PEACE on EARTH

A lovely time of year, when families connect and when we go out of our way to make the celebration special. My presents are wrapped, the lights are twinkling and the gammon is cooked! I am very proud of the home made chocolate truffles I made as pressents this year - see them among the pressies. :-)

To everyone who stopped by my blog this year - a big thank you! I appreciate that. 

May your Festive Season be full of JOY and PEACE and your New Year PROSPEROUS!

Greetings from a VERY WARM KwaZulu Natal!

NGUNI at the TUGELA

I firstly have to thank local journalist/photographer, Larry Bentley, (find his Facebook photography page here) for his kind permission to use his photograph of Nguni drinking water at the Tugela, as a reference. I saw the picture in the newspaper and asked him for permission to paint it, after which he supplied me with the original on a disk.

I spent about a month on this one - MUCH less time than the previous BIG Nguni painting. :-) 

Here it is:

Nguni at the Tugela River

1500 x 900mm

Acrylic and Oil on Stretched Canvas 

HIGH PROFILE - THE PAINTING PROCESS

Just completed: another giraffe portrait, this time in profile:

"High Profile"

Watercolour 370 x 270mm

My process is one of overlaying colour in several layers. I start off with a pencil drawing made using a rough grid dividing the page in sixteen squares. I then lay in the main areas of colour with fairly wet watercolour with a 1/2 inch flat brush.

After that I work in specific areas with a rigger brush - anything from no 0 to 3, depending on the subject matter. When painting animals or birds, I use a very dry brush, which I use almost like a colouring pencil, making the strokes in the direction of the hair growth ( or feathers, in the case of a bird). I often use a damp brush to soften edges of painted areas.

It now becomes almost a game of "find the differences" between the reference picture and my painting. I concentrate on the shapes and shades of colour.     

The very last step is to add the highlights in the eyes, and a few white hairs where necessary. I use white gouache and a fine brush for this. I also used a thicker damp brush to gently lift some paint off the center of the eye-ball to simulate reflections and create depth. (some of the eye-lashes were made by using a toothpick to drag some of the wet paint outward during the stage when I was painting the dark around the eyes.) 

TWO NEW GREETING CARD DESIGNS

Having been inspired by other artist's printmaking, I played around a bit with some of my previous watercolour paintings of Little Bee Eaters and came up with these two new card designs:

I digitally collaged the two birds with text and then brought back some shadows and their eyes to add definition. 

A VIEW FROM THE TOP

Another portrait - this time of an animal with a view from the top!

Giraffe Portrait (RESERVED)

Watercolour

370 x 270mm



GREETING CARD DESIGNS UPDATED

  

    NEW!!!

I have updated my Greeting Card Designs

Check it out on

PICASA

ORDER FROM:

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Wholesale Price: (30 cards or more) - R15 per card + postage (15%)

Retail Price: R20 per card + postage(15%)

A BIRD WITH ATTITUDE

Ostriches are not just large birds. They are large birds with ATTITUDE.

We visited a private game reserve, Nyala Game Ranch, a while ago. We were warned about the one male ostrich.

We stopped at the top of a hill to have some tea and eats. We had not relaxed in our camping chairs for long, when Mr Ostrich appeared. It was a very quick retreat into the safety of the car, as ostriches can muster a mean kick. You don't want to be at the receiving end of these:

When it continued hassling us at the windows, we decided to move elsewhere. It followed us for quite a while, literally chasing us off its territory!

I did manage to get a few good close-up shots to paint, though:

Ostrich  - Portrait (frontal)

Watercolour

260 x 175 mm

Ostrich - Portrait (profile)

Watercolour

260 x 175 mm

A SPOT OF SHADE

When we were travelling back to Windhoek from Walvis Bay last year, the bus kept on overheating and having to stop, until another bus in the opposite direction could supply it with an appropriate spare part. At one of the stops I had the opportunity to photograph these cattle seeking a little bit of shade. I love these typical  Namibian acacia trees and had to paint this scene:

A Spot of Shade

Watercolour

265 x 175 mm

   

Pink Roses in a Glass Bowl

These roses were on the table at the baby shower - see my post: "It's a Girl!" I couldn't resist painting them:

 Pink Roses in a Glass Bowl

Watercolour

175 x 265 mm

TACTILE TEXTURES

Did I mention that I liked textures?? I do indeed!!

I had SUCH fun making these collages of currogated cardboard, plastering them, pouring on sand, painting and embellishing them with embossed patterns, and finally adding a bit of glitz by rubbing on some gold.  

"Shack I"

Collage & Mixed Media on board

450 x 310mm

"Shack II"

Collage & Mixed Media on board

450 x 310mm

The initial inspiration for these collages was this photo of rusted little currogated iron storerooms (I think?)  that I took last year while taking a walk with my sister along the beach in Walvisbaai, Namibia:

NGUNI HERD - finished at last!

This is a large painting and took me rather long to complete - mostly because I worked on it intermittantly over about three years. I must say I do prefer projects that can be completed in a week or a few days, but I did want to do a large Nguni painting, and I even have a plan for another one!

I first painted the Nguni cattle in with acrylic, after drawing them on the canvas, using a grid.

Then I did the background in oils, as oil is so much easier to work with when blending.

I wasn't happy with the background, so it got changed, and I added some stones:

I did some more work on the background, until I was happy with it.Now the leading Nguni needed some alterartions on it's horns, ears and face, and patterns on its skin. After that I repainted all the other Nguni in oils, and also added finishing to the horns and hooves. Oh, yes, and the stones needed some more finishing, too!

