15.4.15

Broken ankle


Well it's definitely not a painting I am sharing with you today, I wish it were! When asked by others what was going to break my continuous daily painting spell, I would joke that it would probably have to be something serious like landing up in hospital or such like to get me to stop as NOT painting had become harder than finding the time to paint. It had become such an integral part of my daily routine after 560 days without a break, the entire process had become meditative and almost necessary to my everyday existence! Well I must have jinxed myself and I can only say I am grateful the accident was mine and no one else that I care dearly about! On Monday morning I tripped on the staircase at home, trying to avoid my cat and fell down half a flight of stairs! My husband took me to our local hospital and thank goodness all I had done was break my ankle bone and severely bruised my body as I landed on a concrete treated surface. It could have been much worse but I was in such pain that I wanted to be physically ill! Fortunately the orthopedic surgeon has made the decision to keep a moon boot on the leg and immobilize the break as the bones could be aligned. He will reassess it in 2 weeks time. I am trying to avoid having surgery to pin the bones. So I was at hospital before I had even loaded my daily painting (or even had a morning shower!!!!) and have not yet been able to paint since. Between a heady cocktail of painkillers and the need to stay absolutely still or as still as possible, I have been unable to paint. I have sobbed out of pain, frustration and the absolute heartbreak of having to end 560 consecutive days of daily painting. It would have been amazing to complete another 365 consecutive days (730 days of daily painting that would have been) and I was so very close but it was not meant to be! 560 days of daily painting is still an amazing achievement!
So for now I concentrate on healing and keeping as still as possible to avoid having any surgery and I hope to be daily painting again soon! I will be less focused on the number of days I have painted for and more focused on the joy of engaging daily in little painting exercises which have become as important to my painting as they have been to my soul. Taking time out to engage daily in something creative is not only a blessing but it is like a daily top up to your creative tank. It gets you painting and focussing on the joy of painting rather than the end result! It forces you to just DO and not overthink too much as one can do when working on larger pieces of work. I have shared many paintings that quite frankly don't work and I am okay with that! It's good to make mistakes...it's how we grow...it's how we learn! So my lesson right now is never make the mistake again of trying to avoid the cat on the staircase, if she happens to fall instead of you chances are she will land her feet a lot better than you! Mistake made....lesson learnt!
Thanks for all the messages from everyone and sorry if I have not replied to them all. I hope to be daily painting and sharing again soon....as soon as I can move a bit more! I have received such lovely messages from all of you saying how much you are missing seeing the daily paintings and that warms my heart....thank you! Click on the link below and you can browse through some 'oldies' until I can start sharing again..... Thank you Heidi

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12.4.15

Berry breakfast #560


Daily painting #560 5"x7" oil on primed canvas panel 

I have been reading 'Art before breakfast' by Danny Gregory. It's a really inspiring read on how to incorporate art into our busy daily lives. So I got painting early this morning with a little share from my breakfast bowl...



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(Click on the

11.4.15

Early on the East Coast #559


Daily painting #559 5"x7" oil on primed canvas panel

Back to the East Coast and the beautiful early morning sky! I think my bedroom must have one of the best early morning views and I am always so grateful that I am an early riser! 
Simply the best time of the day....

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9.4.15

One bite #558


Daily painting #558 6"x8" oil on primed canvas panel

Back home to my happy place, my studio and my trusty oil paint! Squeezing out oil paint again is just sheer joy to my soul! Deciding what to paint was another story as the cupboards where empty! I often end up painting that which I cook but there was not a thing to cook in the house! The boys hardly look malnourished but I am not quite sure what they have been surviving on while I was away! A big trip to the grocery store is in order! We have had a fabulous trip away but being home with my whole family together again is just the best!

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Bye Cape Town #557


Daily painting #557 pen and watercolour from my sketchbook NFS

Always sad to say goodbye to this beautiful city! It's been awesome catching up with family and it's been a special trip with my Mum and my daughter...the two most special ladies in my life! But tonight we are homeward bound and I can't wait to see the boys! My husband and son stayed behind because my son Ross is playing in a hockey festival. I have missed them both so much and can't wait to see them! I also can't wait to squeeze out some oil paint again too!



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7.4.15

Penguin #556


Daily painting #556 pen and watercolour from my sketchbook NFS

Cape Town is breathtakingly beautiful! We went up Table Mountain today, drove along Chapmans peak and took my daughter to Boulders Beach to see the Penguins. Such a scenic coastline! Below is a photo of Boulders beach well known for the population of penguins that live there.



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6.4.15

From the train #555


Daily painting #555 pen and watercolour from my sketchbook NFS

We took a train from Muizenberg to Simons Town today. It was a huge novelty for my daughter...in Durban we would never catch a train, it's simply not safe! The coastline is so beautiful and you get such a great view from the train! 



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West Coast Starfish #554


Daily painting #554 pen and watercolour from my sketchbook

We travelled up the West Coast to a little place called Veldrift to visit my aunt and uncle. We stopped along the way at some of the popular tourist destinations like Langebaan and Paternoster. The image below is from Paternoster a little fishing village which has become very popular with tourists and sadly is starting to loose some of its rural charm, although still extremely beautiful!



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4.4.15

Stellenbosch acorn #553


Daily painting #543 pen and watercolour from my sketchbook NFS

Stellenbosch is a beautiful quaint little university town. My husband Andrew studied at Stellenbosch and so we spent the morning walking around the little town and visiting his old faculty. The pavements are lined with beautiful old oak trees and all the little acorns are starting to fall. My ankle is still a little sore from a few weeks ago so walking (slipping) over all the little acorns was interesting and I nearly landed on my behind a few times but more because I wasn't looking where I was walking....there are too many interesting little things to see. The whole little town is full of sculptures on the streets and pavements and an abundance of little galleries and quaint shops and eateries. 



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3.4.15

Cape protea #552


Daily painting #552 pen and watercolour from my sketchbook NFS

One of my favourite flowers and of course the Cape is home to the protea and fynbos that I love so much. We went for a long walk through the beautiful Kirstenbosch Gardens. It sits right at the foot of the mountain and I wish I could share a million photos with you, words just cannot explain the beauty!



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Cookie Monster cupcake #551


Daily painting #551 pen and watercolour from my sketchbook NFS 

We went to the famous Charlie's Bakery today and Amy ordered a Cookie Monster cupcake. Charlie's Bakery has its own TV show and is like the South African version of 'The Cake Boss'. It's a quaint little building and the decor inside is gorgeous! From the counter you can look into the back working area where novelty cakes are being assembled for various functions. Trying to choose from all the little cupcake varieties, novelty cookies and cakes is so hard....everything looks so delicious! I have to admit to needing a HUGE glass of water after all the sugar!





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1.4.15

One Direction Ticket #550


Daily painting #550 pen and watercolour from my sketchbook NFS

550 days and 550 little paintings shared.....wow! Another little milestone!
Today was without a doubt the most exciting day for my daughter (and a million other adoring fans). Over a year ago now I booked tickets as a surprise for my daughter to go to the One Direction 'On the road again' tour concert here in Cape Town. I was secretly dreading being stuck amongst a stadium full of screaming teenage girls shrieking and singing along to their favourite boy band! But over the months after hearing the songs repeatedly (I had no choice) and finding myself singing along in the car to the catchy tunes as my daughter played and replayed her favourite songs, I have to own up to the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed the concert! The show was brilliant and Cape Town as always makes going to big concerts just so easy. The organization was fantastic despite half of the country descending on the stadium! I have no doubt it will be a night my daughter will remember for the rest of her life and I am so glad I got to share it with her, her excitement was the kind that memories are made of!



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