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)