Debbie does Art

Rhino Revisited

2011-09-26T15:44:00.000+02:00

The other night in my deepest slumber, I must have been dreaming about our wonderful rhino who are in desperate need of intervention by us from the incensed poachers and users of rhino horn. Seen we had just celebrated World Rhino Day, I thought it might have been the reason that these shy, prehistoric looking beasts were playing on my mind. I made a concious effort to hold onto my vision so that I could portray the idea on paper the next morning.

I did something out of the ordinary and rummaged around for a box of willow charcoals I have had around for about 40 odd years. I think the last time I picked up a piece of charcoal was 38 years ago but I knew I had to use with them for my idea. A few weeks ago I attended a fantastic demo on 'Using Blacks" with South African artist Meriel May in which she showed us various mediums using only black. One demo was with charcoals which I thoroughly enjoyed and thought I'd try my hand at my rhino subjects with this medium.

I am still a bit rusty at this, but was so please when my rhino came to life on my paper. I need to play and experiment a little more with texture, but all in all, I think these are pretty neat for someone who hasn't held a piece of charcoal in all these years. I'd also like to try and mix this medium with watercolour and see what effects I achieve. But for now I'd like to just sit and admire this work for a while and think of how I can make it more appealing!


First attempt, without a preliminary sketch of a rather long rhino


No pre-sketch, just straight in with the charcoal.

Bye for now,I'm off to sketch another animal......!

Picking up my Bushes!

2011-08-22T15:59:00.001+02:00

I was a bit horrified to see the date of my last post! I can't believe it's been this long since I added something on my blog. I've really neglected my wonderful blogger friends and owe you an apology.

Shall I just say that I had an extended hiatus. Life off-line has been somewhat busy, besides the day to day distractions, ailments, home and family matters, I"ll spare you all the details.

Although I have managed to stay in touch via Facebook, I simply ran out of hours and days to paint and post my work here. I have also been a bit distracted with other on-line matters involving the Watercolour Society of South Africa. I'm thrilled to be part of this terrific organisation, as an artist and and member of the executive committee. Being involved with the 'behind-the-scenes' running of this organisation has been quite enlightening and enriching. Managing the social media division and Website are a few of the tasks I've been allocated to help with. The WSSA is in the throws of some exciting changes and are expanding their horizons. With this, come a few challenges, hard work and time. In addition to this, I set up and policed a blog for my son's school rugby tour to Argentina this month. So, all in all, this deluge of events has resulted in information overload, something I'm not used to as a stay-at-home mum!

Snow capped mountains of the Maluti's.

Welcoming a much needed break, I decided to take a trip to a gorgeous part of our country where many artists have settled and made their home. Clarens, a small town with plenty of galleries, restaurants and craftshops, it"s situated in the Clarens valley in the Eastern Free State Highlands and nestled in the foothills of the great Maluti Mountains. Many artists and photographers have marvelled in her beauty which boasts an 'all season' wonder. Spring and summer is aglow with light green willows and colourful blossoms. In autumn the Poplar trees cast beautiful yellow contrasts against the orange sandstone formations of the mountains. The winter months might encourage visitors with the possibility of snow, which I was fortunate too witness. The Golden Gate Nature reserve is situated close by. This spectacular mountain range derives it name from the breathtaking glow of gold from the sun against the sandstone cliffs. Clarens is a quiet town and possesses an air of tranquillity which is why it's named the 'Jewel of the Freestate'.

The rich colours of the sandstone cliffs.

I stayed in a Bed and Breakfast called 'CottagePie'. The little cottage is situated below the cliffs of the mountains alongside a stream. I enjoyed the peace and quiet of this wonderful place but found it incredibly cold once the sun had set!

A sketch of the little stream at Cottage Pie BnB in Clarens.

If I wasn't sipping warm cappuccino's at the local coffee shops and restaurants sketching , I was out driving around experiencing the sights and spectacular views of the area. I have never been fortunate enough to experience a snow fall, so, my highlight was finally seeing it, driving in it was the eeriest experience too. Such a novelty for me! It was so quiet as the snow fell on my windscreen, so unlike rain. Sadly there was no snow in Clarens and I had to drive into the mountains to see it. It had started snowing there the morning I left Joburg, but by lunch time it had stopped. South Africa has a very warm climate and rarely sees snow except in a few high lying mountainous areas in winter. The occasional snow falls don't really last long and the snow had already started diminishing the next day. By the time I'd left Clarens 4 days later.... there were only small patches of snow on the highest peaks. I have to say that these will be special memories for me, cherished for many years!

A quick sketch of the first little friends who welcomed me to Clarens.

Driving towards Golden Gate where the peaks were covered with snow.


A little scene next to the Post House Restaurant

Another sketch (on Moleskin) of the formations found in the Maluti Mountains.

So, with these few sketches, hope I made up for being so scarce around these parts.

Till later.......

Bo Kaap Bargee

2011-06-15T00:14:00.000+02:00

I completed this painting today...... 'Bo Kaap Bargee ' (Cape Malay Sailor). This gentleman was just a site walking around with his 'gummy' smile in the streets of Cape Town.

I was fascinate with his facial features. The Cape Coloureds of the Western Cape have their front teeth surgically removed, and the real reason has long been forgotten. Coloured people have been doing it so long that they forgot the real reason why thay do it. "You know when you do something that your parents and your grandparents where doing and you ask why are you doing it, they answer, I don't know, because my brothers did it! " Was a quote from a Coloured Man! Some say its a sexual myth or fashion victomhood! It portrays their identity and is called the 'Passion Gap' or Cape Flats Smile'. I certainly don't think it's attractive at all!

Making up for Lost time.

2011-06-12T10:45:00.000+02:00

Oh my Word! Has it been 3 months since I posted here on my Blog? I sit here and wonder if any of my wonderful blog friends will forgive my absence!

I have been been online but doing things for another blog which has kept me away from painting. A few months ago I was elected a National Committee member for the Watercolour Society of South Africa. With it came my task of keeping the website, blog and facebook pages updated. This has been a time consuming process but have loved being involved. The website was outdated and needed updating with the new committee members. Our blogs were asleep and have slowly got one running to schedule now with the latest news and happenings.

Last week I decided that I WAS going to paint no matter what, and started this painting "Morning Nap'.

Morning Nap

I thoroughly loved the subject but I was a bit disappointed with the paper I used. It was a piece of a full sheet of Fabriano 300gsm I cut up. I bought a couple of sheets a while back which I was saving to do a large painting at a later stage. It didn't allow me to be loose and wet as I'd wished and I ended up overworking some parts to get rid of the lines made by the first wash.

I'd love to hear your feelings on using this paper as I don't think I am enjoying it at all!!

I also managed to complete a commission for someone whilst I was busy with the WSSA. Something I am embarrassed to say took a bit longer than intended. But the owner is thrilled!

These are a few sketch studies I did for her. Silly me, I forgot to take pics of the final two I painted for her! Will have to ask her to take some for me!

A few of you might have seen the next painting on my FB page. I played around and had fun with the idea of little goats. This and the painting above were photos I took at a wonderful farm I visited last year in the Swartland near Darling called Lelieblom, English translation - 'lily flower'. This farm is a restaurant farm which is run by a friendly warm lovely lady, Karen and her husband Michael. The oldie worldie shabby chick style old barn is the setting for this wonderful restaurant.

Boerbokkies

Hope to post here again soon and not neglect my painting so much.

Till then....

All Pretty Maids in a Row

2011-03-28T16:05:00.000+02:00

Over the past few weeks I've been getting ready to host an Open Day which is taking place on Thursday. A friend and I have decided to put our talents to use and start a little venture. She makes jewellery and has wonderful contacts for hand made frames, sterling silver jewellery and dresses. I have mountains of paintings and have also started a small handmade jewellery line. On Thursday we have invited a few other girls to sell wonderful goodies with us and will bring along their gorgeous pewter home-wear, sea-grass mats, throws handbags and designer clothing. I hope it'll be a success as I enjoy ladies events like this where you can breeze around with a cup of tea or champagne and enjoy a lovely afternoon in a relaxed market feel environment. At the moment I need to work out prices for my art which is not easy as I have no idea how to charge. But I'm sure I'll work out a formula which will be appealing to the ladies.

In between pricing and labelling my jewellery the other night, I painted a painting of an idea I've had in my head for a while and thought I'd get stuck in and paint it. Not too sure that it's exactly what I wanted to achieve but, but I thought I'd post it anyhow for you to see and comment on. I was hoping for messier loose strokes, but the style of art I do - wasn't able to achieve it!
This might just be a good exercise for another.

Have a great week every one.

Under the sea Treasures

2011-03-16T13:35:00.008+02:00

Well, I'm having a break from painting mini paintings for my upcoming Open Day at the end of the month. The other night I was just splashing around with three colour pigments and salt on a scrap of paper I had left over from the full page I had. I let it dry overnight and was surprised the next morning to see how it had dried. I'm sorry that I didn't take photos of the different stages I painted - as you would have been amazed at what it looked like before I added structure to it. Not knowing what I was going to do with this sheet of paper, I put it away.

Finally, I found shapes that looked like a reef in a way..... fishes eyes and coral shapes appeared out of nowhere. So I set about creating an underwater theme using all the negative shapes to make it look a bit realistic I thoroughly enjoyed painting this although it took me ages to capture the scene, making sure that it didn't end up looking like I had stuck the subjects on paper. I tend to work quickly and like to finish paintings within a few hours normally, but I found this particularly therapeutic and didn't want it to finish!

Love to hear what you think, also how many little creatures can you find?

BLOGLIST THUMBNAILS NOT SHOWING ON BLOGGER?

2011-03-07T01:27:00.002+02:00

For those who are a somewhat confused by the missing images in your bloglists in your sidebar of your blog..... An on the ball fellow blogger friend Rhonda Carpenter has posted a good explanation as to why and what you can do to alleviate this. Thank you Rhonda.

Done and Dusted

2011-03-02T18:36:00.002+02:00

Why is it that some artists do not feel brave when choosing painting submissions for a juried exhibition. I find this the most daunting and nerve-wrecking part of painting, I'm so critical of my own work, as most artist are and can never decide which one to submit!!! Choice of subject is also a factor I believe, if you choose an exciting subject and one hopefully that the judges can relate to, then half the battle is won. The last two months have seen me feverishly painting for the upcoming 85th National Watercolour Exhibition, but not all of them were (in my eyes) good enough. I put myself under such pressure trying to paint 'thee' best paintings and end up being disappointed, specially when I have left it to the last minute. But supposedly, that is my own fault as I dabble too often in smaller sketches and studies and not expanding myself and pushing the boundaries. I don't spend enough time painting larger completed paintings.

Much to my surprise this morning, I was informed that all three of my paintings were selected. Two of which I thought were mediocre and one of those I had no hope for.... Time forced me to make a choice which thankfully worked in my favour. Don't get me wrong, I am over the moon and I'm slowly getting closer to my associateship with all my submissions.

I can't wait to take my paintings to the framers now, ready to be hung for the exhibition.

Here is a sneak preview of the paintings........

Trip into Town

2011-02-11T14:45:00.000+02:00

I've had a lull with watercolours of late, but have found some inspiration to get some paintings ready for the 85th National exhibition coming up in March. The paintings have to be submitted next week!
This is a sneak peek of one I'm quite excited about. Have a long way to go but I'm taking my time on this as I'm enjoying it so much.
Started of with a wet in wet wash of FUM, Indigo and Y Ochre. Let that dry and have started adding details to the subject.

Have a great weekend every one and catch up with you soon!

Till next time.....

Zany Zebra

2011-01-24T11:11:00.000+02:00

Zany Zebra

With the WSSA 85th Open Exhibition approaching I'm feverishly painting for submissions to this event.