Nguni Herd Coming Home

Acrylics and Oil on Canvas

1500 x 900mm

BLINK DETECTED

I had to laugh when I was photographing one of these two portraits and my camera kept saying: "blink detected". Well, at least my camera recognised it as a face!! Those of you living in Eshowe might recognise her...

"If I Close My Eyes, They Can't See My Soul"

Acrylic and Oil on Canvas

500 x 400 mm

SOLD 

When I was photographing the lady for the reference, all I kept getting was closed eyes. When I asked her to open her eyes, I got this:

I decided to paint her as she preferred to be: with closed eyes. Maybe that is to shut the world out? 

The painting was sold on the recent Annual Eshowe Exhibition.

The other portrait is of a lady that lived next to the property where we had a bushcamp, near Pondweni in Maputaland, Northern KZN. She struck me as someone with dignity and a wealth of life experiences. Here she is:

"Kokho" (Grandma)

Acrylic and Oil on Canvas

500 x 400 mm

IT'S A GIRL!!

No, not mine. :-)) My husband's niece is having a baby girl and this is what I made for a baby-shower present: a photo-collage-painting!

"Fearfully and Wonderfully Made"

Collage and Mixed Media

500x400mm 

It contains some of the sonar pictures of the unborn baby, eg middle left, and a picture of the parents.

The textures were built up with lace, tulle and cheesecloth, symbolising the "weaving together". The two corner embellishments were made out of pewter.  

The text that I incorporated into the collage, is Ps 139: 13-17

13 For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you

when I was made in the secret place,

when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;

all the days ordained for me were written in your book

before one of them came to be.

17 How precious to me are your thoughts,[a] God!

How vast is the sum of them!

The baby shower was a lovely picnic in Mitchell Park, Durban. 

 Isn't this a nifty nappy cake??

I really had fun doing the collage and would be very happy to do some more, if anybody would like to order something similar! :-)

COMPLETING A PORTRAIT

I was asked to complete a portrait that another artist started before she passed away earlier this year. The portrait was of her nephew. She had good proportions and the groundwork had been done, so I adjusted the shading and fine-tuned the features. It was a pleasant challenge and I counted it a priviledge to complete the portrait for her mother.

Here is the portrait, as I received it.

The finished product:

Portrait in Oil on Artboard

350 x 450 mm:

  

Eshowe Annual Art Exhibition

Yes, it's time again for our town's annual art exhibition! 

It is amazing how many artists live in our small town, Eshowe. Do come around on the 8th or 9th of September and have a look, if you are in the area. The opening is on the Friday night. Tickets available as on the poster. 

AND THE WINNER IS....

The

WINNER

of the draw for the first 30 "likes" on my Facebook Art Page is:

Barbara Philip.

CONGRATULATIONS, Barbara!

Your two Guinea Fowl prints will be on their way soon!

A Big THANK YOU to everybody who "liked" my new Facebook Art Page:

Keep Watching my
Facebook Page
for

more Specials and Give-Aways!!!

MY BRAND NEW FACEBOOK ART PAGE

I'm introducing my brand new

ART PAGE

and, to celebrate, there is an 

ART PRINT

Yes, you've read correctly! If you are one of the first 30 people to

 my Facebook Art Page

you are eligible for the lucky draw to receive:

a set of 2 Guinea Fowl PRINTs of your choice
(same size as the original - about A5),

from my new Guinea Fowl series,
as seen on the previous post on this BLOG,

printed on Matt Fine Art Paper, with a single mount,

READY for FRAMING!.

The designs are fresh and new, have not been marketed anywhere before,

and are worth between R90 and R100 per print, plus about R45 per mount

(Total package: about R290 or 35USD). You only pay for shipping!!

All you have to do is click on the "like" button below:   

.

(The original Guinea Fowl artworks, sized approximately A5,

are available @ between R250 and R300 each)

Looking forward to seeing you on my Facebook Art Page soon!!

GUINEA FOWL FUN

In South Africa we have two types of Guinea Fowl - the Helmeted (on the left in picture below), and the Crested, on the right.

Illustration from the book,

"Roberts' birds of Southern Africa"

(Artwork by K. Newman)

The one more common in KZN is the Crested Guinea Fowl, so that is the one I most often get to see.

Inspired by the artist, Robert Burridge's "Circus Birds", I had some fun collaging and painting some of our African Guinea Fowls:

Guinea Fowl 1 & 2

Collage & Mixed Media on Mounting Board

150 x 190mm each

Guinea Fowl 3 & 4

Collage & Mixed Media on Mounting Board

190 x 150mm each

And, I couldn't resist doing some watercolours of their very peculiar faces:

Beauty Contest I and II

120 x 170mm

Watercolour, pen & ink on Paper

Helmeted Guinea Fowl

175 x 130mm

Watercolour, pastel, pen & ink

Crested Guinea Fowl

175 x 130mm

Watercolour, pastel, pen & ink

   

COMMISSION COMPLETE!

Here is the result of the mixed media experiments - a set of three paintings with the Boubou bird as central theme:

BOUBOU - set of three

Mixed Media

(Collage, Acrylic, oil)

300 x 400mm each

SOLD

A closer look at the first one in the set:

You may want to see the blogpost about the previous, large painting that I did for the same B&B.