovered that boredom and fear and anger are the reasons that gull’s life is so short and with these gone from his thought, he lived a long fine life indeed."
- From 'Jonathan Livingstone Seagull'

A daily practice of sketching and painting gives you a chance to exercise the big three P's - practice, practice, practice!


"The Seagull and the beach" - watercolour in Moleskine Watercolour sketch-book
8.5" x 5" - Maree©

This is done from my imagination – I'm longing for the beach and seagulls!

"Seagull, you fly across the horizon
Into the misty morning sun.
Nobody asks you where you are going,
Nobody knows where you're from.

Here is a man asking the question
Is this really the end of the world?
Seagull, you must have known for a long time
The shape of things to come.
Now you fly, through the sky, never asking why,
And you fly all around 'til somebody, Shoots you down.

Seagull go and fly,
Fly to your tomorrow, leave me to my sorrow, fly."

Exploring Tonal value

As artists, we must learn to be self nourishing. We must become alert enough to consciously replenish our creative resources as we draw on them – to restock the trout pond, so to speak.
- Julia Cameron


Beach and trees - tonal value exercise

My watercolour workshops with Angela Eidelman are two weeks apart - every second Wednesday - and probably just as well - after three hours of watching, listening, planning, and actual sketching exercises, I find myself totally exhausted afterwards, and I'm telling myself it's NOT an age thing! My younger counter-parts like Cathy Gatland (read her workshop up-dates with Hazel Soan here) and Debbie Schiff (read Debbie's posts about her art class with Hazel Soan here) have both complained about the same thing. It's hard and exhausting work setting up your work station, trying to take in everything and anxiously trying not to make a complete botch-up of your exercises, right there where everybody is witness to the whole thing!

So for two weeks until my next class, I've got plenty of time to practice all the basics. At first I've been trying to do everything all in one painting - the planning, good composition, focal point, light source, tonal value, and where the most detail or the least detail is. I've given that up as a bad job and am spending a day or two on each point - the exercise above is mostly about tonal value, but it also gave me a chance to explore the source of where my light is coming from and making sure I don't have shadows running in all sorts of directions!

Watercolour Workshop 2 - Wet-on-Wet

We all have time to paint. We have time to paint the minute we are willing to paint badly, to chase a dead end, to scribble a few words, to paint for the hell of it instead of for the perfect and polished result.
- Julia Cameron


Art class wet-on-wet 17/03/2010 on Bockingford 300gsm - Maree

This past Wednesday was my second watercolour workshop with Angela Eidelman, Honorary Chairman of the W.S.S.A. (Watercolour Society of South Africa), and this week we covered wet-in-wet, that loose, elusive style that so many artists strive for.

A new concept of painting for me - having to keep in mind good composition, focal point, light source, tonal value, and where the most detail or the least detail is. I usually just go with my gut feeling of what feels or looks good to my (untrained!) eye. So for the next two weeks it's the three big P's - practice, practice and practice!

Crocodile River

“When the river is deepest it makes least noise.”
- Chinese Proverb

A daily practice of sketching and painting gives you a chance to exercise the big three P's - practice, practice, practice!


"Crocodile River, Broederstroom" - watercolour in Moleskine Portfolio 12" x 8" - Maree©

When we choose to go to Hartebeespoort Dam via Broederstroom, we cross over the Crocodile River (the same river I collected water from to sketch the gate scene in the previous post), which feeds the dam, offers white water rafting, and includes overnight options complete with riverside camping. Tubing, canoeing and cable slides into the river are also available.

I did this sketch from memory after we returned from our lunch and is the view from the bridge.

Keep out!

Creativity occurs in the moment, and in the moment we are timeless.
- Julia Cameron



This farm gate scene is not far from us in Broederstroom, a farm bordering on the Crocodile river, on our way to Hartebeespoort Dam. We stopped to give our puppy a chance to go to the toilet and I was faced with this wonderful gate right in from of me!

To hubby's utmost frustration, I actually hauled out my paint set, collected water from the river and quickly started doing the sketch. The frustration was because it took a bit longer than normal, actually putting in the colour right there - normally I would do a preliminary sketch and finish it off at home - this took me just over half an hour, while Dave and Jacko explored just inside the fence, but we were soon on our way and I fiddled a bit when we got home.

This was done in my Moleskine Folio watercolour sketchbook, 12" x 8".

A new family!

"The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg - not by smashing it."

- Arnold Glasow

"Pippie the Hen" - watercolour on Visual 140gsm - 12" x 8" - Maree©

This is Pippie, one of Kingston's hens, getting quite fluffed up having me so close and personal in her space! The other hen took off as soon as I approached, but I think Pippie's brood is about to hatch and she's not being intimidated by a lunatic with a sketch-book!

She was in Kingston's harem when I bought them, just in time, as he was destined for the pot. I haven't brought them over to my yard yet as some of the hens are still sitting on eggs, so I'll be getting a few extra for my money spent!

The learning curve - Watercolour Workshop 1

Doing work points the way to new and better work to be done.
- Julia Cameron


Original "Field in Oaktree" watercolour 12" x 8"
(Click on images to enlarge)

During my watercolour workshop, my teacher took my above painting to demonstrate to the class how a good painting can become exceptional - she showed me where to add some colour and soften some lines, and to add some softness in the distance to draw the eye to the focal point. Little changes, but with amazing results! We could play, "Spot the difference" here!


"Field in Oaktree" corrected

I know what I think, you be the judge! - this is such a learning curve for me and I'm so excited, and impatient! and ready, to go to the next level of my growth.

