After the rain

All was silent as before -
All silent save the dripping rain.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

W&N watercolour on X-pressit 300gsm

We've had some beautiful rain to end the season - for the past couple of weeks we've had heavy afternoon showers virtually every day and the ground is so saturated that puddles collect next to all the farm roads. We've had this before, with rains carrying on well into May and even June, which is peculiar for us, as Gauteng (South Africa) is a summer rainfall area.

::

Greater Kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros)

W&N watercolours on Amedeo 200gsm watercolour paper

The Greater Kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) is a woodland antelope found throughout Eastern and Southern Africa. Despite occupying such widespread territory, they are sparsely populated in most areas, due to a declining habitat, deforestation and hunting.

This animal’s true home is thorn-bush, rocky outcrops and dry desert ridges - It forms the perfect background to display the beauty of this elusive, ghostlike and magnificent antelope of Africa. Bulls are very secretive when they are alone and will stand motionless in bushes and under trees to avoid detection. Then only the most experienced human eye will see them. Man is often outwitted by the alertness and fantastic sense of hearing of the greater Kudu.

.

February delight

W&N watercolour on X-pressit 300gsm

::

Although we can have some of our hottest temperatures in February, it is also the time when our landscape is at its most vibrant, with all the colours of spring, summer and approaching autumn to delight the eye. Nature seems to be intent on cramming all four seasons into February, reminding us of things to come and that that has passed already...

::

Not the last post afterall! - Wisteria

"In pale moonlight / the wisteria's scent / comes from far away."
— Buson

::

Wisteria - W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm

Well, it seems my "last post" (previous post) is not the last post after all! I've had several requests to please keep on posting my art here as some people are not interested in looking for art in between photographs and all sorts of other posts! Hee hee! I completely understand that, so here I'm back, keeping this blog alive and my artwork separate from my other passions!

This painting is of a friend's Wisteria which is in full bloom and the scent is absolutely intoxicating! Just about the complete one side of her house is covered (there's a pergola next to the wall) and it's absolutely beautiful. The only problem is, the pergola is leaning dangerously close to a window from the weight of the plant and she says unfortunately she's going to have to take it down. That would be a real pity, but hopefully she can just trim it back a lot and retain some of the original plant. It his taken years to get to that size and planting a new one would take forever to produce this wonderful show.

::

The last post

Don't you think daisies are just the friendliest flowers? I caught these two smiling at a butterfly in my garden!

::

This will be the last post on this blog - but I'm not leaving! I have decided to move my art over to one of my other blogs, 'BLISSFUL THINGS', as it is getting very difficult and time-consuming keeping up with all my blogs. As I set myself the intention to slow down in 2012, to sit for a few moments longer enjoying my early morning coffee, stopping at each plant in the garden just a bit longer in stead of just rushing through, making notes of what has to be done and to listen more intently to the sound of the birds, the sound of life happening outside my studio, it seems fitting for me to combine the two blogs because, after all, my art is one of the most blissful things in my life!

I also have a Nature Journal at 'HEDGIE'S NATURE JOURNAL' and sometimes post some of my art there as well and am also a contributor at 'SKETCHING IN NATURE'. I also have a profile page at 'RedBubble' where I offer my art for sale in the form of cards, framed prints, posters, T-shirts etc. and that takes up a lot of my on-line time.

I would VERY much love it if you would visit me at BLISSFUL THINGS and I really look forward to seeing you there!

You are more than welcome to still leave comments here, I will still be receiving e-mail notifications as I am not closing the blog down, so I do look forward to hearing from you.

::

"If you don't have time to do it right,
when will you have time to do it over?
If anything is worth doing at all,
It is worth doing well."
- Unknown

::