I have a painting under the belt for now and need another two. This is one I started painting last night.... just a bit of fun and enjoyed the colours I used. At 2am this morning I called it a day and left it to complete later when I could concentrate with a clear head. On looking at it this morning, I was dissatisfied with the construction of his face. His muzzle looked too long, the eye was a bit small and just wasn't

sitting in the correct place!

A bit frustrating at times when paintings don't do what they are supposed to do, you can't win them all I suppose, specially when you have a dead line! It's just a piece of paper after all and we are

supposed to enjoy painting, don't we? But I think that's part of the fun.... or is it?

Oh well, what can I say but back to the easel!

I'm not too disappointed with this as I'll keep it as a reference for colours used, but this

Zany Zebra will not be part of the show!

Go and get your Glasses!!!!

2011-01-14T22:13:00.000+02:00

Well, at least I had fun with this one!!!! I know, I know! the colours are all wrong. The background is too warm and far too busy but boy was I enjoying myself with this one. My son looked at it and said instantly... "the colours are too bright in the background but has a great feel, almost abstract, but I like it mum!" Well, I think he is right and apart from it being far to busy it looks gaudy in real life. In order for the subject to be prominent, the B/G colours need to be cool. Cool colours help recede the B/G and bring the subject to the fore.

On looking at it again, it could always be a rhino running from a fire, couldn't it? What say you? I would love your honest constructive criticism on this one please! Oh, and by the way, it's painted on a huge piece of paper, bigger than my comfort zone and is quite dominant in my studio!!! Ha ha!

40 x 56 cm

Practice, Practice, Practice

2011-01-12T13:25:00.000+02:00

Another small sketch of a rhino... WOW, not that easy.. but will keep trying!

Sketches on Holiday

2011-01-07T16:08:00.000+02:00

A very Happy, Creative and Inspiration year to you. May this, the first year of the decade reap huge rewards and positive attitudes for you all. After settling back at home after a 3 week break, loads of washing done and unpacking out the way, I decided to look back through my sketchbook I took with me and thought I'd share some of the very rough sketches I painted whilst down at the seaside in St Francis Bay on the East Cape coast of South Africa.

Study of Penguins after I watched Penguins being re-introduced back in to the ocean

I acted on a whim just before I left for my holiday and got wrapped up in the huge global Anti-Rhino poaching issue. I flew in 'horns and all' and suggested a campaign called Artist Campaign to HELP Save the Rhino on Facebook. This campaign is for artists of all genre world wide to stand united and paint, draw, sculpt, write, photograph rhino's. Some or all proceeds of sales can be donated to a worthy organisation who support rhino conservation. So far the interest is there, I just need to fine tune the logistics, get support and spread the word. This is where you can help too if you feel the need. The more the merrier and the greater the reward for the salvation of the rhino.

I am absolutely appalled by the behavior of some people who have senselessly maimed and slaughtered innocent rhino's for their horns and left some babies orphaned or dying from starvation. The horns are been sold to the East for medicinal and healing purposes and fetch incredibly high prices. Studies show that the properties in the horn are the same as your fingernails....Keratin, Calcium and Melanin. The horn has been prized for centuries and will take authorities a hundred years to eradicate a myth.

The shocking statistic is that last year alone, over 300 rhino's were killed...... that's almost 1 a day!!! I want to cry when I read these stats! I so want to help in some way to stop the barbaric slaughter but cannot do it alone, this is where you come in. If you are keen to join me in the fight to help this shy, strange almost pre-historic animal from extinction, please pop over to my link above and show your support. I have more information on the Campaign there.

I did a few studies of rhino's on holiday just playing with ideas for a larger painting I'll do for the Campaign. Hope you'll join me!

Till next time.......

Ho Ho Ho .....quick sketch!

2010-12-04T18:16:00.000+02:00

A quick sketch of guess who!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm tree decorating!

2010-12-04T18:11:00.000+02:00

This year I'm decorating two trees, one at home and one when we get to our holiday home.

Oh, I love this time of year... I'm in my element!

Sketches and studies of the West Coast

2010-11-28T10:47:00.001+02:00

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!

A hard 2 months.....

2010-11-04T20:15:00.001+02:00

The reason I have not been very active here lately is that I have lost both my Father-in-law and Mother-in-law within 7 weeks of each other. They were the rock beneath my husband and the loving grandparents to our children and I loved them too. They were 87 and 88 respectively and although they had lived a full, exciting and long life, the family were never ready to say goodbye. The passing of my Father-In-Law from a stroke on the 2nd Sept and my Mother-In-Law shortly afterwards from complications in her health after his passing was a huge blow to us. Our days were taken up with daily visits to to hospital, making new plans for Evelyn. and trying to adjust. When Felix passed away after a stroke we took time to and heal and mourn. But Evelyn, (not strong due to dialysis treatment, was trying hard to adjust to not having Felix around to look after any more) developed complications. She spent 5 weeks in and out of ICU. Finally on the 25th October she slipped away after a brave fight.

There are things that we don't want to happen but have to accept, things we don't want to know but have to learn, and people we can't live without but have to let go. ~Author Unknown

I'm praying that the Lord grant my husband and his sisters strength and hope they all find calm in their hearts to weather the storm and find peace to carry them through this tough time. Both Felix and Evelyn are now in a happy, peaceful place, together!

RIP. We will miss you both!

My sincere Apologies

2010-10-18T12:05:00.000+02:00

I extend my sincere apologies for the accidental removal of your comments in some of my posts. Not too sure what I was thinking when Blogger asked me to clear away some spam mail...... and without thinking, deleted a whole page from my detection page. That was so silly and now I've lost some of your wonderful comments. I feel awful about it and hope you will accept my humble apologies for this stupid error! You feed back is always very welcome and most valuable to me.

Hugs to you all
XX

A Gentle Giant

2010-10-17T18:54:00.000+02:00

Had a bit of a challenge going with a friend this week. He mentioned to me that he wanted to paint an elephant in gouache. Strange thing was, that I had been breezing through some of my photos for inspiration earlier that same day and came across one of an elephant I wanted to paint. I had told him about it and he said we should set ourselves a challenge... just for fun. I felt a bit intimidated that he suggested this challenge as his work is magnificent and so intricately painted. See his work here. My work is loose and much quicker to paint but I agreed! This is by no means a comparison between our work as we both have unique styles and work in totally different mediums, but I must say, I was touched that he was subtly giving me a boost and encouraging me to paint. Robbie has been so supportive and really been such a thoughtful friend when I lost the motivation. I have come to realise that online art friends are so very valuable and are the best critiques.

Here is my attempt at my elephant. It is far from perfect but I managed to find the inspiration I needed.

Gentle Giant (best viewed large)

I have an idea to do a larger version of this and develop this painting further. Looking forward to seeing Robbie's elephant and will post it here when he has completed his painting.

On this note, I would like to also extend my warm thanks to all my blogger friends who have taken the time to leave a comments to my work. Hope to keep up the motivation and be inspired to paint (hopefully one a day) with the love and encouragement I have received on my blog.

Till next time...... Have a great week!

The Fair Cape

2010-09-25T12:14:00.002+02:00

Feeling a bit nostalgic of late, my mind takes me to the Cape where my eldest son is studying at University. I'm feeling the maternal tug of separation and find myself missing my son terribly lately, although I think he is very happy to be 1400 km's away from home right now. Which university student wouldn't be? Campus life is armed with wonderful opportunities for young people where independence and joyous carefree spirits converge. But my heartstrings which for 18 years so lovingly enveloped a child are being twitched and I am drawn to wanting to be near my son. I have the urge to be in (his) space right now, possibly just to feel a connection and believe I'm right there with him.

This brings me to the 3 watercolours I painted. They are painted from photo's I took when I was down in Cape Town in January settling my son into University.

This is the start of the forest below Devil's Peak on the road up to Rhodes Memorial. The mist lay heavily over Table Mountain that day and just a hint of the base of the mountain was visible through the pines. Rhodes Memorial looks directly over the University of Cape Town. The views from here are spectacular and you can see fore miles.

A quick sketch of Cecil John Rhodes. This is the statue at the Rhodes Monument to honour the British colonist come mining magnet and Statesman who forged world trade into Africa. Founder of Rhodesia now Zimbabwe and funded the Rhodes Scholarship. I like to believe he is watching over my son from his perch up on the slopes of Devil's Peak, giving him the resolve to achieve his goal at UCT.

Another quick sunset sketch of the view of the mystical Table Mountain in Cape Town looking from Bloubergstrand. Devil's peak is not too clearly portrayed here but it's the bulge on the left hand side of Table Mountain. Lion's head and Signal hill lie to the right. The sunsets are awe inspiring and many tourist has marvelled at the spender of The Cape and her rich beauty.

"Few world cities can compete with the natural backdrop of Cape Town. This beautiful city sits below the immense bulk of Table Mountain, is fringed by gorgeous beaches and cushioned by productive vineyards. But really all it takes is a ride up the mountain in Cape Town's iconic cable car and you'll understand why the city is so high on our list of places to see before you die." Avril Field

Portrait Givaway Contest

2010-09-18T15:36:00.001+02:00

A wonderful contest has just enfolded by my blogger and Facebook friend Crystal Cook. A real master of beautiful portraits so lovingly painted is offering the winner a portrait of their choice. Please clickeither on Cryatal's name above or the link on the right hand side bar of my page to follow instructions and enter.

A beautiful Portrait done by Crystal Cook

Have a great weekend!!!

Wake-board Whizzkid (WIP)

2010-09-10T15:33:00.002+02:00

I decided to do a work in progress piece as an exercise for myself. My son went away with a few friends to the Vaal Dam, an hours drive from where we stay. Sounds like they had a good time by the looks of the photographs he showed me. Anyway, when I saw this pic I decided that it was going to be my next painting.

I think I'm happy with the way it turned out although my husband says there is not much of a likeness..... but does it really have to be my son? I'm not too phased.

After sketching the subject on my stretched paper, I used masking fluid to preserve the white spray around the wake board. I painted a light blue wash over the water. When dry I started painting the features and body.

And then started with the wake board.

Moving on down to the reflections.... this was not an easy feat but I ploughed on.

After adding the reflections of the body cast on the water I felt that it was a bit harsh and lightly sprayed it and mopped the damp paper with a tissue to soften the colours slightly. When that was dry I started adding the blue shadows on the spray and painted in the background and the ski rope.

I put it aside for a while as I'd worked on it all morning and was feeling a bit weary. This also helped me to change gear and refresh the brain. I felt the water was a tad light and added another blue wash which brought the painting together a bit more. When it had dried I removed the masking fluid and darkened the spray a bit more to tie the reflections to the body.

Hope I've managed to do this, please don't feel shy to tell me what you think. My son is thrilled with it and I suppose that's all that matters.

Have a wonderful weekend and happy painting!

New York City..... where dreams are made of!

2010-08-21T11:21:00.000+02:00

Our trip to the USA brought new ideas and wonder to my art world. This painting of Conservatory Waters nestled in Central Park NY was alive with wonderful inspiration and beautiful settings for any artist. I would have been happy to have sat there all day just sketching all the sights and scenery, but we had limited time and were constantly on the move to try and get the most of this concrete jungle.

This painting is a late afternoon view as we approached Conservatory Waters on the south east side of Central Park. Most of you will recognise it from a few movies which were shot there such as 'Home Alone 2', 'Stuart Little', 'Breakfast at Tiffany's', Kramer vs Kramer to name a few. I loved the way the sun was catching the sides of the buildings and casting wonderful orange reflections in the water of the pond.

Happy Anniversary !

