I'm on a Seagull mission!

“Why is it,” Jonathan puzzled, “that the hardest thing in the world is to convince a bird that he is free, and that he can prove it for himself if he’d just spend a little time practicing? Why should that be so hard?”
- From Jonathan Livingstone Seagull

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


"Seagull in flight" - watercolour in Moleskine Watercolour Sketch-book 8" x 5.5" - Maree©

After just having read "Jonathan Livingstone Seagull" (I know, I'm a late bloomer!), I'm enamoured by seagulls again! It's a passion that has been lying dormant for some time and awakened by this wonderful little book again.

Whenever I go down to the coast, one of the highlights of my visit is feeding the seagulls. They look at one with definite, calculated intention, and they seem to anticipate your next move before you even know what's it's going to be, snatching the food as it leaves your fingers. I also love the way they land right next to you, so close that you can see the pupil in their eye, without any apparent fear, yet poised for instant flight should you make an ominous move.

One time, a seagull landed next to me within touching distance, the plastic ring of some soda can wrapped around its one leg. I reached out slowly to try and catch it, and it lifted into the air, staying just centimeters from my grasping hand, landing again as soon as I retreated. I tried to grab it quickly, and once again it lifted off, staying just inches away from my hand, landing again as soon as it was safe. I fed it some bread and watched with great pain in my heart as it eventually lifted off and took flight over the ocean.

But here's the thing - I travel down to Ballito, on the North Coast of KwaZulu Natal, a few times during the year, but I have to go to Durban or further North up the coast to find the seagulls - there are no seagulls in Ballito! And yet they are up here in Gauteng, 600km from the coast, a mystery I still intend solving!

Seagulls in Randfontein

“To fly as fast as thought, to anywhere that is,” he said, ”you must begin by knowing that you have already arrived…”
- From Jonathan Livingstone Seagull

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


Seagulls in Randfontein - a quick watercolour study in my Moleskine watercolour sketchbook 8" x 5.5"

Not far from us, about 22km, lies the gold mining town of Randfontein, about 45 km west of Johannesburg. With the Witwatersrand gold rush in full swing in 1889, mining financier JB Robinson bought the farm Randfontein and floated the Randfontein Estates Gold Mining Company. The town was established in 1890 to serve the new mine and was administered by Krugersdorp until it became a municipality in 1929.

(If you click on the "Randfontein" link, you will also see the Hartebeespoort Dam area on the left of the map, my favourite sketching spot, and where it is situated from where I live in Krugersdorp.)



We visited Randfontein yesterday, and what amazes me about this town is the fact that you can find flocks of Seagulls there, 600km from the coast! I've tried to track the history of how these birds could have landed up there, but to no avail - I have now contacted the Randfontein Publicity Association to see if they might have some information.

The Proud little Black Wattle

“A man doesn't plant a tree for himself. He plants it for posterity.”
- Alexander Smith



This young little Black Wattle tree at the bottom of our smallholding is earmarked for eradication, together with a couple of others that have sprung up again since the last clean-up. It's a constant and on-going battle against this alien, Australian species which spreads like wild fire if left unattended, threatening our indigenous trees and grasses. I decided we'll leave the dead one as it's a favourite look-out point for the Fiscal Shrike.

See the previous post about the ongoing battle against Black Wattles

Quacking and Squawking overhead

You cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from building nests in your hair.
- Chinese Proverb

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


Duck sketches in Moleskine Watercolour sketchbook 8" x 5.5"

As I was filling the bird feeders yesterday morning, I heard a terrible raucous and as I looked up, six ducks came flying over, quacking and chatting, sounding like a busy freeway in the sky. I managed to identify some South African Shell ducks and some Mallards. Peculiar that they were all flying together, but given the Mallard's tendency to mate with anything and anyone, it's probably not that surprising. But there again, what I thought was the Shell ducks might have been female Mallards.


Duck sketches in Moleskine Watercolour sketchbook 8" x 5.5"

This is done in my Moleskine Watercolour Sketchbook, which, when opened, is too long for the scanner to cover both pages, therefore the two pictures.

