A WINGED START TO THE NEW YEAR

A local B&B, Birds of Paradise have twice commissioned me to do a series of nine watercolour birds for them. My blog posts about it can be viewed here and here. Tourists from the UK who visited Eshowe last year saw some of these bird paintings at Birds of Paradise and asked me to make them their own three bird paintings. These have recently been completed and are representative of some of the species of African Birds that they encountered and became fond of: the Hoopoe, Fish Eagle and Masked Weaver.

African Hoopoe. Watercolour. 260x360mm 

Who can forget the haunting call of the African Fish Eagle? It's the call of Africa. One of my fondest memories is of a sunrise canoe ride on Lake Sekhunto, near Pondweni and Tembe Elephant Park in Northern Natal, where we had a Bush Camp.

We were very wary of Hippos, but were treated to more than one fish eagle swooping down for an early morning catch.

On a more recent fishing boat trip on the lake system near St Lucia, I was able to photograph a fish eagle enjoying its meal on a branch. This will probably be my next painting!

 

African Fish Eagle. Watercolour. 260x360mm

Watching the weavers build their nests, entertained by their happy (and very busy) chirping and zwirring can be a fascinating pastime.  I just had the opportunity again this past weekend. Look at this one,  for instance: (You got to start SOMEWHERE!):

Masked Weaver. Watercolour. 260x360mm

Painting this set of three bird watercolour paintings was very satisfying and inspiring. Look out for some more bird and wildlife watercolours in the near future!

Set of Three Bird Watercolours completed for Collectors in the UK. 

  

BUFFALO BEAUTIES

One of Africa's most dangerous animals, and a member of The Big Five, the Buffalo, compels respect and admiration, its muscular body and huge horns symbols of brute strength.

One of my first artistic efforts with the Buffalo as subject, was this sketch I did a couple of years ago:

Pencil on Paper, 360 x 520mm

And then I sketched the Big Five in pencil, measuring 1 meter in width ......... STILL AVAILABLE!

Pencil on (white)Paper, 1000 x 660 mm

A group of Buffalo in their natural habitat, which I painted in oil:

Buffalo in the Bushveld.  Acrylic and oil on canvas. 720 x 470mm SOLD

When we visit the Isimangaliso Wetland Park near St Lucia, we almost always see Buffalo.

Photograph - Buffalo near Cape Vidal.

I caught this one rubbing on a scratch post; how do you like the expression of utter bliss on his face?

Photograph -  Buffalo near Cape Vidal

   

Something that fascinates me about painting Buffalo portraits, is their unique facial features, more so than antelope, for instance.

Buffalo Portrait. Acrylic on canvas. 600 x 400mm SOLD

Buffalo Portrait II, Watercolour on Paper. 530 x 360mm. 

After completing the watercolour portrait, I felt like painting it again, but on canvas, and bigger. So I started by doing a few small acrylic sketches, testing the colour combinations, and, very importantly, the underlying structure, or composition (light/dark patterns). Which one do you prefer?:

I went with Number Three. Granted, it still underwent some changes in the actual process. :-)

I did the underpainting on 90 x 60 cm canvas, which I quite liked as an abstract in itself:

I then added the buffalo!  Finally, here is the completed painting:

Buffalo Portrait III, Acrylic on Canvas. 900 x 600mm. SOLD 

And, while the going was good, I did another Buffalo portrait. I really enjoyed working on this size and format: See what I mean about every Buffalo face being different?

"Great Aspirations" - Portrait of a Young Buffalo. Acrylic on Canvas. 900 x 600mm.

PAINTING AFRICAN NGUNI CATTLE

I think it was in the nineties when I first picked up the book, "The Abundant Herds"  at our local library. Written by acclaimed author Marguerite Poland and social anthropologist David Hammond-Tooke, describing the almost poetic names that Zulu people gave to their Nguni cattle, beautifully illustrateded by Leigh Voigt.

I  was stunned by the quality and quantity of watercolor and oil paintings adorning the pages, currently in the Oppenheimers' Africana collection.

It was a couple of years later when I was asked by a lady from Ubombo, who was part of a project called MAMA AFRIKA, to paint Nguni cattle onto plates, which she would then glaze and fire.

This, of course, sparked the idea to paint some Nguni cattle in oil. These were my first two Nguni oil paintings:

They sold within two weeks of putting them on the Internet, so... many followed!

