Halloween pumpkin #398

Daily painting #398. 6"x8" oil on primed canvas panel

Our typical South African variety of pumpkin is a hard blue white skinned pumpkin that takes enormous muscle power and a butchers knife to cut open. It certainly would be a hardy task to carve any fancy Halloween pumpkin heads from this variety. Suddenly as Halloween approaches the American orange pumpkin variety starts showing up in every store. Halloween is not celebrated in South Africa with as much gusto as America and for safety reasons there is not a chance that my children would wonder the streets at night trick or treating! So Halloween tends to be a good excuse to get together for a fun dress up party at someones house rather than the door to door trick or treating we are familiar with from the movies! I have been amazed at all the images of carved pumpkins circulating the net...there are some clever people out there! My sculpting skills leave much to be desired and I think I should stick to painting! The closest I came to carving any pumpkin was working up some muscle power cutting slices of this delicious pumpkin for supper....I roasted the giant slices (these pumpkins are big)  in some olive oil, herbs and a dash of chilli flakes....they were delicious!!!
I hope wherever you are that you had a happy Halloween or if you weren't celebrating that you had a happy Friday evening....I love the start of the weekend! I get to spend it with these special people photographed with me at the opening of my exhibition ....my awesome family!

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art
(The online store will be closed until the end of the Paintings in the post exhibition and will reopen after the 14th November)

I've got my eyes on you...#397

Daily painting #397 6"x8" oil on primed canvas panel

For those of you familiar with Paintings in the post, you will know that while I have such gratitude for the possibilities that internet communication provides, I also have a deep sense of respect and need for the tangible. Give me a book rather than my kindle any day and while I would not survive without email and internet, I have a passion for the good old snail mail communication. My love of receiving something tangible in the post is what sparked Paintings in the post! So I could not exhibit my little paintings without recognition for the documentation of my journey, that is the little bit of writing that accompanies each painting each day on the blog. Now you will also know that in starting this project I had a greater fear of sharing my words than my paintings, but I have learnt to shelve that fear and share regardless! My spelling and grammar at times would probably leave my old English teachers spinning but I share what I have to say anyway and the delete button is my best friend!! In a nut shell ....I am a painter...not a writer! But I have taken all the writing from the blog and created something tangible...a true record of my journey...and hopefully something that one day my family will keep as a record of me! A celebration of 365 days of painting and writing, in a book! It is on the exhibition but I can't wait to grab my reading glasses and revisit my days, jog my memory and reflect on my year of painting...

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art
(The Paintings in the post online store will be closed until the end of the exhibition. It will be reopened after the 14th November)

Wild berry #396

Daily painting #396. 4"x6" oil on primed canvas panel

A little soft, delicate wild berry. On reflection while painting this, I realized this little painting is a reflection of how I am feeling at the moment. I am quite emotional and feeling a little fragile...it's been an exhausting week hanging so many little paintings but more than that I think I have felt quite emotional seeing them all go up together in one space. I feel like I have exposed a rather private and intimate space. Each little painting sparks a memory, it is a document of my days, my journey, something seemingly ordinary yet intimate...
I am looking forward to sharing my journey with others and if I can inspire just one person to paint more, or do something they didn't think they could, then I will be happy!

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art
(The Paintings in the post online store will be closed until 14th November when the exhibition closes....it will then reopen as normal)

Left over lemon #395

Daily painting #395 6"x6" oil on primed canvas panel 

5 days away from 400 little paintings...and an exhibition opening on Thursday evening...lots to be happy and grateful for! Don't forget the daily painting talk at GALLERY 415 on Saturday 9.30 am. If you are in the area it would be great to meet you...

Just in case you were wondering...I haven't been drinking more gin and tonic! This lemon was used for cooking. Lemon, garlic, herbs and a dash of good olive oil are always a winning combination!

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art
(The Paintings in the post online store will be closed for the duration of the exhibition and will be reopened once the exhibition closes on the 14th Nov)

Gin and Tonic #394

Daily painting #394 6"x8" oil on primed canvas panel

"CHEERS!" Here's to good friends...people who will give up precious time in their own crazy busy schedules to lend you a hand! Mel and Louise....you are treasures! I don't know how I would have faced hanging SO many little paintings on my own in preparation for the Paintings in the post exhibition. Those piles of paintings seemed to never end and I think we all have visual overload after today! Thank you from the bottom of my heart...your help, guidance and encouragement was just what I needed ...and this gin and tonic was a treat too! I wasn't joking when I said I was going home to put my feet up and enjoy a G&T or a glass of wine....but not before I painted!

