Sunday, November 28, 2010

Sketches and studies of the West Coast

I am here, haven't fallen off the face of the earth, just yet! Thought I'd catch up a bit and share with you some news.

I cannot believe there are 25 days till Christmas! I have so much to do before we leave for our annual holiday to the coast. But the spirit of Christmas is upon me as I have started making some Christmas presents and am about to pick out a colour theme for my tree. I don't take all my decorations on holiday with us as we wouldn't be able to get much else in the trailer! I normally buy a live pine branch from the Salvation Army, but that became a mission as they were an hour away from our holiday home. Then a nursery used to sell them on the side of the road not far from us but their branches were sparse and empty and not very attractive. I finally invested in a lovely artificial tree a few years ago which we take with us and pack it back up in its box each year. I love Christmas time as it's a time of giving and spirited with happy moments indulging in family and loved ones in a special place we love... the coast. I am so blessed!

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to travel down to the West Coast in the Cape. I wanted to capture some scenes of life there as it's fascinatingly different in contrast to the east coast where we normally spend our holidays. The people are different and the vegetation rich with low-lying indigenous fynbos and contrasting in comparison to the the east coast. My main aim was to take a trip up north to a little place called Paternoster. Legend has it that the the village derived it's name from the grateful prayers of the shipwrecked sailors, Paternoster meaning 'Our Father'. An old fishing village where fishermen still moor their boats on the beach after bringing in their catch of the day. The feeling of a bygone era still permeates the air with the quaint little whitewashed cottages that hug this small stretch of coastline and fishermen selling crayfish from their boats. Many an artist has painted the beach scenes there and have felt the urge to share in 'their way' the life of this attractive village.

My first small study sketch of boats on the beach at Paternoster


Colourful boats moored on the beach


White pristine beaches with the old fishermen cottages...
 but the waters are icy cold

Fisherman coming in with their catch of the day. 


 'Bokkoms' (sardines) hanging out to dry. I typical sight in 
Paternoster and delicacy of the locals.

I will be painting more of this beautiful trip I took to the west coast and show you the diverse scenes of the Cape. Now where did I put my painting hat??????

Till another time.... have fun painting!

12 comments:

martinealison said...

Hi Debbie,
Votre aquarelle est très belle et vous avez réussi à merveille ce partage avec les artistes venus peindre ce coin de paradis...
Les eaux y sont réellement glacées ?
La lumière y paraît intense, j'aime ça!
Noël approche effectivement à grands pas et moi aussi je devrais penser à mes décorations... et je ne suis pas en avance comme toi! je n'ai pas commencé mes cadeaux!
Bisous et si je n'ai plus de nouvelles avant les fêtes, je te souhaite de merveilleux moments en famille. Bisous

Kaye Parmenter said...

Great to see your work again Debbie and I love the sardines! Love hearing about your Christmas preps, it is such a lovely family time isn't it.

Debbie said...

Hi Kaye... thank you, I know it's early but I'm a procrastinator of note, and I'll most probably find other things to distract me in-between.

Martine, I love your post, thank you. The light is intense here in South Africa during the summer months and yes, the Atlantic ocean brings icy water to our west coast shores. I plan early for my Christmas as it gets me in the spirit and unwinds the soul. I still need to paint a few paintings before I leave too. Thanks for the Christmas wishes and wish you a joyous festive season with your new distraction :)

Carol Schiff Daily Painting said...

Hi Debbie, Love your work and the nice story about your trip to the coast. The area is beautiful and so quaint.

Hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday.

Carol Blackburn said...

Wonderful sights, Debbie. I love the sardine painting; in fact I had to click and make it larger because I wasn't sure if it was a photo or painting at first. Enjoy yourself, stay safe and healthy. Hugs,
Carol

jyothisethu said...

happy to read how much you await and prepare for xmas...

happy Christmas...

the pictures and travelogue are nice to enjoy...
as always i loved the painting...

congrats...

Marie Theron said...

Paternoster is so unique, Debbie, I thought that you would enjoy it there. Very nice watercolour, so fresh and it seems to capture the frail innocence of the fishing boats!

Unknown said...

Debbie, would you share your color pallet that you used for the fish?
My grandaughter went to the hospital this morning in labor :) I am watching Briahnna who is 2.

Debbie said...

Thank you Carol S, Glade you enjoyed a piece of South Africa. Looking forward to our break away!

Carol B, what a lovely thing to say.. thank you! Will enjoy out trip to the coast, thank you!

Thank you for popping in jyothishethu, love your husbands work as well as your lovely son. I wish them all the best!

Marie, you are so lucky to live in that part of the world! I needed a lot more time there as there was so much to see! Thank you for commenting, It means such a lot !

Sandra Busby said...

It seems that so many bloggers are apologising for the lack of posts at the moment, including myself! I realise you have had other reasons, but this time of year is so hard to find the time too. No worries debbie because your posts are ALWAYS worth the wait :0)
Both paintings are lovely, but for some reason I am really loving those fish!
I hope you get some time to paint during your holiday - Have a fantastic time!! :0D

JANE MINTER said...

..glad you found time to paint on your trip debbie ... must be really beautiful looking at your photos debbie ...love those sardines !

Crystal Cook said...

Love your paintings here Debbie!You've done excellent work. And I loved reading about your Christmas preparations too.

I LOVE Christmas!`