Granny Smith apples #109

Daily painting #109. 6"x8" oil on primed canvas panel SOLD

Two Grannies huddle together, in the shadows on the shelf ....to catch up on market gossip....

(In case you are wondering who or where the grannies are....Granny Smith is a variety of green apple sold here in South Africa. It is crisp and tart in flavour)

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Back to school #108

Daily painting #108. 5"x7" oil on primed canvas panel. SOLD

Back to school....aaarrrggghhh!!!!! The holidays seemed to have flown by so quickly and now my children are about to start the 2014 school year! I am excited for them but I do love holiday time (who doesn't)! I have spent the last few days organizing stationery and covering books. In South Africa in both public and private schools, our children are required to wear school uniforms and so I have also been making sure uniforms fit and that nothing is lost, missing or needs replacing. Fortunately all that needed replacing was my daughters school shoes. 'Bata Toughees' is the brand name for the school shoes....and 'toughees' they are! They have not changed one bit from when I was at school...they are imitation black leather, hard soled shoes with a cross bar and buckle....and they are uncomfortable....especially when they are new! The first week of school you walk around like you have planks on your feet, they don't bend, they feel heavy (and hot in our weather) and give you blisters at the back and rub your toes even though you are wearing socks! Shoes AND socks in the heat of summer....crazy!!! Isn't starting school after a fun holiday punishment enough? The dreaded black school shoes....they bring back lots of memories!

Day 15 of the 30/30 challenge....half way there!!

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Rose study #107

Daily painting #107. 5"x7" oil on primed canvas panel

Today we were shown a bit of grace with slightly cooler temperatures which made sitting in the studio to paint far more bearable! Too late for this rose though....although the bloom still had a few more days life in it...the stem was so limp, it couldn't hold up the weight of the flower any longer! I took the single rose into my studio and made a few quick studies of it. Next week classes begin again and it will be a matter of time before someone needs assistance with capturing the essence of a rose. Painting roses is something that needs practice....there is no mystery....it is all in the looking...finding the tones and values and using your brush to find the shape. The trick is to not overwork the rose too much (I still struggle with this) and being confident with the mark you make....
I think no matter how many roses I paint....I will always remain a student ....always learning...always struggling to keep fresh marks and pushing myself to improve ...but that is the beauty of art!
 Even as a teacher ....I am always a learner too!

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Hot like chillies #106

Daily painting #106. 5"x7". Oil on primed canvas panel SOLD

Two red hot chillies embrace.....

Hot hot hot.....heat of a different kind....inescapable, humid, sweaty, unbearable, heat!
Welcome to Durban at the moment! The rainy spell we had a month or so ago is really causing havoc with the humidity levels, which can add a couple (more than a couple) of degrees onto an already unbearable temperature! Some parts of the world are freezing over and we are sweltering, melting, dehydrating!! Bizarre weather or global warming dealing its punishment....?
A few days ago I shared this photo with some friends.....

.....and this candlestick doesn't stand in the sun! The drooping candles are a result of the room temperature!!!!!

You know it's hot when even the candles can't cope......









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Early protea #105

Daily painting #105. 6"x8" oil on primed canvas panel SOLD

After my late night last night, I was in my studio early this morning....before the day ran away with me again! Dirty paintbrushes had been abandoned in jars of turps and the proteas were still posing on the table next to my easel.....SO ....another view of the proteas...from a different angle (placed into the shadow of my still life 'stage')....painted at a much more sane time of day!

Day 12 of the 30/30 challenge done and dusted (before midnight this time!)

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Midnight protea #104

Daily painting #104. 5"x7" oil on primed canvas panel SOLD

I thought I would paint something typically South African today ....I seem to be the only South African artist doing the 30/30 challenge.....I think....! So of course I chose my favorite flower to paint....the protea! The protea is our National flower and there are 100's of varieties ....I could never get bored painting them! They are not so easy to find at the moment as they are out of season and the price for just one stem has nearly doubled....but fortunately they are so striking in texture, colour and form that  just one protea in a vase looks just perfect too! 

My protea sat on the kitchen table waiting to be taken up to the studio to paint....it beckoned to me...teased me....and by late afternoon was tormenting me....but somehow today was just too busy, the hours rolled into one another, my children had friends over to sleep and before I new it ....it was close on 10pm and I hadn't made it into my studio yet!!!!

Well I have to admit to dragging myself into the studio, once everyone was finally asleep.....I thought that perhaps today might be the day I just don't do a painting....BUT....I got started....and soon I was hooked....the sudden quiet of the house was a welcome pleasure....and my tiredness melted away as I relaxed into my favorite space (physically and mentally). It is midnight ...and now I am wide awake, but I painted the protea....and I am so happy I did!

The joys of painting daily! 

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Plum and cardamom jam #103

Daily painting #103. 4"x6" oil on primed canvas panel

I found a glass jar of organic Plum and Cardamom jam (jelly) made at a little organic farm up in the KwaZuluNatal midlands and thought it sounded rather unusual and delicious! I also love supporting local producers so I had to buy some! Granted cardamom is something I would associate with a curry rather than a jam, but I know it is a spice used in many Indian desserts or sweet dishes and so the combinations of the spice with the plums sounded delicious....AND IT IS....but not according to my family who have, to my dismay, judged the jam before even tasting it! An even greater dilemma is that I simply cannot finish off the entire bottle on my own (I could quite EASILY do so!!!!!)  and so I decided to share a great big dollop of it with you.....

10 days into the 30/30 challenge....a third of the way there!

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