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art
(The Paintings in the post online store will be closed for the duration of the Paintings in the post exhibition. It will reopen after the 14th November)

Spring rose #393

Daily painting #393 6"x6" oil on primed canvas panel

This summery bunch really brightened up my studio on a cold, wet day. I awoke with the sound of pouring rain just before first light and couldn't go back to sleep. So I tiptoed downstairs to my studio to paint rather than toss and turn in bed! I love that time of day when everyone is asleep and the house is silent. This morning the silence was broken only by the sound of the rain splashing and dripping at my studio door. Those moments of quiet and peacefulness are soul food for the day. I feel such contentment knowing that as my loved ones sleep upstairs I am in one of my favourite spaces (both physically and mentally). A busy and quite daunting week lies ahead....so I really needed this time of quiet contemplation....

30 October (this Thursday) @ 6pm

(Exhibition ends 14 Nov)

1 Nov @ 9.30am - Artist walkabout and talk about daily painting

8 Nov @ 9.30am - open studio (daily painting painted in Gallery)

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art
(The online store will be closed until the end of the Paintings in the post exhibition on the 14 Nov....it will then re-open and be ready for business once again!)

Liquorice Allsorts #392

Daily painting #392 6"x8" oil on primed canvas panel

Last week I had a chuckle when I shared the Strawberry Whirl biscuit with you. I had a few South African followers send me messages to say that they were now craving Strawberry Whirl biscuits....I even had someone comment that they were off to the shop to buy some NOW! Well, I have to admit that Beacon Liquorice Allsorts would have to be my all time favourite!!! I love the bright fun colours and have a weakness for Liquorice so I find it really hard to resist these...and they are such fun to paint!

Today at 12pm (South African time) the Paintings in the post online store at www.paintingsinthepost.tictail.com  will  close for a period of 2 and half weeks, until the Paintings in the post exhibition closes. We are starting to hang the exhibition tomorrow at Gallery 415 so if there is something you have had your eye on and you are not in Durban to attend the exhibition, today is the last day for online purchases until the second week in November. The paintings will still be posted online on this blog each day so please still follow along....

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art
(Click on the highlighted writing to view gallery of available daily paintings and for all purchase details)

Grapes...remnants of a school lunchbox #391

Daily painting #391 6"x6" oil on primed canvas panel 

Packing school lunches in the morning is the most mundane of tasks. I am always trying to find different things to give my children for lunch....rather than the same old boring sandwiches. You will probably think my children are spoilt and you will probably be thinking they should be making their own lunch, but my daughter has to be careful about her wheat intake and my son often only finishes school after 5pm if he has sport. So I like to make sure they have nice nutritious lunches. You can't run an engine on an empty tank! I do however usually make them clean out their own lunch boxes and water bottles but today I happened to do it for them. These are the remains of left over lunch....

I love school holidays and having a break from the early morning chore of making lunches....roll on another school holiday....at least it's the weekend!

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art
(Click on the highlighted writing to view gallery of available daily paintings and for all purchase details)

Pincushion protea #390

Daily painting #390 6"x6" oil on primed canvas panel

A pretty little pincushion, named so for obvious reason. They belong to the protea family and can be found in shades of yellow, oranges and deep coral. I have one single stem sitting in a vase in my studio. It reminds me of a little ball of fire...

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art
(Click on the highlighted writing to view gallery of available daily paintings and for all purchase details)

Protea star #389

Daily painting #389 6"x8" oil on primed canvas panel

A large protea which has opened up completely ....like a giant star! It is almost the size of a dinner plate and is quite beautiful! Not the nicest shape to paint but wanted to share it with you...