My husband, who takes a keen interest in my art, and is often a very helpful critic, prompted me to paint some Nguni with the Ubombo mountains in the background:

I did a series of numerous  Nguni watercolours, of which below are a few examples:

I also printed and sold these as greeting cards.

In 2012 I did my first 'big' Nguni painting.

This was the reference photo I used (I took it one morning after returning from the Curio Shop at Shakaland, Phobane Lake):

I often prepare my painting digitally before I paint it, which is what I did in this case. This way I sort out the composition, eliminate unnecessary detail, focusing on the subject of interest, using harmonising colours in the process:

Some of the animals were dehorned, so I had to give them horns. I also changed the ears of the beast in the front, as pure-bred Nguni don't have hanging ears like that. Once I started painting, I had to tweak the background a couple of times, before it worked.  This was the result:

"Coming Home", 1500 x 900mm,  Oil on Stretched Canvas (SOLD)

I've since done two other big Nguni paintings, both from photographs supplied to me by local journalist, Larry Bentley, which he took at the Tugela River.

"Reflections", 1500 x 900mm, Oil on stretched Canvas.

The latest group that I did, was a smaller one:

"On the Road", 1000 x 350mm, Acrylic and Oil on Stretched Canvas. (SOLD)

For other recent Nguni paintings, as well as prices, see my website. 

Follow me on FB to see paintings as they 'come off the easel'.

I've recently taken some beautiful photos of Nguni herds in the Nkandla area and am itching to transform them into paintings. It is a very mountainous area; here is a typical scene:

My next Nguni painting will be Nguni painting number 61!

Close Encounters of the Bird Kind (Or is it 'Going Cuckoo'?)

Yesterday I spent some time with a friend in the Umgeni Bird Park in Durban to take photographs of some of the indigenous birds. What a soul-soothing place! The sound of waterfalls and  happy birds nearly drown out the traffic. Impossible to be there and feel stressed at the same time!

While in one of the walk-in cages, a Guira Cuckoo unexpectedly perched on my head and started pecking! (What was it about stopping a bird from nesting in your hair?....)

While I was trying to focus my camera on the Dikkops, a Guinea Fowl undid my laces...

Trying to photograph the Ground Hornbill, it picked up a morsel of food and kept offering it to me, fluttering its long eyelashes...

I also managed to get sonme of the kind of photos that I was looking for, so I'm looking forward to doing some more bird watercolours soon! (Just need to finish the series fo Zulu figures first). And then there's the large canvas waiting for Ngunis....

IMAGES OF AFRICA

Two similar, yet contrasting images of AFRICA: similar in colour schemes, but different in mood - the one of frantically running wildebeest, and the other of giraffe slowly strolling away the long, lazy late afternoon:



Run of the Wildebeest
Acrylic and Oil on canvas
760x380mm




Long African Afternoon
Acrylic and Oil on canvas
760x380



FIGURE IT...

Although I normally draw and paint themes from nature, especially animals, I was drawn to do some figure sketches earlier this year, capturing those little moments that say so much. The ones that give meaning to life, the ones that memories are made of....

Here they are...

A Boy and His Dog
Mixed Media on Mountboard
130x130mm (5x5")  

Dad's Fishing Box
Mixed Media on Mountboard
180x130mm (7x5")

Shoreline Ponderings
Mixed Media on Mountboard
175x130mm (7x5")

My Own World
Mixed Media on Mountboard
175x130mm (7x5")

Then I was ready to select  a few and paint them in acrylic and oil on canvas:

Child's Play
Acrylic and Oil on Stretched Canvas
305x230mm (12x9")

What a Wonderful World!
Acrylic and Oil on Stretched Canvas
305x230mm (12x9")

A True Companion
Acrylic and Oil on Stretched Canvas
300x300 (12x12")

JOY IN THE NEW YEAR

Joy in 2013.

Collage and Mixed Media on Paper.

200x285mm

Wishing you joy in this new year!

- the joy of contentment and appreciation

- the joy of nurtured relationships

- the joy of forgiveness

- the joy of the victory found through surrender

- the joy of finding a way where there seems to be no way

- the joy of discovery

May you truely be surprised by JOY!

"You will fill me with joy in your presence, 

with eternal pleasures at your right hand"

Psalms 16:11

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