Morning sky #181

Daily painting #181. 6"x6" oil on primed canvas panel

Whenever I have been away from home, the one thing that really makes me feel like I am HOME again is the beautiful morning sky. Our view first thing in the morning over the east coast is just magnificent and what a wonderful way to start the day! It is especially beautiful at this time of year when the sun has moved slightly more north and the sun rises a little later. The mornings are a little cooler and the sun is not as blistering hot as it rises over the ocean. I am so grateful I am an early morning person....

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Garlic #180

Daily painting #180

180 paintings in 180 days....a milestone to celebrate!

My husband cooked supper tonight. He is the absolute braai* master and loves to stoke up that fire on our veranda, crack open a cold beer and sit poking and feeding the fire. I always tease him and say he must still have a bit of 'cave man' in him....it is his best to sit around a fire and cook. Well tonight he made a chicken potjie (a kind of stew made in a large black African cooking pot and cooked over an open fire)....potjie translated means little pot in Afrikaans. He sorted out all his ingredients, one of which was garlic and had everything chopped and ready....very organized.  It was absolutely delicious and so good to have a night off from cooking....a real treat! I think my husband must have missed me!

*braai -a South African word used to describe cooking over an open flame or hot coals, like a barbecue.

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Rose study No. 4 #179

Daily painting #179 6"x6" oil on primed canvas panel

Lots to do in the studio today other than just paint....unpack all my traveling paints etc from my trip, catch up on some accumulated admin (my worst) and prime a stack of little canvases for the next weeks daily paintings.....so much to do before I could actually sit down to paint....which is what I would prefer to do! So a simple little rose study today....once all the chores were completed!

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Cape protea #178

Daily painting #178. 6"x8" oil on primed canvas panel  SOLD

Travel is a strange phenomenon ....to wake up in one place and go to sleep in another! This morning we bid farewell to beautiful  Cape Town and made our way back to a lush, very green and very hot Durban. It was awesome to see my family....the smiles on my children's faces when I saw them is enough to melt my heart and it was fabulous to wrap my arms around them all and give them a huge cuddle. So it's back to Durban sunshine and humidity and back to my studio tomorrow....but for now....one last Cape Town protea.....

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Garden of proteas #177

Daily painting #177. 4"x6" oil on primed canvas panel

Today has been a chilly day in Cape Town and by this afternoon it was misty and raining...perfect weather to do a bit of last minute shopping for some Sennelier oil paint at The Italian Art Shop (yes I know it is a French paint!). The time seems to have flown by too quickly and tomorrow it is time to head on back to the airport to fly home! I have missed my family so much and can't wait to see them but my heart is heavy to say goodbye to Candice who is off to Zimbabwe for a friends wedding and then back to Chicago! We have had an amazing time together and have been so lucky to stay at False Horizons in Glencairn. It is a beautiful holiday home with an amazing view! I wish I could relocate the proteas and fynbos in the garden  back to my garden in Durban .... I love the smell of the fynbos! A happy time in the Cape and lots of memories with my #cousinsister..... 'til next time!

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Glencairn protea #176

Daily painting #176  6"x8" oil on primed canvas panel

We had an amazing day driving along the coast....it is so incredibly beautiful! No words or photos can really do it justice and sometimes we need to remind ourselves to just look, be visual, enjoy and appreciate rather than focus too much on capturing the image! I did post some photos to Instagram (find me at heidishedlock) if you would like to see, although they don't nearly do the coastline justice! We only got back to False Horizons in Glencairn in the late afternoon. I have been wanting to take some photos in the garden ....I love the Cape fynbos and flora that grows here. Such a variety of subtle colors and textures and I was delighted to find some proteas growing in the garden ....

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Late afternoon glow in Glencairn #175

Daily painting #175. 4"x6" oil on primed canvas panel

What a fun day we had exploring Woodstock and a few little way out spots in Cape Town! This is such a vibrant city and I just love it! We arrived back in Glencairn to lots of cloud cover but a slight late afternoon glow in the sky....

There are some fun photos on my Instagram site if you want to see, look for heidishedlock on Instagram.

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