2010-08-18T14:27:00.001+02:00

Well, I'm still around and happy to report that I'm now slowly getting back into painting again after what seems like an age. The last few months have been quite exhausting and busy to say the least and I have really missed my painting. The World Cup Soccer has long passed and visitors have all safely returned home. My stepdaughter's wedding in the USA went off wonderfully and I can safely say we are over our jet lag and ready for the final haul of 2010.

As I type, spring is about to pounce on us and have already noticed that some trees in my garden have started shooting. Sadly, I missed a few little Daffodils in my garden that came into bloom when I was away. Does this mark my 1st year anniversary of my blog? I remember my very first post on my blog, it was a photo of my first Daffodil of the year. Gosh how time flies! It seems like it was yesterday! May I take this opportunity in thanking all my wonderful blogger friends who have so diligently popped in and left me inspiration and goodwill comments on my work over the past year. You guys are great, and I appreciate your time. THANK YOU!

I have the WSSA (Watercolour Society of South Africa) 84th National exhibition coming up in September and I need to get some paintings done to submit for it. Unfortunately, I have hit a blank wall for ideas at the moment so will have to really channel my energies into that over the next day or so. Wish me luck!

Lastly, What's a blog without an image.......? This painting I leave you with was a little bit of playing just before I left for the States. I have never tried this before and had so much fun creating it. I laid tissue paper in strips onto 300gsm watercolour paper with Gesso and washed watercolour pigments over the dried paper. The textures it made were quite inspiring. What came from it looks like crags and crevices with foothills in the foreground. What do you say? Could this be somewhere in the Drakensberg mountain range in KwaZulu Natal? Anyway, wherever this painting takes you - hope you enjoy it.

Have a wonderful week, what's left of it!

A Morning with Richard Rennie

2010-06-28T12:50:00.001+02:00

I was treated through the Watercolour Society of South Africa (WSSA) to a wonderful morning watching watercolour demonstrations by South African acclaimed artist Richard Rennie. Born in Zimbabwe (formally Rhodesia) and now settled in a little arty town called Clarens in the Orange Free State, Richard is fully adept to painting in oils and acrylics, but because of his impulsive nature, found watercolour his medium of choice. Richard has had too many 'one man' exhibitions to mention and has exhibited his work in South Africa and abroad. Whilst in his quest to expand his range of subjects which include more impressionistic abstract landscapes, he has returned to painting in oils, acrylics and mixed media.

A completed landscape - Richard Rennie

A delightful person to know, Richard kept the class entertained with his keen sense of humour and had us in stitches as he quietly demo'ed his beautiful work. He claims he is too old to do workshops and now quietly paints whilst his class look on and throw questions at him.

Richard starts his paintings with a Wet in Wet sky before

moving onto a Wet on Dry landscape

I was blown away by his non-conformist "breaking-all-the-rules" philosophies about watercolour.
Firstly, many of the things I've ever been taught in watercolours were totally blown out the window. There must be some truth in his approach to watercolour if his beautiful watercolours are anything to go by! His sky's are out of this world. His colour selection is very unplanned, he told us NOT to ask him which colour he was using as he didn't know. His palette as huge and looked in disarray with colours mixed all over the show. He did happen to know one colour which is a favourite.... Australian Green Gold made by Art Spectrum. I would assume that it's a wonderful colour to use in painting South African landscapes. He uses a lot of Holbein pigments too. He likes the rich colour it produces and waters down well to get a transparent finish.

An abstract landscape Richard completed for us in under 20 minutes.

He believes we need to go and play in the sand with our new brushes.... just to ruffle them up a bit!!!!!
He claims bad brushes produce the best work! Huh? go figure!
He also never refreshes his water pot. I've never seen such dirty water..... just he way he likes it.!
Richard unconventionally works from the outside of the painting into the focal point as he believes that you can focus on the main focal area last and add to it if needs be.

Richard Rennie with a completed landscape. Don't know if you

can see but note his brush just sitting in his rather brown looking water bowl.

I thoroughly enjoyed my morning and wonder if I'll be making use of Richard Rennie's beautiful yet unconventional methods of watercolour. I suppose we all as artist strive to learn constantly in our quest for self-satisfaction and gratification.

On the sixth day, God created the artist, realizing no doubt that He had far from exhausted the uses of color. (Robert Brault)

Life through Artists Eyes!

2010-06-20T01:33:00.003+02:00

Cam ~ sketch of a little cutie-pie

Something got me thinking the other day which intrigued me. I was wondering why artists see the world around them differently?. Why do they see things non-artists don't see?. Is it something they are taught or is it just inherent in them as artists?.That's really fascinating and as someone who wasn't always a visual artist, I've definitely found myself looking at the whole picture more and more. I have had no formal training but it's just something that seemed relevant to my work. Have I subconsciously taught myself to look for things like form, textures, light & colours other than the actual picture.

Ravi Vora, a Creative Director with a degree in advertising , summed it up quite simply... we can teach ourselves to observe things in order to release our creativity.

http://ravivora.com/blog/see-the-world-like-an-artistic-genius

So, all the artists reading this, have a look around you and see if you can seperate the observations of an object or picture from assumptions.

Sock in the Darks!!!

2010-06-09T10:52:00.002+02:00

There are days in our painting lives when we either find inspiration from nature or get inspired by things we have seen which attracted the eye, either with light, colour or texture. Last night whilst going through some paintings by wonderful artists I read how one artist had used a spray bottle to wet the paper over the pigment which was applied to the paper quite thickly. She let the water disperse over the paper and waited till it was dry before adding the detail to her painting. Seeing that I was in a floral mood, I decided to have a bit of fun last night and explore this technique as well as bubble wrap.

The flowers below are from my imagination - could be a Lupin, Larkspur or Lilac, anyone's guess!

After adding pigment straight from the tube onto a shaped piece of bubble wrap, I pressed it onto the paper in different areas of my page. Then taking the plastic off the paper I sprayed quite intensely with my spray bottle, keeping the paper at an angle so the pigment and water could run off down the page. Not all the pigment bleeds away which leaves intense colour in parts where the flowers are (or shadows). Going back in with more bubble wrap to intensify the darker side of the flower and leaving wonderful deep colours of pigment. I washed in the background colours after the paper was dry as well as adding some foliage at the bottom.

I'm not too sure if this is finished though! I'd like to add in a few highlights where I lost some of the light on the tips of the flowers. I quite like the effect and the way the purple flowers glow.

How fascinating it is when you have a vision and are able to put it on paper. You also discover along the way that with a bit of imagination, you could experiment with other things to create textures and shapes.
I love this medium so much.....Watercolour, with all its subtle colour and value gradations and its many welcome surprises, is the perfect medium for capturing mood.

-on watercolour
The only virtue to it, is to put down an idea about what you feel at the moment. (Andrew Wyeth)

....until next time!

Last day of Jean's workshop and painting session.

2010-05-30T20:13:00.003+02:00

Goodness,! It's been a long while since I last wrote on my blog! I do apologies for being so inattentive.

Today I woke up to a rather dark overcast morning with heavy clouds looming overhead. It has definitely also dropped a few degrees in temperature since yesterday. We lit a fire in our lounge in the hope that we can warm up the house on this mizzy, lazy Sunday. A perfect day to add to my blog, don't you agree?!

I also realised that I have not finished off the notes of the last day of Jean Haines' workshop we attended in April. So best I now put on my thinking cap and try and remember all the things we did on the last day of the 'Watercolours with Life' workshop.

Although I have added some photo's of some of the things we did on the 2nd day I would like to go back in with a bit more detail as to how to get some of those juicy washes that Jean so effortlessly achieves.

Jean started off by explaining to us about 'starting points' and bleeding away from that point.
If you were to study your photo, or if you were painting from life, You'd need to establish what the focal point of your painting is going to be. If it were to be painting an animal or portrait, the eye would normally be the first thing that attracts a person to a painting. In the case of a landscape or still life - a house, tree or prominent flower is a good indication of where to start.

The first demo of the day was the little Muscari and Primroses. Jean had a starting point in her mind. In the Muscari, Jean started with dry brush stokes of tiny blue 'marks' and worked away the colour with water to soften and make it more alive. Remembering NEVER to go back in after you have added water as this will just loose its natural feel and add unnecessary brush marks. Let the paper dry if you need to add a layer or two.

Another tip is to ALWAYS look at your subject even though you might know it well or have painted it numerous times before. Painting imperfections will add character to your subject.

After her demo's we all went off to do 'our' interpretations of what Jean had taught us. I found a lovely Anemone in Jean's vase of assorted flowers to paint. My starting point was the centre of these interesting flowers. Working away with the petals and then finally adding the stems and background, remembering to leave the white paper to trap the lights.

Another attempt.......

I was a little happy with they way these turned out, but Jean was thrilled.... now, the toughy!!!!.....to put it into a whole painting!!!!!!

After we all got a chance to paint our wonderful blooms, we watched Jean do another demo of Daffodil's. Here she explained that the petals were the same size roughly as the circumference of the trumpet. The trumpet was crated with side brush strokes. (No initial sketch) The petals were painted, painting around the shapes, leaving some incomplete (for movement). Adding colour to the outer edges of the petals and bleeding away from the centre of your work gives balance and allows for depth. Whilst still wet, she added tissue in the shape of leaves onto the paper and applying more green pigment around the tissue. Also whilst still wet, for added texture, a strip of bubblewrap was placed on the wet pigment. Here is an example courtesy of Jean.........

Jean's example of texture added to a painting for interest.

Adding splashes and colour to background.

Another Daffodil by Jean with bubble wrap for interest.

I decided to go back to my table after that demo and paint the Stocks from earlier as a full painting with flowers fading into the background, using Jeans techniques.

The day was exhausting again and we slept peacefully that night dreaming in watercolour and wondering what awaited us the next day at Jean's home.

Jean's cottage was like those you see on chocolate boxes. A cute thatch double story down a narrow country lane. We were welcomed with slobbery kisses by Taffy and Bailey who were so excited to see us all again. After we got settled, Jean took the dogs leashes out and we all went for a leisurely stroll around her little village countryside. Lambs were merrily wagging their new born tails as the sheep and horses looked on at us with total curiosity. The grass in the fields and meadows were so green, it made your eyes hurt and the fresh spring morning air was so refreshing. I thoroughly enjoyed my morning walk and felt energised for the day's painting. We managed to get lots of photographs taken and found plenty inspiration for our painting session back at Jean's home. Once back after a cup of coffee we settled ourselves in and around Jean's garden and painted, stopping only to watch the antics of her two adorable dogs and cats who looked like they were putting on a show specially for us.

A stroll down a country lane.

Some curious onlookers....

Splashing paint! Having fun! courtesy Jane Minter

Painting in Jean's Garden. courtesy Jane Minter

We all enjoyed our day and some of us got quite a few paintings done... unlike moi !.... who ended up with a lot of binners.

I must say one thing about my trip to the UK this year..... I absorbed much more and felt a sense of achievement more so than last year. Possibly due to the fact that I knew what I was expecting this time round. I had seen Jean paint before, so this year I applied all my energies into just quietly taking in all I could of Jean's wonderful painting styles. It also helped taking notes!!!

Thank you so so much Jean....! I feel so blessed to have been able to come and watch you paint again. You are also a wonderful host and you made me feel very welcome. Your love and passion for watercolour shines through in every stroke you lay on your canvas. Anyone who is able to enjoy a workshop with Jean is extremely fortunate. I wish you the best of success with your book Jean (which I have now finally pre-booked online).I will always look back on these days with fondness and a smile!

Till next time...................

Indian Cooking Demo's - In time for winter!!!!!

2010-05-03T16:54:00.001+02:00

A friend is about to start a couple of real authentic Indian cooking demo's. All sound absolutely mouthwatering! .If you are interested.... please call the number listed below to book.

I have begun this new and exciting venture and would like to tell you all about it...