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art
(Click on the highlighted writing to view gallery of available daily paintings)

Let it rain.... #388

Daily painting #388 6"x6" oil on primed canvas panel

I painted early this morning because I knew I wasn't going to find time later in the day. I was teaching a painting class and then directly afterwards heading off to a day/night school cricket game that my son was playing in, in Pietermaritzburg (about an hour inland from Durban). I really didn't feel like driving home late at night (the game was scheduled to finish at about 9.30pm) on a notoriously accident prone road. There was also rain forecast for later in the evening and I was hoping we were not going to travel to the game only for it to be called off! So I sat painting secretly willing (my son would be mad with me) the small cluster of rain clouds on the horizon to head our way sooner rather than later! But as Murphy's Law would have it, the game went ahead only for it to be called off at about 8.30 with only a few overs to go because of the rain! So the game wasn't finished after all ...those clouds arrived a little later than I had hoped but at least we did get to head on home a bit earlier and the boys did enjoy some cricket even if the game was called off. The down side is that I know I am going to have one grumpy and VERY tired pre-teen in the morning who after school is going to have to be cajoled into learning for exams.....wish me luck!

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art
(Click on the highlighted writing to view gallery of available daily paintings)

Mini bunch #387

Daily painting #387 4"x6" oil on primed canvas panel 

A little painting sketch of some roses from the market. Some open blooms and a few buds. Wish I could tell you they came from my garden but that would be wishful on my part!

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art
(Click on the highlighted writing to view gallery of available daily paintings)

At my window #386

Daily painting #386 6"x8" oil on primed canvas panel

I haven't spent much time in my studio over the last few days other than to complete my daily painting. I have had such flu that I have been climbing into my bed at every opportunity and working on my laptop. I am putting together a printed journal, in book form, of my 365 days of daily painting for my exhibition which opens on the 30th October. So if you have messaged me or emailed me and I haven't got back to you....apologies ...I will tackle all my mail tomorrow when I am hopefully feeling a bit better! 

We have had huge rain and gusty winds lately so I had removed the bird feeders so that they did not get damaged in the strong wind. I was dreading going into my studio today. I felt feverish and didn't want to move from my bed! As for what to paint for my daily painting....well I simply had no idea today which is probably why I didn't feel like facing my daily painting either! But I dragged myself off to my studio anyway and am so glad I did!!!! My little feathered friends had gathered outside my studio and immediately started creating a fuss when they realized I was there. The rain had stopped and there was still no feeder outside. They flapped, fussed and chirped until I opened my studio door. They then all flurried away in a mass of feathers and fluttering. I placed the bird feeder out and watched from my studio as they feasted .....where had I been....and where was the food? What a big fuss they were making....

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art

Strawberry whirl biscuits #385

Daily painting #385 6"x8" oil on primed canvas panel

Strawberry whirls were my favourite biscuits as a kid! When my mum would buy a box of Bakers Assorted biscuits I would always reach for these first (and secretly hope no one else would do the same). I bought a box of Strawberry Whirls when we had a house full of kids visiting and I laughed when I noticed them eating the biscuit round so that they were left with just the strawberry centre....I used to do exactly the same thing! Needless to say the box was finished in a flash, except for the one I saved to paint. I had to take a bite first...it made the painting more interesting and to be honest, I couldn't resist!

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art
(Click on the highlighted writing to view gallery of  available daily paintings and for all purchase details)

Jasmine #384

Daily painting #384. 6"x6" oil on primed canvas panel

The Jasmine is in full flower in my garden and the perfume is heavenly!!!

I often get asked how long a daily painting takes me. I set myself a time limit of 45 minutes maximum....some days it takes me a little longer though and on other days I have even less time because I just don't have 45 minutes spare in my day! The idea is to paint daily ....not create master pieces daily (that's impossible). I think of my daily painting as an exercise ...it's a ritual ...a daily routine! If I didn't try to set some kind of time limit, the painting would never be finished because our self critical nature finds it SO hard to decide when something is complete...we never feel it is good enough. "Perhaps a little more...?" We always ask this question. This type of routine has helped me to work and move away with less self criticism ....even on the days when I would love to rework an image! I have to learn to walk away....and be less self critical and rather enjoy the process! It's a very different experience to working through the process of creating an image over a period of time.

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art
(Click on the highlighted writing to view gallery of available daily paintings and for all purchase details)

Late night bunch #383

Daily painting #383 4"x6" oil on primed canvas panel

Another little mini....it's late at night, there is a storm outside and heavy rain. It is freezing cold and I am full of flu with a temperature. So tonight it is short and sweet because my bed is calling my name...