Watercolour Workshop 3 - Another Wet-on-wet

“I've learned that everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.”
- Unknown


Art Class wet-on-wet 31/03/2010 15" x 11"

For the third workshop I attended with Angela Eidelman last week Wednesday, we had to stretch and prepare our paper at home beforehand and this week's practice was wet-in-wet again. We had to draw the outlines of the scene we were going to paint, from pictures Angela supplied, with Cerulean blue and then, paint it wet-on-wet, keeping in mind our composition, light source, focal point, etc., with Angela constantly peeping over our shoulders, giving encouragement and advice. Thoroughly enjoyed this exercise! This is the painting I completed during the workshop.

The Mulder's Drift

But the majestic river floated on, Out of the mist and hum of that low land, Into the frosty starlight.
-Arnold, Matthew


"The Mulder's Drift" - ink sketch and watercolour in Moleskine sketch-book 8" x 5.5"

The area of Tarlton is surrounded by a plethora of streams and little rivers, many originating as storm water flow offs from Randfontein, Krugersdorp and Roodepoort or from springs emerging in various vleis (swamp lands) situated all over the Witwatersrand. This little stream, known as the Mulder's Drift, originates somewhere in Strubensvalley, and flows through the sleepy village of Muldersdrift on its way to join the Crocodile River, eventually ending up at Hartebeespoort Dam, from where the overflow joins South Africa's biggest River, the Orange River, which passes the southern edge of the Kalahari Desert and winds through the Namib Desert before draining into the Atlantic Ocean at Alexander Bay, South Africa.

Below you can see where this humble little stream ends up!


The Orange River mouth and wetland on the coast of Namibia. At the mouth of the river are rich alluvial diamond beds. A sandbar at its mouth limits navigation, but the river is used extensively for irrigation.

When can you call yourself an artist?

The true artist paints for himself.
- A. C. Leighton

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


Wet-on-wet mountain landscape - watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm - 12" x 8" - Maree©

For this wet-on-wet scene, after wetting the paper, I sketched the main outlines of my scene using my Rigger and Cerulean Blue, a "trick" I picked up at my watercolour workshop on Wednesday. I'm sure many of you use this technique (I know West Coast artist Marie Theron does), but I've always been somewhat of a sketchy person, using my pencil, going into great detail with a lot of erasing happening. It's only been the past couple of months since I started practicing painting with no sketching beforehand that I feel confident enough to consider doing this.

The other day I was reading the article "When can you call yourself an Artist?" -
- and yesterday morning I felt like an artist! Standing in front of the easel, arm outstretched with the Rigger, creating a beautiful masterpiece!

I didn't use any reference material either, just my imagination.

By the way, to answer the question above, I think the best reply was as follows :

“You are an artist when you make art. Many artists spend their lives not selling their work … One of the first requirements for an artist is to ignore those who would define whether they are artists. The only real measure is the person making the art or, if need be, posterity.” -- Jon

Low tide

It's hard for me to put into words why I like the beach so much. Everything about it is renewing for me, almost like therapy...Beach Therapy”

--Amy Dykens

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


"The beach - Low tide" - watercolour in Moleskine watercolour sketch-book
8" x 5.5" - Maree©

In Wikipedia the tides are explained as follows:

• Sea level rises over several hours, covering the intertidal zone; flood tide.
• The water rises to its highest level, reaching high tide.
• Sea level falls over several hours, revealing the intertidal zone; ebb tide.
• The water stops falling, reaching low tide.

To me this is very similar to the feelings we experience throughout our lifetime - we all have our ups and downs. So when you're feeling down, just remember - after every low tide comes a high tide.

Mauritius beach - No. 18

Mauritius Beach - watercolour in Moleskine watercolour sketchbook - 8" x 5"

In December 2008 we were lucky enough to visit Mauritius for a week for my daughter's wedding. Of course the kids were having a ball - swimming in the ocean, snorkeling, paddle-boating, jet-skiing, fishing trips, sailing - the list is endless. And this palm tree was the centre of their attention, climbing up to the top, dangling precariously while having their photographs taken. I did this sketch from memory, as the trip is deeply etched in my memory forever.