Authentic Indian Cooking Demonstrations

Chef Naz

Come and learn how to prepare authentic Indian dishes.

Presented in a professional demonstration kitchen

Conveniently located in Rockvale Estate, Lonehill.

Ample safe parking available.

May 2010 Demonstrations:

Thursday

6^th May

Traditional Chicken Biryani. Chicken marinated in yoghurt, saffron and fragrant spices, served layered with Basmati rice. Indian meals are traditionally begun with something sweet. Jarda, sweet rice prepared with saffron, almonds and dates.

Thursday

13^th May

Soft, sweet vermicilli, fragrant cinnamon and pistachio nuts. Roasted chicken marinated in garlic, red chilli and lemon accompanied by spicy potato and Roti.

Thursday

20^th May

Kalya, chicken marinated in yoghurt, red chilli and spices. Accompanied by Puri, fried Indian ‘bread’. Ghaas, rose and cardamom flavoured milk jelly made with agar agar, a gelatine of vegetable origin.

Thursday

27^th May

Lamb curry with a thick, spicy and delicious gravy accompanied by Roti made on a traditional Indian ‘tava’. Sweet Soji halwa, cream of wheat prepared with saffron, cinnamon and cardamom and toasted alomonds.

Classes start promptly at 06:30. Approx 2 & a half hour duration

Learn the specialized techniques acquired through several generations

Simple to understand and easy to replicate

Chef Nazerit Essack has trained internationally as a professional chef for the last 20 years. She is currently lecturing at one of the leading chef’s schools in the country.

BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL!

PHONE TODAY to confirm availability as space is limited.

072 582 9273

My new Toys.....

2010-04-25T23:41:00.001+02:00

On the last day of my UK trip, I went through to London on the tube. I landed up in Trafalgar Square! What a different sight met my eye from the last time we were in London some years back - NO pigeons!!!!!!!!!!!! I hardly recognised the place! The square was jam packed with youngsters and tourists milling around and sitting on every ledge and every step, just enjoying being out in the fresh spring air. Once I'd got my bearings and strolled a while I discovered a sign saying "DO NOT FEED THE PIGEONS", I then realised why it looked so different! I have wonderful pictures of the pigeons on my son's head's, nipping their ears, trying to steal seed out of their pockets - but now, there were NO pigeons. My memories of them were wonderful, despite their annoying habits!, But I felt a tad sad that they weren't there to greet me this time.

As I wondered around, I caught sight of the National Gallery which I decided to pop in and look around a while, seen I had a bit of time to spare while I waited for the hotel to get my room ready. What a wonderfully awe-inspiring place to visit. There are just rooms and rooms or should I say floors and floors of art pieces from artists of all centuries and mediums... quite something! After about an hour I'd only seen a third of the gallery, but I wanted to move on as I was running out of time.

As luck would have it...on my way back to the tube, I came across an art shop Cass Art shop.... some of you might know it. I had a really tough time turning my head and just walking past as by this time I should have checked into my hotel, but curiosity got the better of me and I stepped inside.What a wonderful artshop .... watercolour paints by the score, palettes, mediums, magnificent paper and so much more to tease the artists soul.... some of which I wish we had here in South Africa, but due to freight charges and our exchange rate the selection is limited. As I was gleefully scanning the shelves at all the marvels, I could barely contain myself when came across the most exciting find of my trip..........

2 squirrel hair mop brushes

Now, I'm sure that some of you are probably thinking 'why did she spend all that money at that shop, as there are plenty other shops to choose from'. Well in truth... I have wanted these brushes for ages and I acted on impulse, and didn't mind.... I NEEDED these brushes. The hardest choice was choosing the size I thought I'd use often. I'm so thrilled with my new acquisition and these are two of my favourite brushes at the moment which helped me paint my Stonehenge sketches.... I'm sure I'll be using them a lot more now too with the loose style I have been practising at my workshop. "Happiness is a new set of brushes"............ pity better brushes don't paint better paintings!

Until next time.......

'Simplify' Watercolours with Life Workshop

2010-04-23T20:17:00.001+02:00

Colours, fusions and textures next. The day started off a little warmer than the previous morning, so I was feeling as though the UK spring had really paid me a special visit, just for a bit of sensory overload, and to get the watercolour juices flowing. On my short stroll to the hall where the workshop was being held, I caught the sight of a batch of Daffodils growing on the side of the road with the most wonderful backlit colour. This made my day and was rearing to go on day 2.

The word that stood out for me the whole day was 'SIMPLIFY'. From the word go Jean thrashed the word out and we started the day with a wonderful demonstration of some lovely Stocks she brought in. Colour is very evident in Jean's work and she showed us how to make a simple white flower sing by using complementary colours to bring out the whites. The colours she used were Turquoise and Winsor Violet, creating a basic outline with the Turqu and bleeding it away quickly as Turqu dries fast and is staining.

So after a morning warm up of splashing a bit of colour on paper we set about watching our first Demo

Jean painting the first wash of the Stocks

Jean added Violet into the wet Turqu for interest. By using some of the colours for your background that you will use in your main subject gives it life and helps tie it all up. Thinking about colour and softening the hard lines with a clean wet brush create highlights and blending into the subject giving it tone and form. For a detailed subject as these Stocks, only a simple background is needed.

A completed painting of Stocks Jean

painted some time back

The paintings are built up using 3 layers....

1st - a whisper of the main subject.
2nd - another layer as the first, adding other colours.
3rd - detail

We then went on to painting Delphiniums, this time painting the subject and then creating a subtle background around it. This was so much fun....... Using French Ultra Marine Blue and W Violet and giving the shapes a good base for the first wash. Because of it's intracity, a simple background was painted. Again, painting blobs of paint not the actual shape.

Jean's first wash of 'Blobs'... Delphiniums,

Trying my hand at Stocks.....

My Dephiniums and Stocks

A demo of a market scene for some of the class by Jean took place while others went back to their tables to paint flowers. Her demo of how to start and work away from a point of interest keeping clean fresh colour was the main objective of this study as some of us wanted to gain insight as to where Jean starts her 'busy paintings.

Jean's demo of a French Market

A brief quick sketch on how to achieve different effects on other varieties of flowers was done for us after a wonderful pub lunch at the Inn down the road...... I must say that a glass of red wine does help the brushes to flow more freely. In this exercise, were trying to establish the different choices we make with regard to colour, placement of pigment and brush strokes, while studying individual flowers and adding life to them.

Flowers of all types are demonstrated by Jean here...

The Dafs she showed us next were a wonderful wind-down for the day. A mix of varied brush strokes and the use of cool and warm colours and use of light, all in negative painting . Jean does an awful lot of splattering which gives the painting movement. This is very evident in her cockerel paintings we have seen. I was amazed when she splatted a blob of 'orange' in the side of her Daf... but it worked so well, just adding to the excitement of her work. And on that note, before we could even blink the painting session was done.... sad because two wonderfully inspiring days were over but happy in the fact that I was afforded this wonderful trip to come and witness, again, the inspirational wonders or 'magic' Jean weaves with her hand, and meet some of my lovely friends from last year's workshop.

Jean's Daffodils... with a bit of bubble wrap

for excitement.

But the day wasn't done yet... Some of us were treated to a visit and a glass of bubbly at a nearby gallery who was exhibiting Jean's work. This was a special outing as we got to see her work all framed and on display in abundance. I must say, it makes it all worthwhile, the effort we go through, just to achieve lovely sell-able paintings. One feels the reward by seeing them all hanging up together, what a pleasurable sight...... and that is something worth aspiring to! Thank you Jean!!!!!

An Award

2010-04-17T23:26:00.000+02:00

Before I forget...... Just before I left for my week with Jean Haines I was kindly awarded "Happy 101 Award" from a wonderful blog friend Martine-Alison . Please take a peek at her beautiful work, she has a wonderful eye for detail and imagination which transports you to a fantasy land. Thank you Alison for this wonderful thoughtful trophy and your cheerful happy replies to my paintings!

As is customary, I have to forward this on to 10 'happy painters' I follow and whose work I find inspiring. This makes it awkward as I'm finding it hard choosing 10 of my favourites. Each one of my blog friends holds a special something in their creations for me.
So, I am dedicating this award to all the special people whom I follow on my blog list. This award is for all of you who make this world a happier place, for sharing your work and also for helping me keep my brush on the paper and not in my paintbox.....Thank you all! Please feel free to copy this award to your blog page if your blog is listed on my blog list. Happy painting!!

* Watercolours with Life * Spring Workshop in the UK

2010-04-17T16:21:00.002+02:00

I'm sure a lot of you are eagerly awaiting my report back on Jean Haines workshop Watercolours With Life Spring 2010.

In this post I'm going to focus generally on my experience of my trip to the UK as well as a brief account of Jean's Spring workshop.

Firstly I booked three workshops with Jean, the first two being 'Watercolours with Life' and the third being 'Spring Flowers'. In these workshops Jean focused on negative painting, initial washes to a painting, the importance of colours and how backgrounds can make a painting sing.

DAY 1
Jean did a demo of a simple Snowdrop. I must add at this point....if you have never seen a Snowdrop in real life, it makes it a little more complex to catch the true feel of a subject. But I plodded along with the rest of the group after a warm up of painting an 'egg'! Jean explained that most subjects are painted with the same technique, just a different shape. At this point I was wondering how a Buffalo was going to be painted in the same way as a Snowdrop!!!!! But after a practice session of snowdrops I attempted a Buffalo and ... yes, low and behold, it was the same technique. Just with different blobs of colour!

My attempt at Snowdrops

This next photo is of Jean demonstrating Snowdrops......

Jean in Action

Daffodils were next in the line of practising flowers and negative background painting.....

Jean weaving her magic across the paper!

My feeble attempt at Dafs!

We then went on to watch Jean quietly demo her famous 'Beardie' paintings. She has two adorable Bearded Collies who own her and she lovingly puts them in her paintings with such adoration.....and it shows! This was to demonstrate to us how you can incorporate the background in a negative wash once the subject was established.

Here is Jean painting her group of Beardie's....

Jean explained how we have to find a 'starting point' of a subject. In this one, it was the Beardie's nose, but it could also be an eye, whichever is the focal point (as you notice... Beardies have no eyes) I'm having a quite giggle to myself at this statement which has just dawned on me as to why Jean chose the nose.

My Buffalo followed shortly after Jean's demo of Beardies with the negative painting as demonstrated to us. Not all that happy with the outcome, I lost it a bit in the face, but a wonderful exercise of using the same technique as for the snowdrops, dafs, Beardies and egg.

My Buffalo

This was the end to a wonderful day as we cleaned up our tables ready for the next day, exhausted but exhilarated.

A few things I learned was that Jean has a few interesting ideas in her way of working.....1: White Paper- is deliberately left in her paintings, this helps lift the painting. 2: Jean never holds a pencil in her hand.... all her paintings are done without a preliminary sketch, instead she works mainly with a big brush and a rigger. 3: For simplicity Jean also paints half a face which creates interest for the viewer and gives the viewer the pleasure of completing the painting in there own way! Quite interesting, as depending on one's mood or surroundings it could take on different results every time one looks at the piece......

Bye, till next time......

My Week with Hazel Soan - Final Day

2010-03-31T18:09:00.001+02:00

Apologies for the delay in adding the last day of Hazel's workshop... I have been sorting out my wonderfully exciting workshop next week in the UK with Jean Haines. Jean, as many people know, has been a huge inspiration to me and my art. Not only is she a wonderfully talented philanthropic artist, but has a heart of gold...she is a warm-hearted, effervescent soul who loves what she does and is happiest when she can share her love of watercolour. I'm looking so forward to my trip with anticipation as well as excitement.

Getting back to Hazel's 4th day ....

