Art in the Garden

"Eagle's Fare" restaurant at the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens, Roodepoort, South Africa

Come along and browse art in the stunning outdoor setting of the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens in Roodepoort. 10% of all sales go to the Botanical Society's Garden Development Fund.

For further info or directions, e-mail botsoc@sisulugarden.co.za

Forthcoming dates:
Sunday 31 January 2010

Across a Moonlit Sea

"Across a Moonlit Sea" watercolour in Moleskine Folio 12" x 8" - Maree©

The Moonlit Sea

On a calm sea the moonlight shimmers
Holding all eyes entranced
Bright and silvery it glimmers
As the argent light danced
By the lapping shore when the hour is late
The rippling moonlight upon the sea hypnotizing
A place to ponder and contemplate
The undulately moonlight upon the sea mesmerizing
The silvery sea's slow, rhythmic measure in the night
The gentle breakers softly caressing the shore
The brilliant moonlight is eerie bright
Its refulgent shine of splendorous galore
The lulling of the gentle breakers seduces
Where hushed night shall ever be
The radiant patterns of the silvery water induces
A spellbound state by the becalmed moonlit sea

- by Thor's Fury

Allen's Hummingbird

"Allen's Hummingbird" watercolour in Moleskine Folio - Maree©

I've been following the progress via Live cam (http://cam.dellwo.com/) of the Allen's Hummingbird sitting on her eggs, laid on the 2nd and 4th of January 2010, respectively, and which are due to hatch within the next day or so. The link was supplied by well-known bird artist, Vickie Henderson, who also sketched the Humming bird. You can see Vickie's post and sketches on her blog, Vickie Henderson Art.

I did this sketch from screenshots taken of the live cam. Not knowing Hummingbirds very well, I Googled it and somehow think I've made the beak much too curved (although it certainly looked like that on the screenshot) - the description read, "Allen's Hummingbird: Small, compact hummingbird; male has straight black bill, glittering green crown and back, white breast, and rufous sides, belly, rump, and tail. The throat (gorget) is iridescent copper-red. Feeds on nectar, insects, spiders, and sap. Swift direct flight, hovers when feeding." It also states that it is the female that incubates the eggs for 15 to 17 days, so maybe the female's bill is a bit more curved. All wonderfully new stuff to me!

I'm keeping a close eye one the Live cam, as I really would like to see the hatching of the eggs. Pop in again for an up-date!

Wetland (temporarily) in Tarlton again!

"Thicket by thicket and wetland by wetland, we are losing the remaining wilderness and diversity of life. The greenbelt is stopping the loss of natural features and the species they host."

~ Jim Bradley

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

Wetland - Watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm - Maree©
Size - 12" x 9" (SOLD)

A foray into bright colours, showing my excitement - the Tarlton stream is flowing again! It was almost as wide as the road as it snaked its way towards the dam, dropping several meters as it flowed through the broken dam wall. We haven't seen this sight for many years, but the plentiful rains we've had must've caused it to break through the man-made obstructions further up-stream. In this view the stream is flowing from the top down towards the old dam.

Longing back to the days of swimming in the dam with our horses before the wall was broken down...

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Farm shed in Magaliesburg

"The key question isn't "What fosters creativity?" But it is why in heaven's name isn't everyone more creative? Where was the human potential lost? How was it crippled? I think therefore a good question might be not why do people create, but why do people not create or innovate? We have got to abandon that sense of amazement in the face of creativity, as if it were a miracle if anybody created anything."


Farm Shed in Magaliesburg - watercolour 12" x 8.5" - Maree©

Magaliesburg, situated on the border of Gauteng and the North West Province, is renowned as a tourist destination, but also supports a vast farming community. I did this sketch of the shed on a farm not far from The Cradle of Humankind Visitors' Centre.