A little bit of 'pretty' from my home to yours! It's almost the weekend...hope you have a fabulous one!

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art
(Click on the highlighted writing to view gallery of available daily paintings and for all purchase details)

Fleshy figs #382

Daily painting #382. 5"x7" oil on primed canvas panel

Juicy, fleshy and sweet! All that's missing is some delicious creamy cheese, crusty bread and a chilled glass of wine!

Two weeks today until the opening of my Paintings in the post exhibition at Gallery 415 in Umgeni Road....hope to see you there if you are in Durban!

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art
(Click on the highlighted  writing to view gallery of available daily paintings and for all purchase details )

East coast grey #381

Daily painting #381 6"x6" oil on primed canvas panel

Heavy grey clouds rolled in over the sea this afternoon. After a really long spell of no rain, the summer rains are definitely here! According to my husband (the weatherman) who, being involved in sport follows the weather closely, we are going to have really heavy rain by Thursday and storms on Thursday night! This afternoon it looks like something is brewing....

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art
(Click on the highlighted writing to view gallery of available daily painting and for all purchase details)

Protea in a glass jar #380

Daily painting #380. 4"x6" oil on primed canvas panel

This protea is sitting in a glass jar on my studio desk. I have been staring at it all day while I caught up on piles of admin at the computer.....I would rather have been painting! 

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art
(Click on the highlighted writing to view gallery of available daily paintings and for all purchase details)

Golden delicious #379

Daily painting #379. 6"x6" oil on primed canvas panel 

Golden delicious is a type of soft, sweet, juicy apple. My children prefer the slightly more tart and crunchy apples like the Granny Smith and so these, I have noticed, are being neglected in the fruit bowl! So I guess they won't be added to the school lunch boxes tomorrow. 

It's the start of our 4th and final school term for the year here in South Africa. It's going to be a short but busy one and always a tiring one as the heat of summer starts to drain the energy levels! We get off to a busy start with my Paintings in the post exhibition in just 2 weeks (yikes!!!!) and I have SO much planning to do as I will be teaching Visual Art part time in 2015 at one of our local private girls schools, Our Lady of Fatima. I will still teach a few painting classes from my studio at home but it will be great to get back into a classroom again for short periods and hopefully inspire some budding new art enthusiasts! I have a bucket load to do before the start of the next holidays....it's going to be crazy, busy and hopefully loads of fun....the final stretch of 2014 is ahead! 

2014 seems to be whizzing by....

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art

Dragonfly #378

Daily painting #378. 4"x6" oil on primed canvas panel

The dragonflies are buzzing around the swimming pool....tormenting the dogs and entertaining the cats who watch closely from the safety of the veranda! Summer is on its way ....and soon it will be time to join the dragonflies around the pool! We had our first big electrical storm last night....the heat is coming....

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art
(Click on the highlighted writing to view gallery of available daily paintings and for all purchase details)

Strawberries and patterns #377

Daily painting #377 4"x6" mixed media and oil on primed panel

This little painting is tiny, it is 4"x6" and again with these little sizes, cropping the small paintings is not an ideal way to photograph the little painting as they are viewed too close! I love pattern and fabric and often work with fabric in my larger paintings so I have decided to start incorporating the use of fabric and patterned collages onto a few of my little daily paintings. The surface is then primed so that I can use my oil paints over it. The initial collage and priming has to be completed before hand as the surface needs to dry....but the oil painting is completed in one sitting as my daily painting! So I hope you are going to enjoy seeing a bit more pattern creeping into my work every now and again....

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art

Protea #376

Daily painting #376 6"x8" oil on primed canvas panel 

These deep red proteas were on special today at the Everfresh market. I bought 3 single stems...one for my studio...one for my kitchen...and one for my veranda table! 

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art
(Click on the highlighted writing to view gallery of available daily paintings and for all purchase details)

Army ant #375

Daily painting #375. 4"x6" oil on primed canvas panel

Yesterday we went 'road tripping' up into the KwaZulu Natal midlands. Although still very dry at the moment, it really is beautiful! We stopped at a little local pizza shed for lunch. It has an outdoor pizza oven and outdoor wooden benches where you sit and eat. The open plan kitchen is under an open shed-like structure. The pizzas are served on large wooden chopping boards and the whole setting is very quaint and rustic. We had some extra lunch guests.....bees (to my daughters horror) from the local hives and some rather large army ants which were waiting patiently to carry off the very last remnants of our delicious pizza!