We extended our learning to 'painting animals in watercolour' on the last day. Hazel stared a wonderful demo for us on painting Elephants. I unfortunately discovered as I sat down to watch that I'd forgotten to charge my camera battery and was unable to document her demonstrations. I was kindly loaned some pictures taken by a fellow artist Sylvia Coward of the final day's painting session.

Here we used various combinations of (transparent )pigment to create our ellies. The three basic colours which Hazel used were yellows, blues and reds. I always thought that Elephants were grey or, at least shades of grey. But Hazel with her three shades stressed that tone and not colour was the important factor in creating wonderful watercolour. Her use of these colours were excellent for achieving the correct tones. These lovely tones were created in layers or washes.

In my first sorry painting I used Yellow Ochre- but watered it down as it's a semi transparent colour, Ultramarine Blue and Alizarin Crimson. No preliminary sketch.

The next Ellie was more in proportion.... here we used Indian Yellow, Alizarin Crimson and Prussian Blue. In that order. Added blues to the shadow areas gave the elephant form and depth.

My final attempt with variation of tone was the use of Raw Umber, Prussian Blue and Carmine. Again using the three transparent colours, adding the red as a last wash. Mixing in a little darker values of the palette for the shadows.

Here is one of Hazel's Elephants..... please note the depth in her ellies with the correct placement of darks.

Photograph courtesy Silvia Coward

We than went on to painting a herd of elephants. Hazel's subtle build up of colours to create tone on all the elephants was interesting as none of the ellies were painted with the exacting colours, but attention was placed on the tone, ranging from dark in the foreground to soft muted colours for the ellies in the distance, still only using yellows, reds and blues. Placing the various colours, one wash at a time slowly building up tone. She added the background foliage using the same colours on her palette to highlight the light on the backs of the elephants and to bring them forward.

Softening the base of the feet with water gave the illusion of dust been kicked up as the ellies walked by.(photo Silvia Coward)

Here was my group painting, pity I added red in the background foliage.. that just killed the depth of my painting.

I thoroughly enjoyed my Elephant painting exercise.... I can see myself painting lots more of these guys !

Lastly, our final demo for the day was the lioness portrait. Here Hazel used her paper of choice- Khadi Paper, which is cotton rag paper made in India. It has a wonderful rough finish and perfect for textures. The colours come out more vibrant too.

She sketched her lion's head on the paper to follow the features more accurately. In this demo she said we were no longer painting shapes but painting inside a block, picking out the features one by one. Starting with the ears, a wet in wet section was painted, dropping in burnt sienna to the light ochre wash and the darks were then added, using Winsor violet. She lifted out areas of highlights with a clean damp brush then added sepia for more definition. She moved onto the face, again starting with ochre and burnt sienna, building up to the darks. The lioness' chin was next, after the ochre and b sienna was added a darker shadow area was painted in, using W violet. By dampening the paper inside the white bearded area with water and dropping in Winsor violet underneath leaves a lovely soft edge.The outline of the eyes were painted using sepia, softened first with a stroke of water on the outside so the eye wasn't left with a hard outline. She dropped in ochre and B sienna into the eye and a drier mix of sepia for the pupil but leaving the white highlight.

Again, photograph courtesy of Silvia

My lioness from a photo in my collection... not at all happy with the end result as I had overworked it. I realised I had painted it too light and went back in with stronger pigments.... Big mistake!!!! But, here it is anyway!!!!!!!!

My workshop with Hazel Soan was truly a memorable one. A warm friendly bubbly persona wrapped up in a tiny slender frame, Hazel is overflowing with artistic knowledge and enthusiasm.
This is not only an account of what I witnessed through detailed instruction as the inspiration I found and the sense of urgency at which I wanted to pick up a brush and paint. Thank you Hazel!

My week with Hazel Soan - Day 2 and 3

2010-03-24T20:03:00.001+02:00

Day 2... ANIMALS.....

I was quite eager to see how Hazel painted her animals. Her wonderful Book, African Watercolours is a book I purchased a while back and have been itching to find out how she achieves her wonderfully loose strokes with minimal effort and yet so vibrant.

We started by watching as she effortlessly painted her Ostrich without preliminary sketch.... a light Yellow Ochre wash as her base and then dropping in colours to the neck and into the body whilst still wet.

This is my version...... (note: elongate figures to create better balance).... something I learned from Hazel which as you can see I forgot to do.....

Short fat Ostriches

This is what they should have turned out like.....courtesy Hazel Soan!

Note the lovely broken highlights on the backs!

She then did demo's of animals with backligting and sidelighting. In her first demo of a backlit animal she painted a wash for the background, no preliminary sketch as the subject is darker than the background, and just needed to be filled in with darker colours. The Cormorant was her subject for these.

Laying down the first wash

While that was drying she started the side-lit Cormorant which had a sketch drawn just to pick up where the highlights were going to be placed. She carefully placed her background washes around her subject, concentrating on where her dark side was and strengthening the colour on the high-lighted side.

Adding an Aureolin and Prussian wash.

(note the distortion, the pics were taken looking at an overhead mirror)

Back to the dried Cormorant, she then added the shapes of the log and bird using Y Ochre and Burnt Sienna mixed with FUM Blue.

The other Cormorant needed form so this was added once the wash had dried. Leaving wonderful highlights on his back and the log. The highlights were softened to blend in with the background.

Shapes are filled in using Aureolin, Prussian and Sepia.

Hazel's completed pair...... (below)

My attempts

We went on to Antelope next... this was exciting and we watched as she effortlessly added stokes to create gorgeous Springbok. A funny story she related to us was how she paints in the wild whilst driving.... she has her sketch pad resting on the steering wheel as she slowly drives past the animal. Now you can imagine how quickly she needs to sketch down all that information onto a piece of paper, before the animal bolts off. I admire people who have the ability to paint like this, knowing instinctively where to place her colours at a moments notice, from life.

She produced well proportioned animals without a pre-sketch, but I suppose if you have been painting for so long it comes naturally. Something I need to work on. Her confident, vivid bold colours are wonderful to see.

For our antelope we used a light Ochre wash as a base and added Burnt Sienna to the shape leaving a bit of Ochre and white paper to indicate light. FUM Blue was dropped in to the shadowed areas while still wet. Areas were softened with a tissue or soaked up with a clean brush.

On to Giraffes....... On our last and final Animal of the day we explored a Giraffe. Here we did a preliminary sketch first to preserve lights. For time constraints I'm going to suggest you visit Cathy Gatland's blog for a step by step of Hazel's Giraffe. I was quite happy with the way my Giraffe turned out.

Here's my version

On to Day 3.....

We were introduced to painting figures... not my strongest point, but felt I needed to plough in all my energies for this demo as I have painted so few 'figures' in the past, in fact, I don't think I've ever painted figures in landscapes before. I was very attentive to the demo she did...I was laughing so, at some of the forms that were taking place on my paper making me realise that I have a long way to go with figures. Firstly, My paint was much too thin, secondly the paint dried to quickly and lastly I forgot to 'elongate' my people. Again Hazel make this look so easy... a few blobs of paint here and there, and there we go, a wonderful figure in just a few minutes!!!

Too wishy washy

My strokes of colour should have looked like this.........

Our next exercise was to paint people with objects such as umbrellas, bags or just painting with the arms crossing the body. Again painting with Blobs of paints to form Head, arms and legs, letting the pigment blend into each other but remembering to allow for highlights on these things. At this stage I was ready to give up as I felt really useless. Her effortless application to figures as she explained along the way took on a wonderful painting ready for the frame.

The top row of figures in the next slide of Hazel's figures were people with props, the bottom row was an example of how Opaques and Transparent's interact with pigment already applied to paper.

If you look closely to the lady in the turquoise skirt, you will notice that an opaque yellow like Cadium Yellow was added for a floral effect on Transparent Turquoise pigment. The yellow pushed the turquoise away, leaving a lovely yellow on the paper. In the skirt example on the right, Hazel added Aureolin which is a transparent pigment to the turquoise and it changed the turquoise to a green. This, to me was fascinating, although it was logical and I had mixed the two types of pigment before in the past, I wasn't aware that one could create wonderful effects like this. Something else I learned was......mixing opaque and transparent pigments in your palette will make 'mud'. Wow, now that was something I didn't know!!!!!!

Now you can see why I was laughing as I was painting this lady.

Staying with figures, Hazel painted a demo of two cricketers on a green field. She was explaining how to achieve reflected light on whites. Her colour mix surprised me as I would not have thought that Aureolin and Prussian Blue would be used to create reflected light on white. Fascinating!!!!!!!!

I did not have the same picture to emulate this painting, so I used one of my own.... a picture from a magazine.

Our last demo exercise for the day was a larger figure in strong light. Here Hazel had a wonderful reference. I was so taken with this demo as she again effortlessly added colours and mixes that just made this painting come to life before our eyes. I was specially taken with the way she made Coke-a Cola - Burnt Sienna and a splash of Violet at the bottom of the glass. Simple but so effective.!!!!

This is a similar painting I did as I didn't have a print of her version. Mine is a photo of my Dad with simmilar strong light on his shoulders.

We had worked HARD all day and at this stage, after all the concentration, we were feeling mentally exhausted. Just before close of day, she asked us to come up to her table to watch another demo of strong light on large figures. Here she used strong dark colours using a lot of Sepia to get the strong colours of the clothing as the light was almost creating a back lit effect. None of us attempted this as it was time to lock up the hall and drag ourselves home. Thought I'd post it hear just to show you how it looked. (done in just a few minutes) But worth attempting at a later stage...... if I remember the colours she used!!!!!

Apologies for the distorted view, a photo taken from the reflection of the overhead Mirror.

My week with Hazel Soan - Day I

2010-03-19T15:34:00.002+02:00

What a fabulous week I've had! I attended a watercolour workshop with Hazel Soan, international artist and author. To say that the enthusiasm and energy from Hazel is electric, would be an understatement. She is bubbling with knowledge and a wonderful person to meet.

Sitting anxiously in my first session, watching as she explained that we are not creating a picture on paper but a whole array of 'brush strokes'. Shapes are what we must be looking at, not the object that we see. It's all about light and brush strokes!!!

When painting, we need to be looking at tone and light not exact colours.... 'Watercolour' is the reason we paint a subject not the subject wanting to be painted. Do you get my jist? You can take the dullest photo and make it alive with watercolour, as long as the tones and lights are there. Even when sitting out in the fresh air painting a scene,one must look for relative tone. We need not copy the exact colours we see, but paint to entertain the eye!

Leaves: They are not leaves but 'brush strokes'. By adding colour to the leaves brings in life as colour changes according to surrounding and light.

1 stroke 'brush stoke leaves'

2 or multiple brush stroke leaves

Flowers: They are not flowers but splashes of beautiful colour!

Practising flowers with just brushstrokes

Sunflowers using Indian Yellow, Burnt Sienna and Prussian Blue with Aureolin for leaves

Limit your colour palette and keep it simple, "watercolour is perfect".... less is more as they say in the classics.

Learning wonderful tips from Hazel was so exciting. She taught us about which useful colours we should keep on our palettes, the size of our waterpots...hers were surprisingly small!.... and she doesn't use much pigment when mixing either. Pigment is precious and I was amazed to find how much I was wasting by rinsing my bushes so often.

We also learnt wet in wet work with brush strokes. By adding enough pigment strength on the brush will determine how far your colour bleeds back into the wet background, Fascinating!!!!!

Backlit Reeds

You can see the different strengths of pigment by the size of the bleed (middle), as the background dried so the strokes became more crisp (right). But one is able to achieve incredibly thin lines in wet paper if your pigment is strong.

One very valuable lesson I learned was that paper is of utmost importance. The first few studies were done on really grotty quality paper and it shows. I eventually succumbed to using Arches rough 300gsm for my studies! Sounds incredibly extravagant, but found that you can't achieve the right results if you use poor quality paper.

