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)