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art
(Click on the highlighted writing to view gallery of available daily paintings and for all purchase details)

Jelly beans #374

Daily painting #374. 4"x6" oil on primed canvas panel 

Jelly beans....found at the bottom of my son's bag while I was unpacking the piles of dirty laundry he came home from the cricket festival with! I think a fun time was had by all! I can't say I am having fun tackling the dirty, sweaty, smelly clothes and kit bags that have come home....but it is WONDERFUL to have him home again!

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art
(Click on the highlighted writing to view gallery of available daily paintings and for all purchase details )

Last long day #373

Daily painting #373 4" x6" oil on primed canvas panel

Last long day of cricket!!! Today's game seemed to go on forever.....! It is amazing how tired you get sitting around a field doing not much at all! Tomorrow is the end of the tournament and our boys play a short 20/20 (20 overs) game and so it should all be over by lunchtime. My husband also finishes off his cricket festival today and will also be home by the afternoon! I am looking forward to a few short days of holiday ...some quality family time and some quiet time back in my studio! 

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art
(Click on the highlighted writing to view gallery of available daily paintings and for all purchase details)

Little brown #372

Daily painting 372 6"x6" oil on primed canvas panel

My poor daughter Amy is having to spend most of her short holiday around the cricket field watching her brother! My son is at a cricket festival and my husband is also away ....at another cricket festival! So it is just the girls at home! Last night after the cricket game we decided to go to one of our local casual restaurants for a quick dinner. It was early evening and quite warm so all the doors were wide open and we watched with fascination as little sparrows flew into the restaurant, perched on the hanging light fittings and scuttled under the tables closest to the open doors looking for a few dinner crumbs. What fascinated us the most was that hardly any of the other people even seemed to notice them! At Amy's suggestion they HAD to be my daily painting which of course had not been painted yet! So we scuttled around trying to get a few pictures....the birds might have gone unnoticed....but we certainly didn't! I vaguely heard Amy explaining to the waiter, while my head was under the table with my iPhone, "don't worry my Mom just wants to paint the birds" ! I am sure that put him at ease....thank goodness they know us at the restaurant!

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art
(Click on the highlighted writing to view gallery of available daily paintings and for all purchase details)

Blue skies and cricket #371

Daily painting #371 4"x7" oil on primed canvas panel

Beautiful blue skies after the rain...perfect for a day of cricket! My son is playing in an invitational team at a cricket festival for his soon to be new high school, called Northwood. Our children are on a weeks school holidays and then we return for our last term of the school year and Ross' last year in Senior Primary School....off to High School next year...I can't believe it! (Our school year runs January to December.)

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art

Buds #370

Daily painting #370 6"x6" oil on primed canvas panel

 We have had some much needed rain over the last few days and everything is looking green, crisp and clean! Sun is forecast for tomorrow and I have no doubt that it will be steamy and hot after the rain! Hello rain....hello humidity!
But I am not complaining, the trees and gardens are flourishing again and my Jasmine bush full of buds and about to burst into flower and sweet perfume!

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art

Bumble bee #369

Daily painting #369. 6"x6" oil on primed canal panel

I found a big bumble bee in my outdoor studio that I teach from. I haven't seen one of these in ages and yet I remember seeing them all the time as a kid! We used to call them 'helicopter bees' because they make a loud buzzing sound. They also enjoy the sport of tantalizing and tormenting as they dive bomb the heads of children. We used to think that they were great fun and nothing was more hysterical than a giant bumble bee finding its way into the classroom. I can remember shrieking and ducking as the little drone completely disrupted class as it whizzed around our heads and created a scene of absolute mayhem and hysteria! I am not so sure that as a teacher I would now appreciate these antics quite as much....but I was happy to see they are still around [sadly not this one any longer].

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art 
[Click on the highlighted writing to view gallery of available daily paintings and for all purchase details]

Trigg Beach #368

Daily painting #368 6"x8" oil on primed canvas panel

By now those of you who are getting to know me, will know that I am just a huge sucker when it comes to sentiment! We all have our 'special place' and those places are made more special by the special people we share them with! 

So this one is for Shirley in Australia.....

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art