Thanks Hazel for a wonderful first day!!!

I will be back to fill you in on the rest of the week.

Hazel Soan * Watercolour Workshop

2010-03-17T00:00:00.001+02:00

Just a quick note before retiring after a full day at Hazel Soan's workshop. Which by the way, is so enlightening and wonderfully informative. I'm taking the easy route for now with an insight from a fellow blogger and wonderful artist Cathy Gatland taken from her blog 'A sketch in Time".

I promise to update you all on her workshop through the eyes of Debbie Schiff soon. But for now.... it's long past my bedtime and I need to be all refreshed for another session of Hazel's workshop tomorrow.

Night night!

Scorched Earth

2010-03-11T20:30:00.002+02:00

I'm really enjoying my landscapes at the moment. It's always good to try out new things and subjects, in fact it's quite refreshing.Landscapes have never been my strong point, but I've recived wonderful positive feedback regarding the few that I've done.

This one is a light sketch of the Namib desert in Namibia, north of South Africa. With it's vast open thirsty plains and dunes, it's surprising how much life lives there. The rains frequent only every 10 years or so, but the flora and fauna which thrive there are all accustomed to the scorching heat.

Game is plentyful, from the little speckly patina (lizard) and meercats to big cats like the leopard and lion. Each has their use and purpose in the dusty plains of Namibia.

The plant, Welwitschia grows quite easily there, and is considered to be a Fossil. It has a 20m (60ft) taproot burying into the ground. Most of it's moisture is derived from the early morning dew or mist coming in from the coast. Two long leaves grow constantly and fray at the ends from the wind. They are quite spectacular to see! Welwitschia. Camelthorn trees and some acacias are also inhabitants of this arid thirstland.

The Welwitschias growing in the thirstland of the Namib desert

'The Berg'

2010-03-10T16:34:00.003+02:00

While sifting through all my 'binners' or paintings I don't intend on finishing, I stumbled across a sheet of paper with a Diox and Aliz Crim wash on it. I think I started this as an experiment.... It was a sheet of Artist canvas (with Acrylic finish). You will notice on the enlarged version, the woven texture of the canvas.

I remember at the time thinking that the colours were a bit washed out and the pigment didn't run like it does on ordinary watercolour paper but gave it a try anyway. Seeing though it was an experiment I put it aside until I felt need to do something with it at some later stage. Needless to say.... 12 months later, I found it and this morning, through more colours in it. At first I had no idea what the washes represented and hadn't a clue on what I was to do with it, but after staring at it for some time..... a picture appeared in my mind.!

This is called 'The Berg' because it looks a lot like the Drakensberg mountains and terrain here in South Africa. Looking at the finished product now, makes me long to go back and just breath that wonderful crisp fresh air.

The Drakensberg mountains range is a 200-kilometre-long mountainous wonderland and world heritage site Aptly named 'Ukhahlamba', pronounced (ooka -lumba) (Barrier of Spears) by the Zulu people, and the Dutch Voortrekkers 'The Dragon Mountain'. The Drakensberg Mountains, with their awe-inspiring basalt cliffs, snowcapped in winter, tower over riverine bush, lush yellowwood forests and cascading waterfalls, form a massive barrier separating KwaZulu-Natal from the Kingdom of Lesotho, and are the tallest mountains in South Africa. The San bushmen were the original inhabitants of the Drakensberg mountains and they left behind the most beautiful paintings in caves throughout the region. The Drakensberg region include hiking trails, bird watching, game viewing, horse trails and safaris, guided tours, 4x4 trails, quad bikes, golfing, trout / fly fishing, white water rafting, rock climbing and many an artist has portrayed their versions of this splendour on canvas and paper.

This is my attempt at creating an imaginary Drakensberg landscape as I remember on our hikes across the hills and mountains.....

True reflection.

2010-03-07T11:13:00.002+02:00

On Looking closely at the painting of my Impala's Soul on my screen, I was drawn to his eye, I noticed that his eye had a bit of magic in it. Although this painting was a little too detailed and tight for what I had set out to do, I was so excited to see what had appeared in the reflections of his eye. If you look closely, you are able to see the blue sky and some distant shrubs and bushes.

This made me stop for a moment and contemplate what my dear impala was looking at. Was it his alert instinctive nature that was just searching into the distance or had he seen something that caught his astute eye and was alerted to danger? That's the life of an antelope unfortunately... always on its guard! Hence the quote in my earlier post.

Whether in a painting or in real life, the eye speaks volumes. This eye is saying so much to me somehow and although a bit tight for me, I love this painting and I feel a connection to it in so many ways.

Wishing you all a wonderful Sunday!

Impala's Soul

2010-03-06T14:21:00.006+02:00

"Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn't matter whether you're a lion or a gazelle; when the sun comes up, you'd better be running."
~Herb Caen~

Animals are wonderful to paint... not only do they show character and expression, love and energy but they have the ability to creep into the hearts of all that know them.

The juvenile Impala that were prounching and pronking around at Jejane Nature Reserve were a delight to watch. We were in hysterics at their antics, I just had to capture these lovely graceful little creatures with my camera. The Impala are very common in South African Game Reserves and are often overlooked as they seem to be grazing around every corner and hill. One starts becoming complacent every time we see them. It's such a shame! We take it for granted as we know there are more herds over the next rise and just drive straight past them. Meanwhile, they have the most wonderful markings and colouring and have gorgeous big eyes, I think that's where the expression 'doe eyed' comes from........ I also love this quote........

An animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language. ~ Martin Buber

I did a watercolour of a male ram I captured as he looked on, totally bemused by his offspring's 'race day'. This expression was a delight to paint...... hope you love his expression too!

Male Impala

This is the study sketch I did to get his colouring...

My 'Gift'

2010-03-04T01:22:00.002+02:00

This weekend we spent the most wonderful time at a private nature reserve called Jejane in the eastern part of South Africa just outside Hoedspruit. Our friends have a wonderful holiday home there and are blessed to be able to enjoy nature at her best.

I am at peace in the 'bush' and find my soul when I'm there, I ditch the heels and make-up and throw on the casual bush attire and comfy hiking shoes. A paint brush and camera are never far at hand. This little quote reminded me of why the bush gives my heart pleasure and brings contentment to my restless spirit.

"The human spirit needs a place where nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man." ~Unknown

Although I took all my paints with me, I didn't get the opportunity to sketch, let alone paint anything, but took loads of photographs. We spent most of the day on the game drive and then retired to the 'boma' (an outside deck or reed/wooden enclosed area) where we set up a braai (barbecue). We sat chatting about the day or just caught up on 'life' over a few glasses of wine. We retired early as we were sapped from the exhilarating adventures in the bush. The evenings were wonderfully warm and the stars tried very hard for us, although the clouds where giving signals of it bringing overcast weather for the day ahead. In most cases this is wonderful for game viewing as the animals don't tend to hide under trees for shelter from the scorching sun and are easily visible in the veld.

As a thank you gift to our friends, I painted a scene of one of the roads in the reserve. They were thrilled with it. Hopefully, next time we're invited, I'll be able to see this painting framed and adorning one of the walls in their lovely home.......

Sunshine Award

2010-03-02T00:50:00.002+02:00

THIS AWARD IS GIVEN TO BLOGGERS FOR SHARING THEIR POSITIVITY AND
CREATIVITY

I'm Honoured to be receiving this Sunshine Award from Jane Minter of Jane Minter's Sketchbook.What a lovely surprise. Thank you Jane!

As a nominee of this Award, I have to follow the rules by choosing 12 artists or blogs I think deserve to have a bit of sunshine too, 12 blogs I admire and enjoy following. Please take time to view their amazing work. I know of many more inspiring painting friends whom I follow and would love to share their work with you, but the rules are only 12.

The rules for accepting this award are simply to:

1. Post the Sunshine Award logo on your blog, on your post or both.

2. Pass this onto 12 bloggers who you admire.

3. Inform them of the award.

4. Link the person who awarded you in the first place.

Evening Rest

2010-02-25T20:37:00.003+02:00

I have been painting this week, if only for the bin...... been practising the way colour merges on the paper without first mixing the desired colour in my palette. Done studies of cockerels as well as my "gift' I'm doing for a friend. I'll post it once I have given it to her!

One I did this afternoon without a preliminary sketch was quite fun to do, but I feel I could have chosen a better composition. Not all that thrilled with it......!. I was trying to create an evening glow on a lake with a heron settling down for the evening.

Evening Rest

I'm off to a private Nature Reserve for the weekend so I'll be a bit scarce till Sunday. Hopefully I'll be able to take wonderful photographs of the wonderful wildlife that roam around in the Reserve..... always waiting for 'that' special moment to capture 'that' ultimate pose, which is not always easy in the wild. But I'll take my sketchbook with too, to record notable moments of light and scenery.

Till then..........

My Garden is my Sactuary

2010-02-19T19:50:00.004+02:00

Finding my muse at the moment and not being able to get into the swing of things...... so, to treat myself I took 6 paintings to the framers on Monday..... just because I wanted to see my work enhanced by frames and not just lying around getting grubby, also I thought it might give me the inspiration to paint something worth sending to the framers and.........just because I can!!!

So unfortunately dear friends, all I have to offer today is a study of an Amaryllis flower which flowered so beautifully for me earlier this year.It's the most glorious pink - one which isn't in my paintbox. That was the challenge - trying to find the right colour to portray this beautiful flower. I think I have made a lovely pink using Quin. Magenta and a touch of Indian Yellow. This is a study for a larger painting I'm thinking of painting....... this is minus a preliminary sketch, on really crappy paper. I have a lovely piece of Archers I want to do this on!

Amaryllis Study

A Beauty in my Garden

2010-02-13T17:37:00.002+02:00

What a wonderful sight in my garden at the moment... I was thinking a few months back of taking it out or at least chopping it back as it's quite an encroaching plant and it was getting in the way of my pathway to my indigenous garden.

Delicious Monster

This is a Delicious Monster (Monstera Deliciosa) or Swiss Cheese Plant, native to tropical rain forests of Mexico. This particular specimen of mine has never flowered, and this year it has been so prolific and graced me with the most amazing cone shaped flowers or fruit as some would say. Apparently the fruit of the Delicious Monster is edible, but I wouldn't want to try it, as one man reported Here. But I have read that the fruit tastes like a cross between a pineapple and a banana. The fruit may be ripened by cutting the fruit when the first scales begin to lift up and the fruit begins to exude a pungent odour, then wrapping it in a paper bag and setting aside until the kernels begin popping off. The kernels are then brushed off; they fall away to reveal the edible flesh underneath. The flesh, which is approximately like that of pineapple in texture, is then cut away from the core and eaten. It has a fruity taste similar to jackfruit and pineapple. Eating fruit which has not matured and still has the kernels firmly attached, exposes the throat to the oxalic acid and is dangerous...

Close-up of the Delicious Monster

I'm still not fond of this plant but look at it now with renewed eyes, it's no longer a hindrance and a 'common' space filler in my garden but something of unique beauty albeit only for a few months of the year. I will however keep it in shape and hopefully it flowers again next year!

A little friend also had to see what this

wonder was that sprung up in his garden.

Wild Flowers

2010-02-10T16:57:00.004+02:00

Another of one of my indigenous flower paintings. I'm not too sure of it's name, but is very simmilar to the Hog-weed. I would love feedback if anyone does know. I came across it flowering beautifully in the Eastern Cape in December last year.

I found myself up at two am this morning so decided to make use of the time and finish this painting which I had started yesterday morning. This was one aimed at the bin as I was playing with background colours only and tried to experiment.... think it should still be aimed at the bin! Today I remembered that I have a book by Ann Blockley - Watercolour Textures. She did an interesting exercise with something simmilar, so I think I'll redo this with some advice she gave.

