JUST ME :: and a stack of blank pages

:: Living creatively ::

About me

This is the real secret of life — to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realise it is play. The only thing that is ultimately real about your journey is the step that you are taking at this moment. That’s all there ever is. I’m here to tell you that the path to peace is right there, when you want to get away. When you are present, you can allow the mind to be as it is without getting entangled in it. If you miss the present moment, you miss your appointment with life. That is very serious!

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Variation on a theme

bright | babbling brook | winter closing its cold hand

Following on Donald Maier's post "Plein Air vs Photos", I decided to also try a 'variation on a theme', using two paintings that I did plein air as inspiration for something new. I've never thought of doing the same painting twice, so thanks for the inspiration Donald!

The one below was my first painting of a neighbour's trees, sitting behind the fence on our side of our smallholding.

"A Neighbour's Trees"

The second time I did the painting (below), I asked the owner's permission to paint the trees from inside his property, sitting with my back against the fence. Not a great distance between me and my subject and, as the trees are situated on a little hillock, I was looking up the slope towards the trees. Very similar to my first painting above.

"Rocky Outcrop"

It was a nice warm day, no wind, slight nip in the air, but I got totally engrossed and only packed up when I decided I had fiddled enough. Every time I looked up, there was another little rock I had missed!

In the painting below, done in my studio, I decided to add a stream, as I feel I need some more practice in that field. Water (and clouds!) is always a great challenge for me.

"Cold Winter Stream" pencil sketch and watercolour - Maree© 25th July 2009
9" x 12"

I've been contemplating using oils again, so I will be using some of my watercolours for inspiration before trying my hand at oils plein air.

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Tuesday, August 4, 2009

100 Days of Sketching!

thank you | application | no longer available | this function | temporarily disabled | regret to inform | you do not | exist
A Twitter poem from WATERMARK

"Country Creek" watercolour on Bockingford 150gsm - Maree©

I posted this painting on the 27th April when I pledged to do a-painting-or-sketch-a-day, and have just realised that today is my 100th day of sketching daily! I must be honest, didn't think that I'd manage it, but it has been utterly enjoyable and something that I have looked forward to every day. (I have skipped a couple of times, but who's counting?)

Just imagine how many I will have done by the time I'm 99 (36 years from now!) Do you think Blogger will be able to handle it and still be around? I'm sure I will...

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Monday, August 3, 2009

Cheetah

If we could but paint with the hand what we see with the eye.
Honore de Balzac

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

"Cheetah" watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm watercolour paper - Maree©

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Saturday, August 1, 2009

Re-visiting an old haunt

Yesterday I actually made the effort of packing my portfolio bag and art supplies and setting off to the dam just 2km down the road from us. Another perspective of the Tarlton Dam, which I first painted back in the 80's.

"Tarlton Dam '09" watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm watercolour paper - Maree©

Winter is in full swing and the only greenery is the Blue gum trees and Wattles, which are deciduous and only drop a lot of bark and seeds. Everything else is bone dry and the veld fires (wildfires) have taken their toll everywhere, leaving the landscape lifeless, except for the Egrets scavenging on dead insects and little mammals that couldn't manage to escape the roaring fires.

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Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Blogger Award!!



Wow! I received the Kreativ Blogger award!! from Nature As Is and all I can say is, thank you, Crista!


Crista is a fantastic photographer and has some fabulous photographs on her blog covering a wide section of nature. I've been so inspired by her photographs that I have even painted a couple of them. Crista also has an interesting tactic in that she changes the photograph on her header at regular intervals. Makes for a unique surprise every time one visits her blog!

After receiving this award, I'm to nominate 7 other blogs and state 7 things about myself. So here we go :

1. I am blond, 5'4" tall, have blue eyes and live on a smallholding in Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa, together with all the birds, ducks, geese, hedgehogs,2 cockatiels, 1 cockatoo, my husband and Jacko, my Fox terrier-cross.

2. I am mad about nature, especially birds, and I am constantly inundated with sick or injured birds or people who bring me sick or injured birds. I always complain that I haven't got time for this, but somehow make time and nurture them back to health for release in a safe area.

3. I have been drawing, sketching and painting my whole life, getting most of my inspiration from nature, and it has been the one constant in my life, because I easily get bored with something and then move on to another. I'm a jack-of-all-trades (and master of...?) - I make jewelry, have done stained glass, woodwork, copper work, pewter, scrapbooking and every other craft you can think of and can do anything I set my mind to. My tag-line is "There is a fine line between dreams and reality; it's up to you to draw it."

4.
I love walking on the beach and it is my dream to live at the coast, if I can get past the heat and humidity thing.

5. I am an early-to-bed and early-riser, in summer watching the sun rise with a cup of coffee in hand, listening to and watching the birds start their daily routine and writing in my Gratitude Journal. In winter I plonk in front of my MAC at 4.30am, reading my mail and catching up on all my blogger friends via Google Reader, writing in my Gratitude Journal and clearing my To-Do-List, all before having a bath at 7am.

6. I don't like cooking (even though I can) and would rather spend my time in my art studio. I'm actually considering changing the kitchen into a workshop - lots of cupboards for tools!

7. I am a grand-mother of 3 beautiful girls, of whom I don't see nearly enough, as they live at the coast, but I do manage to visit 4 or 5 times a year, the also exercising my passion of walking next to the ocean, climbing rocks and collecting beach finds.

The 7 Blogs I would like to nominate are as follows :

Artist Marie Theron from Chronicles of the West Coast
Cathy Gatland at A Sketch in Time
Liz at Art with Liz
Jennifer Lawson's On-line Painting & Drawing Journal
Vivien from Paintings, Prints & Stuff
Jeanette Jobson at Illustrated Life
Vickie Henderson of Vickie Henderson Art
Vickie does such wonderful work with the endangered Whooping Cranes.

I'm sorry, I'm going to have to do 8 - last but not least -
Ronelle of African Tapestry with her wonderful sketches of life in France.