Dandelion Time

"If dandelions were hard to grow, they would be most welcome on any lawn!"
~Andrew Mason



My lawn (and the fields surrounding our house) is absolutely covered in Dandelions! In one spot it looks like a yellow carpet - wonder what the soil configuration is that makes them so rife in certain spots? I have always picked dandelions for a small vase I have, but it is only upon very close inspection when I was sketching them that I realised what true little beauties these small flowers are, each a masterpiece aster in miniature.

Did you know that Dandelions can be beneficial to a garden ecosystem as well as to human health? Dandelions attract beneficial ladybugs and provide early spring pollen for their food. In a study done at the University of Wisconsin, experimental plots with dandelions had more ladybugs than dandelion free plots, and fewer pest aphids, a favorite food of the ladybugs. Dandelions long roots also aerate the soil and enable the plant to accumulate minerals, which are added to the soil when the plant dies.

(I found this interesting information at "Northwest Coalition for alternatives to Pesticides")

Spaza shop

“The Great Depression, like most other periods of severe unemployment, was produced by government mismanagement rather than by any inherent instability of the private economy.”
- Milton Friedman


Spaza Shop - watercolour in Moleskine Watercolour Sketch-book - 8" x 5" - Maree©

This Spaza shop in Tarlton has the most amazing bargains, like the cheapest cigarettes in the country!

A Spaza shop is an informal convenience shop business in South Africa, usually run from home. They also serve the purpose of supplementing household incomes of the owners, selling everyday small household items. These shops grew as a result of sprawling townships that made travel to formal shopping places more difficult or expensive.

"There are at least 100 000 spaza shops in South Africa – with an estimated 40 000 located in Gauteng – with a collective turnover of well over R7 billion per annum. Each spaza shop employs between two and three people, who in turn support an average of four family members. This translates into almost one million people benefiting from the existence of a spaza shop in their neighbourhood.

However, many of spaza shop owners do not hold formal business management qualifications and indeed, a significant number of them run spazas only as a means of survival."
(This info from SPAZANEWS)

Crocodile River in Broederstroom

"Sit by a river. Find peace and meaning in the rhythm of the lifeblood of the Earth."
— (Anonymous)

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


Broederstroom - Crocodile River - watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm 11" x 7" - Maree©

Another view of the Crocodile River, as it meanders on its way to Hartebeespoort Dam in the North-West Province of South Africa.

Daisies for healing

"Even thou who mournst the daisy's fate,

That fate is thine - no distant date;

Stern Ruin's ploughshare drives, elate,

Full on thy bloom,

Till crushed beneath the furrow's weight

Shall be thy doom!"

Author: Robert Burns

Echinacea purpurea (Cone Flower) - watercolour in hand-made sketchbook with Bockingford 300gsm watercolour paper
5.5" x 7.5" - Maree©

The Purple Cone Flower belongs to the Aster family and is believed to have therapeutic and healing properties. Native Americans have used Echinacea for more than 400 years to treat infections and wounds and as a general "cure-all." Today, people use Echinacea to shorten the duration of the common cold and flu and reduce symptoms, such as sore throat (pharyngitis), cough, and fever. Many herbalists also recommend Echinacea to help boost the immune system and help the body fight infections.

What Echinacea Is Used For
• Echinacea has traditionally been used to treat or prevent colds, flu, and other infections.
• Echinacea is believed to stimulate the immune system to help fight infections.
• Less commonly, Echinacea has been used for wounds and skin problems, such as acne or boils.

How Echinacea Is Used
The above-ground parts of the plant and roots of Echinacea are used fresh or dried to make teas, squeezed (expressed) juice, extracts, or preparations for external use.

(However, all herbs can have possible interactions with certain medications, so you should not use Echinacea when on any prescribed medication without first talking to your health care provider.)

.

My latest toys - Gouache

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time."
- John Lubbock

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


Landscape in Gouache - in Moleskine 200gsm Folio 12" x 8" - Maree©

In this invented scene I've experimented with a Gouache technique (pronounced "gwash" - it comes from the Italian aguazzo, for "mud"), using Opaque watercolours, starting with light transparent washes and smaller opaque passages down the slopes in the foreground, using colours like Light Red Permanent Opaque, Payne's Grey Permanent Opaque and Cadmium Yellow Permanent Opaque. For the sky I've mixed Cerulean with some Chinese White, using the same mix on the mountains with a darker variation.

I quite like the look one achieves with the opaques and I will be investing in some Gouache paints a.s.a.p.! This looks like an exciting new learning curve for me!

What is Gouache?
Gouache differs from watercolour in that the particles are larger, the ratio of pigment to water is much higher, and an additional, inert, white pigment such as chalk is also present. Like all water media, it is diluted with water. (Gum Arabic is also present as a binding agent, just as in watercolour.) This makes gouache heavier and more opaque, with greater reflective qualities.



Gouache paints come in many colors and are usually mixed with water to achieve the desired working properties and to control the opacity when dry.