The inspiration of the wild flower painting

Thank you Maree for enlightening me on its name...

It's Queen Anne's Lace

Painting is easy when you don't know how, but very difficult when you do. ~ Edgar Degas

Painting our indigenous Flora!

2010-02-08T09:15:00.001+02:00

Limestone Sugarbush Protea

A Rose - LOVE

2010-02-01T20:35:00.001+02:00

Today I painted roses......
This month being Valentines month and today being my anniversary, I thought I'd paint roses (purely from my head)..... the symbol of love and and peace.

Antique roses

Artichoke and Gerbers studies

2010-01-31T12:54:00.004+02:00

My cousin's artichokes in her veggie garden had gone to flower so she picked a few for a vase in her kitchen. They were huge and I fell in love with the lovely fluffy purple tops against the glorious green hard spikes, so she gave them to me to paint.

Artichoke Flower Studies

The inspiration

The flower store was offering 3 pots of Gerber's on special so I purchased a baby pink one, a cerise pink and a lovely orange pot. Here are a couple of studies of the orange one I did..... I have studied the sketches and there is definitely some room for improvement here, I'd like to do others with more lost edges around the petals.

Gerber Studies

Practice, Practice, Practice

2010-01-23T17:41:00.001+02:00

That is what top artists will say to you if you want to improve your skills in painting. "A painting a day" is another..... Basically, you need to just paint, paint, paint, even if it's just playing with 'colour mixes', 'shadows', trying tonal values, sketching etc. But we all know that..... don't we? It's not the only way we learn, but it's the best way...... Remember, It's a journey of growth, so enjoy it!

How many of us actually do paint daily?... I'm blushing here, as I fall into the 'non-daily' painters camp! Life just seems to get in the way sometimes and I forget that painting is or should be part of my daily therapy. And boy, do I need therapy! However I do feel terribly guilty if, by the end of the day I haven't picked up a brush or pencil. 2010however does look promising as I find myself with more time on my hands and less daily interruptions.

I have a few commitments this early this year with 2 wonderful workshops coming up so I really need to practice and get my brushes flowing. The first workshop is with Hazel Soan, who will be visiting South Africa soon - Hazel is an internationally renowned artist and is the author of seven books on painting in watercolours. The other 2 exciting workshops I'll attend are in the UK with renowned artist Jean Haines. http://www.jeanhaines.com/ Jean has been my mentor and inspiration for a number of years now, she has a unique loose style of painting which I admire and is in the process of having her first book published.I have had the fortune of meeting Ms Haines last year at a workshop she ran on 'Watercolours with Life' and although, exhausting, enjoyed my self immensely.

Here are a few sketches I was practicing using Hazel Soan's 'African African Watercolours'.

Sketches from Hazel's book...using my moleskin.

And one using my own photo... minus preliminary sketch.

This painting was from a photo I took at the Rhino and Lion Park last year.

This ewe was actually feeding.....hence her looking away from the camera,

I left the young Springbok out of the painting....

I plan to do flowers next.....(Jean style). I have hundreds and hundreds of photos of flower studies.....

so best I get cracking......

Have a lovely weekend all... till next time.....

Phoebe the Allens Hummingbird

2010-01-19T15:33:00.001+02:00

This is Phoebe the little hummingbird. I to have jumped on the bandwagon to sketch her.
Two Blogger friends, Maree http://naturesketchers.blogspot.com/2010/01/allens-hummingbird-maree.html. and Vickie http://vickiehenderson.blogspot.com/2010_01_01_archive.html. have also painted sketches of her sitting on her eggs.

PHOEBE

Sketched from a live video-cam link http://www.ustream.tv/channel/Hummingbird-Nest-Cam. set up next to a house near a rosebush in a yard in Orange County California. It was quite easy sketching her as she ignores the camera lens on her and I had the opportunity to really study her. One can see her from different angles and get to see her markings quite well as she turns around to settle in the opposite direction.

This little hummingbird is sitting on two eggs at the moment and are expected to hatch any day now. So follow this link if you are keen to get a good sighting of Phoebe and the hatching of her eggs. The eggs were laid on the 2nd & 4th of Jan and are incubated for about 17 days. Apparently this is her 5th clutch laid in the same yard. It's so exciting watching the live feed of this busy little lady who flits in and out of her nest and wriggles around re-arranging her eggs. I must admit, I do get carried away with watching her... it's addictive.

We do not have hummingbirds here in South Africa, but they are similar to our Sugarbirds and Sunbirds.

Till later.......

Face in the Shadows II

2010-01-16T23:05:00.001+02:00

I should have painted this whilst working on the other Face in the Shadows. I wanted to create another painting to compliment the first one, but it went horribly wrong..... I think I was trying too hard to get the mystical background to match the first painting. I ended up overworking the background and the top section of her head should not have been so pronounced but should have just faded away into the background. She does not look like she is coming out of the shadows at all! Oh Well! Thought I'd add this in just to show you that I did try and do a follow-up! I do like the way her face turned out though as I did not use a preliminary sketch as a guide.

I am enjoying my painting at the moment and have a mountain of subjects to try and experiment with. But that I'll will be tomorrow's task.

Till then..................

Playing with Washes

2010-01-16T22:36:00.001+02:00

I add this little sketch with trepidation. I feel it is not worth the viewing but I thought, for prosperity's sake I'd add it to my blog as I do plan to take this further. I'll enjoy coming back in about a year's time to view how my painting style as evolved. This is a little sketch, playing with a 'first wash'. Minus pencil. I was challenging myself with the encouragement from a friend to work in a loose style. Watch this space.................

Face in the Shadows - DONE!

2010-01-12T14:34:00.001+02:00

I am calling this done!

FACE IN THE SHADOWS

I will have to do another now........ perhaps his partner or wife!

Final touches - Face in the Shadows

2010-01-12T14:28:00.002+02:00

This is looking a little better with the shadows added and the features enhanced. I had a little giggle when my domestic help (who is a S Sotho lady) saw this.... she said it was "scary" and promptly asked me why I painted it like that. I must say that it does have an unnerving feel about it. Hope she does not think that I was portraying her people as sinister and villainous!

The look I am trying to portray is one of rough rural Africa. The earthy tones just worked well with this subject and gave it a 'wood carving' feel. We have a lot of African sculptors here in South Africa who do the most amazing wood sculptures from the trunks of trees.

What I love about this is how the brown earthy colours meld so beautifully together and frame the subject, giving it a mystical touch.

Second wash - 'Face in the Shadows'

2010-01-11T15:52:00.009+02:00

After looking at my painting and studying the shapes that appeared on the paper from the first wash, I was getting a feel of where the features were going to be placed. This was done minus any pre-drawing. After the features were in place I added more structure and depth around the features still adding copious amounts of water to my paper and letting the colours run into each other.

Colours used at this stage were - Burnt Sienna, Cerulean Blue, Cadmium Yellow and French Ultra Marine Blue. I still don't know whether this is a male or female..... will have to wait and see.......

I love watching the colours mingle and the appearance of blooms forming on the paper. I quite enjoy these two sections here... hope they are still visible on the completed piece.

First wash - 'Face in the Shadows'

2010-01-11T10:10:00.004+02:00

The hiatus is over!
I am sitting here working on my desktop whilst my laptop is in for a facial, manicure and clean-up . She was acting up and performing incredibly slow and needed a little boost. The frustration of not being able access my blog these last couple of days was so infuriating to say the least but we found the problem and it's now something of the past.

Today I finally got round to painting after a long hiatus. My holiday down at the coast for our summer break was magic but just not the right kind of weather to be indoors painting, . I did however take my watercolour travel kit down to the beach with me in the hope of doing a few sketches to paint larger pieces when I got back to our holiday home. Instead I got so engrossed in a wonderful book.... I did manage to do a few rough sketches one morning under the umbrella after I got a little too sunburnt the day before. I'm also not one for sitting on the beach with people peering over my shoulder to see what I'm are painting. I had lost my muse a bit there as life was just too busy and to crown it all, I had left my quality watercolour paper back home and was saddled with inferior paper.

Sheepishly, I felt justified that the my bag of art supplies took preference over the hubby's golf clubs in the trailer, as I got a few sketches in and it did get used. Anyway, I have decided that this year is going to be MY year and I'm going to paint and paint and paint!

Hope you all have a wonderfully fulfilling 2010 and achieve all you have set out to do this year. Thank you all for your support in my blog, I'll continue to keep you up-to-date in all I achieve this year.

This is a first wash of something I have in mind..... working from my imagination, I am going to see what develops here.....................

Happy 2010

2010-01-01T17:49:00.007+02:00

I made it! Another year gone and so much achieved, art wise. Actually, I can't believe how far I have come with my painting generally. Barely 18 months ago I made up my mind that I was going to pursue my love for watercolours. I had huge amounts of encouragement from friends and family, and want to thank everyone who were involved in my progress most sincerely for the ongoing support, love and inspiration this last year.

I have not painted as much as I'd have liked, but this year I have the opportunity, so I'll take advantage of this time to get stuck in and paint and paint and paint, or, practice, practice, practice!

Here are a few rough sketches I did in the journals I purchased..... what horrible paper! Think I'll have to use it for sketching in pencil and ink.

2009-12-23T20:15:00.004+02:00

Ok, Today I bought myself an early Christmas stocking filler. Weather turned a bit miz this afternoon so I took the boys to do a bit of last minute Christmas shopping. I found 2 faux 'pleather' covered small journals for sketching in.

2 Pleather bound Journals

It is not the best paper for watercolours but I thought I'd like to take the journal and an ink pen to the beach with me and sketch the scenes on the beach. A classic example yesterday was a Jack Russell puppy chasing the shadow of a Frisbee two people were tossing to each other. I didn't even have my camera to capture the moment!

This will also be a wonderful way to record incidences of my holidays!

Bying art on -line saves time and money!

2009-12-21T16:01:00.002+02:00

A blogger Maree Clarkson had an interesting article on her blog which I thought I share with you.... food for thought! http://artandcreativity-maree.blogspot.com/2009/12/save-time-and-money-buying-art-online.html
Thanks Maree!!!!

St Francis Bay - East Cape Coast

2009-12-21T09:20:00.004+02:00

As I sit here in what seems to be an Idealic part of the Eastern Cape coast of South Africa where the sun calls us all to come down to the beach to watch the waves roll in and the children building sandcastles in the sand, teenagers strutting up and down on the shoreline wearing Santa hats or surfing in with the waves, or just simply catch the summer rays. While I soak up the sun, my thoughts are transported to all my friends and family in the Northern hemisphere where at the moment they seem to be having their first heavy snow falls. I must say, I do envy them in a way but I do enjoy our sunny Christmases, with the wonderful warm evenings sitting on the patio with a glass of wine watching the sun go down and enjoying a festive evening with friends around the braai (barbeque). The mood is happy, everyone looks healthy and full of life.....

But one thing I would love to experience is a white Christmas. I picture it as in the movies or on chocolate boxes, where you see families wrapped up warm collecting their live Christmas trees, and warm glowing fireplaces in cosy homes with the snow softly falling outside. Is that too idealistic? Am I just kidding myself?.... I don't know, but I would like to think it's like that anyway. And I'm sticking to that thought!

I snuck this in........ "Breakfast"

2009-12-11T14:51:00.003+02:00

Phewww! Can someone please stop that clock!!!!!!!!! I am just not getting done what I ought to be doing. That's getting ready for our annual holiday. I've taken the trailer in to get the electrics sorted, picked up the mail, ALMOST finished the Christmas shopping, organised the dogs and now...... this morning the swimming pool motor gave up the ghost!!! Arghhhhh! I'll have to over ride it and have it switched on daily by hand when we're away as it won't be fixed before we leave on Tuesday!

