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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The colour of Winter

The colour of springtime is in the flowers, the colour of winter is in the imagination. 

~Terri Guillemets 

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm

A winter scene in South Africa.

Clear blue skies and trees scorched by veld fires is a familiar sight here in South Africa in winter. With just a few more weeks of cold, the August winds have already blown in Spring, bringing everything to life again.

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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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Thoughts

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm 

Thoughts drifting through my mind as I wend my way up the path towards the gate…

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Early Winter-morning sketch

W&N watercolour sketch on Bockingford 300gsm

5am. So... I'll finish when my fingers are less frozen...

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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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Playing with a candle

A couple of years ago I decided to try out a new technique (probably not new to many of you!) - I used a candle to draw some random lines on watercolour paper, gave the whole sheet a soft wash of ochre, which made the tree trunks stand out and from there I could complete the scenery, darkening the main trunks, adding more trees in the back-ground and then doing a fore-ground. Since then I often use this method and it's amazing what results one can achieve.

Below is another painting I did using the same technique using the waxed areas as highlites.

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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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