Purple Fynbos #252

Daily painting #252. 5"x7" oil on primed canvas panel

Fynbos is an Afrikaans derived word that refers to the floral species that grows in the winter rainfall area of the Western Cape. This floral species is so diverse with over 9000 varieties. I love the natural vegetation of the Cape and the colors and textures of the mountain side and hill sides. It also has a rather particular smell which just reminds me of the beautiful Cape....

I won't be returning to Cape Town until April next year which feels like a lifetime away so yesterday I bought home some of this beautiful fynbos for the table on my veranda. I went off to buy proteas from the flower market but couldn't resist these too!

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Rose in a blue and white pot #251

Daily painting #251. 6"x6" oil on primed canvas panel SOLD

The last rose left from the bunch I painted a few days ago. I have cut it down, placed it in a pretty little pot and it is sitting on my bathroom shelf.....
 The cold weather has finally arrived, along with the snow inland ....and some amazing morning skies!!! I wondered this morning, while driving home from school drop offs, how many people were even noticing the amazing morning sky as they rushed about their morning business.....

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Granny's sugar spoon #250

Daily painting #250. A5 watercolor paper, pen ink and watercolor

Towards the end of the month I will be leaving for the UK to join my son who is going on a Cricket Tour of a lifetime to play against some amazing schools in and around London. My husband, daughter and I will be watching a few of the games however I hope to spend some time in London visiting some of my favorite paintings in the galleries there and top of my list is to visit the National Portrait Gallery to see this years BP Portrait exhibition which opens the evening we leave South Africa! I have not been back to London since living there nearly 17 years ago and so I am excited beyond measure!!! My daughter has never travelled to London and so the excitement in the house at the moment is HUGE!!!! My only dilemma (besides leaving my animals for nearly 2 weeks) is how to continue with my daily paintings while I am away ....I am so close to painting a whole year of little daily paintings and I don't want to stop now! I always travel with a little journal to draw in and yesterday I pulled out my pens, inks and watercolors which I also love to travel with as they are light, not so messy and easy to carry around with you. There is nothing traditional about the way I work with them but they are fun and easy to work with when you are on the move! BUT.....how can I survive nearly 2 weeks with no oil paint....!!!!! Mmmmm .....traveling around with wet oil panels is a pain but I know I am going to kick myself when there is something I want to paint and I don't have them there!!!! What to do......?!!!!

And just for the record for those of you who read yesterday's post....the snow inland is apparently on its way tonight and the temperature here at the coast has dropped nearly 15 degrees....so maybe winter hasn't forgotten about us after all!

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Cold front coming.... #249

Daily painting #249. 4"x6" oil on primed canvas panel

Cape Town (the most southern province in South Africa) has been experiencing really cold weather and there is talk of the cold front moving up the coast towards Durban. Snow has been predicted over our Drakensberg  mountain range (no snow obviously for us here on the coast only huge temperature drops) and people are frantically booking this weekend away in the mountains in the hopes of snow....!!!! So this morning when the sun squeezed its way up under the heavy blanket of cloud I thought perhaps the cold front was finally here. Definitely not ....it has been a sweltering hot day with temperatures at 2 pm this afternoon still hovering around 33 degrees Celsius (sorry no idea what that is in Fahrenheit ). Although KwaZulu Natal winters are really mild and snow inland is a huge novelty, at this rate it feels as if winter might be giving us a miss this year! We are still wearing summer clothes and sandals with a light jersey (cardigan) on in the mornings and early evenings in Durban. No boots, scarves or jackets yet! Crazy weather .....climate change is happening!!!!

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Floral companions #248

Daily painting #248. 6" x8" oil on primed canvas panel

These soft pink beauties are keeping the plums, cherries and other obliging still life models company on the shelf in my studio....together they all make quite a beautiful arrangement of color!

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Two plums #247

Daily painting #247. 6" x8" oil on primed canvas panel

No one in my house is getting to eat these delicious plums because they have not left my studio. I love the rich ruby tones in them ....they look so good sitting up on my shelf! I wish I had a way of preserving their beauty other than with paint, that way I could keep them there to enjoy! Such juicy rich royal color!

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Comrades Day 2014 #246

Daily painting #246. 4"x6" oil on primed canvas panel

As the sun sets in a golden sky this evening I am humbled by what is one of South Africa's biggest road running races ....the Comrades Marathon. As the sun is setting some runners are only just completing their race after starting out on the road this morning at 5.30 am to complete a distance of  89,28 kilometers (about roughly 57 miles....I think).  The runners run a route from Pietermaritzburg (inland) down towards the coastline to Durban....it is a grueling race with lots of hills and probably one of the toughest mental challenges these athletes will ever face. Thousands of people participate and many overseas athletes rate it as one of the best races in the world to participate in. I think this has less to do with the challenge of the race and everything to do with the atmosphere of sportsmanship, camaraderie and fellowship that this race brings out in the athletes. Thousands of supporters line the route from Pietermaritzburg to Durban to encourage the athletes along the way and provide refreshments. The atmosphere is amazing and I find it so emotional! My family laugh at me every year as I sit bleary eyed, tears streaming down my face watching people help fellow athletes, arm in arm to reach that finish line. Runners picking fellow athletes up off the ground when that finish line is in sight and yet their legs just will not move any longer.....athletes risking medal cut offs to help others cross that line! And my worst .....those brave athletes who have run the 89 kilometers and have the finish line in sight but just don't make it over before the gun goes off at a cut off time of 12.30 hours! My golly.....my nerves are shot watching the finish on the television and I salute all those athletes who crossed that line today (and those who didn't) and especially those that spoke words of encouragement or assisted in a way that helped someone find the will to carry on....you are all champions! I am blown away by the reminder again of the strength of human determination and how if we set our minds to something....anything is possible!

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