But I am managing to paint bright and early in my day when the house is still quiet. Been working on a few animal paintings lately......thought you might like to take a peek at the first one I did. I have made adjustments to the eye as it was (in your face bold) as well as adding warmer colours to the skin to subdue the eye a bit more.

What! 15 days to Christmas?????

2009-12-11T01:59:00.000+02:00

The pressures of life have really put me on hold art and internet wise. I have managed to sneak in a painting or two though, which I will post tomorrow!

What a wondrful Surprise!!!!!!!

2009-11-21T10:53:00.010+02:00

I can't pop in for long, but I just wanted to share with you my 2am surprise!!!!!! I have had a manic few days lately and been unable to get online. But last night after our last guests left, I developed a second wind. I thought a quick 'catch up' on-line would help me relax. Besides a mountain of responses I had, I also discovered that my painting "Bearded Iris" was featured on the RedBubble Home Page!!!!

Click to see page!
http://www.redbubble.com/people/debadoodle/art/3086665-3-bearded-iris

I'm really over the moon about this......and want to thank all those wonderful people for their overwhelming support! I appreciate it enormously!

Till next week......

Oh! Just found the RedBubble home page blogger page....

Lion at Heron Marsh

2009-11-16T01:01:00.002+02:00

Some days you just need time to play..... here I was playing with a lion.... and added and added and added. Until...... I realised that there was far too much pigment on the mane and I lost the lovely layered hair. Their manes are not as long as I have painted it and looks a bit strange. But I'm posting it anyway, just so that I can come back in time and compare it to something newer or perhaps THAT master piece!!!!!

Till later......

2009-11-12T12:19:00.000+02:00

Art comes in many voices….it is up to us to hear it… C Moses

Seal Point. Cape St Francis

2009-11-11T22:51:00.001+02:00

With exactly a month to go before we follow the masses down to the coast for our annual December holidays, I can't stop thinking about how much there is to do still before we go. All these things are taking preference in my mind right right now so I decided to help slow it down by painting a watercolour of our favourite holiday destination...... St Francis Bay.
This is actually a view of Seal point where the old light house (1878) still burns daily and lights up the Eastern Cape craggy points of Cape St. Francis.
We love coming to this beach as it is so wide and scenically beautiful. My boys love surfing here and spend most of the day at Bruce's Beauties. So named for the stretch of 'perfect' waves along the eastern side of the lighthouse which were used for a movie called 'Endless Summer' made popular in the 60's by surf enthusiast Bruce Brown. "The crown jewel to ten years of Bruce Brown surfing documentaries. Brown follows two young surfers around the world in search of the perfect wave, and ends up finding quite a few in addition to some colorful local characters" (IMDB - Internet Movie Database).

To Market

2009-10-30T20:47:00.002+02:00

I have painted this mother and child before but added a different background. I took this photo when I was in Mozambique and was intrigued by the way these busy woman work all morning on the shore-line catching shrimp, crab, and small delicacies to sell at the market. The whole time keeping their babies fastened to their backs.

Naughty Twins

2009-10-30T20:41:00.002+02:00

A sketch I did a while ago trying desperately to be loose.Think I achieved that but lost the dimensions of the one ellie's face. Just went in with the brush, no initial sketching. Would love to recreate this sketch as the two elephant have such a mischievous look to them.....

Zebra

2009-10-29T18:15:00.001+02:00

I took some lovely photo's of wildlife when I was away last week.. one being a Zebra.....Got my blacks by mixing copious amounts of UMB and B Sienna so I wouldn't run out of my (black) shade. This guy had lovely white eyelashes, which is not always the case. Done on Waterfords watercolour paper 27x38cm. No initial pencil sketch just went in with paint!

Aloe

2009-10-29T18:01:00.002+02:00

I quietly painted this the other day... we have just had our flush of different aloes flowering up the driveway to our house..... this is one which is quite botanical to my eye.... not sure if it needs a bit of a back-ground colour which will give it that edge!! Any suggestions.....?

Just Marley

2009-10-17T15:41:00.002+02:00

My sister has a Lab puppy, Marley, who has such character! I just HAD to photograph him with visions of painting this loveable poochie before he gets too big. In this sketch, I was playing with colour ideas for a larger piece which I hope to paint after I get back from my trip to Pilanesberg Game Reserve....

Mama Africa.

2009-10-17T00:58:00.008+02:00

I tried something different the other day! This is a design in watercolours from my head. I wanted to portray numerous elements of Africa. The elements which brings this picture together are the cornerstone which strongly define this continent's balance in nature of Africa today. I brought components from the whole continent into the painting. A Zulu woman from Southern Africa (Mama Africa), the landscape in the painting is more that of arid, harsh, sweltering north Africa. The animals represent the prominent wildlife which are found in parts of Africa.

The (African) lady with a zebra pattern on her clothing is representational of the people of Africa. She is the balance between nature and man. The elephant and seed pod with foliage are the symbols of nature which live in harmony. Below the trees on the top left, are the roots which anchor the elements firmly in the African soil. The arid landscape depicts the decay of nature, emphasizing the need to preserve what we have or it will be destroyed, hence the dead tree and Buffalo skull.

It's not very visible on the screen... but in the bottom right of the painting is a tiny dung beetle rolling his dung ball to it's nest! :)

Empty Room

2009-10-09T22:16:00.001+02:00

I was trying to play with light in this painting... The girl could have been a lot darker as the light was coming in through the window behind her but I was afraid of over working the darks on her body, so I left her as she was. Will have to work on achieving darker skin tones for these slightly silhouetted Paintings with strong light.

Venice Afternoon.... amended

2009-10-06T15:32:00.002+02:00

After looking at this painting on the screen, I could see something was missing. I have gone and done some amendments on it which have helped a bit.

The blue wall above the middle doorway was really bugging me as well as the tone of the water. I added a window to the blue wall and created a balcony. I also darkened the water a bit more with Cobalt Turquoise. Hope this does the trick and makes it more balanced.

BTW.... this is the first Architectural watercolour I have done. Painting buildings have always scared me!!!!!!

Venice Afternoon..... completed!

2009-10-05T18:09:00.001+02:00

I have to admit the texture of this paper (Saunders 200lbs)
was so different to work with. I normally work in Bockingfords
or Fabriano or if I'm feeling generous, Arches. This paper is very
spongy and handles paint well. You have to add a lot of pigment to
the paper to get dark effects and tone.But it has wonderful flow,
I loved working with this quality! I might have to splurge out and
invest in some on-line sometime as we don't get it here in South Africa.!

Anyway here is the final painting..........

Venice Afternoon

2009-10-05T17:56:00.001+02:00

I was scrummaging through my old washes I had done some time
back on a workshop I did when I was in the UK earlier this year,
and came across this wash I did, I had obviously had something
in mind with it, but couldn't remember what. I was in the mood
for trying out paper I don't use often and found this sheet with
washes on it just begging to be finished! I have never been to
Venice but have seen some wonderful pictures of the beautiful
canals from friends. After studying the washes I had laid out
on the sheet I saw a 'Venice' scene, so started making up as
I went along.

I should have taken a photo of the sheet with just the washes
on to show you where the inspiration came from, but I got a
bit carried away and managed to only take the photo halfway
through!

You can see some of the washes on the left and bottom

of the painting.

I'm Late, I'm late!!!!!

2009-09-26T21:15:00.001+02:00

I have just realised that the end of the month has arrived, Gosh, where has the year gone! I can't believe how quickly this month has flown by.... I was looking at the WSSA calendar the other day and realised that I need to submit 3 paintings by next Tuesday.....OMG!!!!! I also have another exhibition coming up too which I need to paint for as well. Best I get a move on and paint up a storm!!!!! Isn't it strange that human nature allows us to wait until the last minute! Or is it just me. I always put myself unwittingly under such pressure!!!!

In the mean time I painted a fun painting of penguins. I thought it would make a lovely painting for a child's bedroom. The colours are so fresh and suitable for that. I'm not entirely happy with the way it turned out as I wanted a softer approach, but this will have to do for now until I do another. I need to study the subject more before I just attack the paper I think!

Anyway here is the first attempt........

Have a great Sunday tomorrow!

Till then......

Reflective Moments

2009-09-21T13:33:00.004+02:00

Think I can call this completed...... I quite like the way the the soft transparent wrap around her hips turned out, giving enough to detail to the eye.

2009-09-20T21:25:00.005+02:00

I've finally got my brushes wet today. After a lovely tranquil morning painting and a short dog walk later this afternoon, I finally got another painting finished. This is a painting of my niece Sam in Mozambique..... she was in a reflective mood and seemed distant in her own thoughts. (24 x 34cm) on Bockingfords paper. I couldn't resist taking this photo at the time. This is a WIP for now.....

Till tomorrow...

2009-09-19T11:16:00.002+02:00

This week was not very productive painting wise... I had a few distractions which kept me away from my easel. But in the evenings when the family were in dreamland I managed to dabble in a few small watercolours 18 x 13cm. Thought they would look good either as a series on a kitchen wall or as a triptych.

Artichoke

Pears

Pomegranate

Cherry Tomatoes

2009-09-12T21:17:00.001+02:00

I painted Elephants last night.... With great enthusiasm and determination I thought I'd end up with a result that made the viewer think........ WOW!... but alas, it was no where near that.... in fact it landed in the bin.! I am not totally upset about this though... I know I can try it again. I am determined to get this right. I live in South Africa, you would have thought I'd have these animals tapped. With my best intentions... I just can't seem to get it right!!!!! I found some interesting thoughts on transparent watercolours written by Jim Kosvanec........http://www.kosvanec.com/controllingtranswc.html he wrote......."You can only master transparent watercolor by disciplined study. Knowledge frees the soul to express its creativity. Ultimately, however, the medium cannot be mastered...only handled masterfully."
So seems like I need to go and paint all the hundreds of photos I've taken of Elephants, to master to fluidity of transparent watercolours...... watch this space.......................................

Tails of the sea ... revisited!

2009-09-10T10:53:00.003+02:00

This is the re-do of the old fisherman I painted

the other day!!!! It's not exactly how I pictured

it in my mind's eye, but thought Id share it with you.

This one had initial pencil lines to get proportions

right. I'ts amazing to see the differences between

just going in with a brush (as the one below) and

doing a general outline first!

Child Of Innocence

2009-09-08T19:26:00.003+02:00

Child of Innocence was inspired by a photograph
taken by photographer John Spies, with thanks.
It portrays a little Black Lahu girl captured in a pensive
mood. When I saw this I just had to paint her. Her
captivating eyes grabbed me and the light and shadows
showed a very haunting story of an Opium smoking
village in Thailand where the unborn children were so
addicted to Opium from their mothers that the mothers
had to blow Opium smoke into their faces after they
were born, to calm them down.
Apparently the laws there have changed since then!
But the need to paint this powerful photo of her runs
deeper than just the story behind those eyes!
A watercolour, painted wet on wet and dry brush detail
at the end.

Tails of the Sea...

2009-09-03T21:05:00.009+02:00

I did manage to paint a portrait of a Fisherman.
Went in straight with a brush, no initial pencil.
He could do with loosening up a bit...... so I'll
redo it at some stage.

First Post..... Spring!

2009-09-03T20:49:00.004+02:00

Hello, 3 days into spring, here in the Southern hemisphere. I have been in my garden for 3 full solid days now. My gardener was expected back from is yearly leave on Tuesday....... but... didn't pitch. So I put on my garden gloves, hauled the 20 bags of lawn dressing onto the lawn and raked it in.... all alone. Well! as expected the next day I could hardly move. My arm muscles and back took quite a hammering, not to mention my nails which could do with a manicure now as a result! Wonder if I can pick up a brush to paint tonight?