Some friends sailing in the tropical waters of Mauritius

I don't regard myself as a big traveller (although I do go down to the North Coast, Ballito, about 10 times a year (because my daughter lives there and we also have a holiday apartment there) and to Cape Town a couple of times a year, where my sister-in-law lives) and I really envy people that hop on the plane or take off somewhere at the drop of a hat. I've only been overseas (UK) once and didn't find myself particularly impressed by anything and besides, those long hours on the plane (or bus or train!) are definitely not for me. I prefer to jump in my car on a whim and when I feel like it.


The Stunning Beach at 'Sunset Beach'

We were a party of 14 people and at 9.30 am our flight departed from O.R. Tambo airport in South Africa. After a four-hour flight, we arrived in Mauritius at 3.30pm! Weird, the time-zone thing... and then another hour's drive from Port Louis to Sugar Beach Hotel, where we were just in time for sun downers after getting all the luggage to our rooms.


Sugar Beach Hotel


Entrance to the Hotel, with me trying to escape the sun

Sun downers was an absolutely blissful experience - everything that anybody could ever dream of - stunning setting, stunning views and the most stunning service I've ever come across anywhere.


Sundowner Deck at night


Sundowner Deck during the day, where you can also enjoy lunch

The rooms are beautifully appointed, en-suite, spacious and, obviously, air-conditioned, (without which I would not have managed to survive!) with stunning views over the ocean. All the expected extras like tea and coffee server, writing material, internet connection and a fridge brim-full with delightful goodies!


Our Large Bedroom


Another view of the bedroom


En-suite bathroom

We had a state-of-the-art swimming pool right in front of our room, which was heated at night! (can't believe anybody would be cold there!) and it just seemed to blend in with the sky and ocean. At the restaurants there was another pool (HUGE, with islands and deck chairs in the water for sipping cocktails) and lot's of play-space for the children.


Pool in front of our room


Pool at The Tides Restaurant


Deck chairs in the pool for sipping cocktails

Sitting at The Tides Restaurant at dusk, chatting and sipping cocktails in the cooler evening air was the highlight of my every day - cool ocean breezes, the beautiful Indian Ocean - a get-together of everybody, sharing experiences and regaling the thrills of the day's happenings (everybody would have breakfast together in the beautiful dining room every morning, but thereafter, each was off on their own trip - swimming in the ocean, snorkelling, paddle-boating, jet-skiing, fishing trips, sailing or flitting off to Flick 'n Flack for some shopping.


The Tides cocktail deck

It was an unforgettable experience for me, partly because of my daughter's wedding and partly because I've (like everybody else) had this dream of visiting a tropical island, lazing on the sun-soaked beach and cooling off in an Azure blue ocean. Another dream realised! Just goes to show we're never too old to do something new!

After a week of bliss, it was time to return home on a four-hour flight that actually only took 2 hours! - once again the time zone thing - we boarded Mauritian time 4.30 pm and arrived Johannesburg 6.30 pm.

Definitely a travel experience to remember and for anybody that has not yet visited Mauritius, I would highly recommend Sugar Beach Hotel as your chosen destination.


View from our room


Lounge at Sugar Beach Hotel


The Bride and Groom - my daughter Samantha and Donovan Crewe


The Wedding Marquee on the Beach

The Seagull and the beach

"Jonathan Seagull discovered that boredom and fear and anger are the reasons that gull’s life is so short and with these gone from his thought, he lived a long fine life indeed."
- From 'Jonathan Livingstone Seagull'

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


"The Seagull and the beach" - watercolour in Moleskine Watercolour sketch-book
8.5" x 5" - Maree©

This is done from my imagination – I'm longing for the beach and seagulls!

"Seagull, you fly across the horizon
Into the misty morning sun.
Nobody asks you where you are going,
Nobody knows where you're from.

Here is a man asking the question
Is this really the end of the world?
Seagull, you must have known for a long time
The shape of things to come.
Now you fly, through the sky, never asking why,
And you fly all around 'til somebody, Shoots you down.

Seagull go and fly,
Fly to your tomorrow, leave me to my sorrow, fly."