5-Minute exercises

“In our lives there is bound to come some pain, surely as there are storms and falling rain; just believe that the one who holds the storms will bring the sun.”

A daily practice of sketching and painting gives you a chance to exercise the big three P's - practice, practice, practice!


"Storm Brewing" - watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm - Maree© (no sketching)

I decided it was time for some quick 5-minute exercises again with no sketching before-hand and to encourage looseness and I did these two in under 5 minutes each. These quick exercises really irk me - my brush just itches to do more and more!


"The Beach" - watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm - 12" x 8" - Maree© (no sketching)

Scene at Harties

"If you can express your soul, the rest ceases to matter."

A daily practice of sketching and painting gives you a chance to exercise the big three P's - practice, practice, practice!


Scene at Hartebeespoort Dam - watercolour in Moleskine watercolour sketchbook - Maree©

You might have noticed that Hartebeespoort Dam (also known as Harties) holds a special fascination for me. The scenery possibilities are endless, ranging from location to the time of day and the change of light.

Most of the time, like this one, I stop for a quick sketch on our way there, other times I will work off one of my photographs. I've been meaning to take a trip up the cable car, but every time I've been there, it has been closed for some reason or another. It's next on my wish-list.

Gum Forest 0n 84

Approaching a tree we approach a sacred being who can teach us about love and about endless giving. She is one of millions of beings who provide our air, our homes, our fuel, our books. Working with the spirit of the tree can bring us renewed energy, powerful inspiration, deep communion.
- Druid Tree Lore

A daily practice of sketching and painting gives you a chance to exercise the big three P's - practice, practice, practice!


"Gum Forest on 84" - watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm - 9" x 12" - Maree©

A suggestion of a Blue gum forest - colour put directly onto the paper without any prior sketching. (The "84" in the title is the number of the smallholding where I live.)

This sketch is bigger than the rest of the Gum Forest Series, which is 5.5" x 7.5", and here I'm exploring the same method of not sketching and just using colour to suggest the image, just going bigger. It's easy putting colour on a smaller painting - the bigger you go, the more colour you have to mix and the quicker you have to paint - I also invested in two new round Winsor & Newton BIG brushes - no's 24 and 28 - I'm sure one gets bigger, but that was the biggest size Pen & Paper in Clearwater Mall had. Now I need a bigger flat - I've got a Nylon Daler ¾" - I probably need a 1"?

Sunshine Award!

I received the SUNSHINE AWARD for "Creativity and Positivity in Blogging" from Artist Marie Theron, who chronicles the West Coast of South Africa with her beautiful paintings and history of the area. Thank you Marie, it's a great honour coming from you!

If one accepts the reward it must be passed on to 12 others. One must also let them know that they are nominated. Everything must be linked to everything.... whew!

Here is my list of creative and positive bloggers who inspire and give joy to others. Please follow their links so you can meet these outstanding artists!

1. Pam Johnson Brickell
2. Cathy Gatland
3. Cathy Johnson
4. Debbie Schiff
5. Vickie Henderson
6. Melissa Fischer
7. All the correspondents at SKETCHING IN NATURE
8. Ronell van Wyk
9. Teri Casper
10. Toni Kelly
11. The Happy Painter
12. Jean Haines

The rules for accepting this award are simply to:

1. Post the Sunshine Award logo on your blog, on your post or both.
2. Pass this onto 12 bloggers who you admire.
3. Inform them of the award.
4. Link the person who awarded you in the first place.

Childhood memories - Albasini Dam

"Since it doesn't cost a dime to dream, you'll never short-change yourself when you stretch your imagination."
~ Robert Schuller

A daily practice of sketching and painting gives you a chance to exercise the big three P's - practice, practice, practice!


"Albasini Dam" watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm - Maree© (no sketching)

This sketch is remembering childhood days in the 1950's, I was about 10 years old, when I lived in the Limpopo Province (then it was known as the Northern Tansvaal) in Pietersburg (Now Polokwane), when I used to go fishing with my dad at the Albasini Dam, surrounded by the Soutpansberg Mountains, at Louis Trichardt. Once we'd arrived and set up the fishing rods, we'd sit for hours waiting for a bite, chatting about everything and nothing in particular, sipping cold coffee from the flask my mother had packed.

A bite, however, would result in scrambling for the fishing rod, excitedly reeling the fish in, me not being able to wait to see what we'd caught. Most of the time it was only a Barbel, a carp-like freshwater catfish that cooked beautifully over our camp fire. My dad would gut and clean it, slicing it into big, round, fat steaks, and then fry it together with slices of cold potatoes, and devour it with fresh home-made bread and thick butter.

My mother always packed far too much food for our trips - the fresh, home-made bread she'd baked the night before, hard-boiled eggs, baked potatoes still in their foil, beef sausages and gherkins and pickles. And, of course, the coffee flask.


Barbel catfish

The Albasini Dam was built in 1952 and is named after Joao Albasini, who was born 1 May 1813, in Lisbon, Portugal. He came to Lourenço Marques in 1831 and became a slave trader and Elephant hunter. The remains of his trading post can be found at the new Phabeni Gate, 10 km from Hazyview.

This dam was built primarily to supply the Levubu Irrigation Scheme. The dam has a capacity of 28,200 cubic meters (1,000,000 cu ft), and a surface area of 3.498 square kilometers (1.351 sq mi) and the wall is 34 meters (110 ft) high.


A small tributary off the Albasini Dam - The upper Luvuvhu, Sterkstroom, Latonyanda, Dzindi, Mukhase, Mbwedi and Mutshindudi are steep, narrow rivers dominated by cobble riffles and occasional pools with a few bedrock rapids. These were our favourite fishing spots.