Grey Lourie (go-away bird) #589

Daily painting #589 6"x8" oil on primed canvas panel 

We have just got home from a week long trip to The Kruger National Park, a large game reserve in Mpumalanga north of South Africa and bordering Mozambique. I love nothing better than time away in the African bush and we stay in a rustic house in the open bush just outside of the game reserve. The area we stay in has animals roaming around but is fenced in order to keep the main predators out. But leopards can't be kept out by fences so its not a good idea to go walking around at night...at least not too far from the fire! You all know how much my husband loves to make (and cook over) a fire (yes...a direct descendent from the caveman) so we had a healthy fire roaring every night!

 Our connection on our mobile phone was weak, but the data connection on my laptop would crash every time I tried to do anything involving images so I had to give in to the fact that sharing Paintings in the post just wasn't going to happen unless I wasted my holiday fighting (and getting madly frustrated) with an inadequate internet connection. The irony is that the whole point of being in the bush on holiday is to actually take a break from all electronics and the stresses of every day and live a simple and SO satisfying existence for a few days. So I relinquished my frustrations and threw myself into enjoying time with my paintbrushes and paint, my camera (which goes everywhere with me), my family and this little piece of Africa which is just like a little jewel and needs all the love, attention and passion it deserves as so little of this space and wild life is left. Do you know that the Rhino is the one animal that has no natural predators/threats? It's only known predator is humans...the rest of the story speaks for itself...a tragedy!

So over the next few days I will share a few of the little daily paintings I did while I was away and I did promise to share some of my photos so I will do that too...with the help of my healthy home internet connection! And a large dose of reality and nostalgia ... while I love being home, the bush feels like another lifetime away already so I too will enjoy pouring over my photos deciding which ones to share with you. It always amazes me how once you get home you slip into daily routine again so quickly and it's only now that I am home that I truly understand the blessing of being disconnected (in the literal and figurative way) for a whole week! But I am back and looking forward to sharing with you again ...

A Grey Lourie bird is commonly known as the 'Go-away' bird because it has a piercing repetitive chirp that sounds as if he is saying, "go-away go-away go-away". It is fascinating to listen to when you first come across one but after a while you really do wish he would simply GO-AWAY and not come back ...for a while! I had to paint him quickly because he kept moving so I had to try capture the essence of him rather than worry too much about detail. He wouldn't behave as a good model should and stay still....he was too busy telling me to 'Go-away'! I have also shared some of the other beautiful birds that came to say hello during the week...beautiful creatures I am sure you will agree.

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Kruger light #588

Daily painting #588 4"x4" oil on primed canvas panel 

Our boys played in the finals today and sadly lost their first game of the tournament which left them the runner-ups in the competition at 2nd place. We are all so proud of our boys!

We left Nelspruit and headed off to the Kruger National Park about an hours drive away to the lower end of the Game Reserve on the Crocodile River. It is SO great to be back in the African bush...it is quite honestly my favourite place on the earth! The evening light was beautiful and my camera had its work cut out for it from the time we arrived! I promise to share some photos this week too. Just from our look out over the River we had spotted 4 of the big 5 in the early evening within an hour...buffalo, elephant, rhino and a leopard sleeping up a tree. I feel privileged! 

This is quite honestly the smallest little painting I have ever done at only 4"x4". I photographed it next to a matchstick to try give you some idea of its size...it really is dinky! I found just a few of these little miniature size painting boards before I left. Trying to photograph the painting square on proved to be a challenge as it is so small I had to zoom in a little....but it is square...I promise.

Our back garden for the week.....

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Super-C sweeties #587

Daily painting #587 5"x7" oil on primed canvas panel

Amy and I went to the local store to stock up on water, bananas and a few other refreshments for Ross (they play the whole day...it's a long day). Thrown into the loot were some little rolls of Super-C sweeties as a treat. One of the rolls came apart and the sweeties were falling out so before they were eaten...they were painted!

We have been playing at some beautiful cricket grounds...but it is cold!!

My little (big actually) darling...trying to keep warm during their morning warm-up session! Love this boy!

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Changing light, changing colours #586

Daily painting #586 5"x7" oil on primed canvas panel

The winter light is beautiful and in the chilly afternoon the subtle colours seem to move and change as the light shifts. South Africa really is blessed with abundant beauty! 

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Cherries on blue #585

Daily painting #585 6"x6" oil on primed canvas panel 

By the time this post shares tomorrow morning, we will be on the road. My children have finished school and it is winter holidays. We are heading off north, inland, to a place called Nelspruit for my son and his school teammates to participate in a Cricket Festival. It's about an 8 hour journey by car. After the cricket festival (which ends on Tuesday) we are traveling about an hour away from Nelspruit to the Kruger National Park, South Africa's largest game reserve. To put the size into perspective it is said to be similar in size to England. We love spending time visiting the bush so I hope to have lots to share with you (I promise some photos too)!

My day today was spent shopping for supplies for home and for our journey, packing all sorts of bits and pieces and trying to tidy a bit so that the house is relatively organized before we leave. I tried to tidy up a bit in my studio but I got easily distracted. I remembered some cherries that I had put aside so that no one ate them (don't tell my family) and it was too tempting to not paint them....they won't last until I get home! So I managed to squeeze in a daily painting .....it was a good way to take some time out from the rushing around (my ankle needed it!).

I am looking forward to some special family time and a good rest....it's been a crazy, frustrating and testing Autumn term!

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Exhibition

A selection of daily paintings.

I have been rather scarce this week...I hope you have missed me...and my little paintings! Or maybe  your week has flown by as fast as mine has and you have barely noticed my absence! In just a days time I will be leaving with my family to go away and there seems to have been so much to organize. The most exciting item on my extensive, never ending and exhausting TO DO list has been to sort, label and price some little paintings for a show and I have been desperate to share this exciting news with you. 

I was contacted by The Gallery in Westville (situated in The Junction Shopping Centre, in Westville, 7 Westville Road) to exhibit my little daily paintings for the month of July. So I have been hurriedly gathering together, labeling and pricing little paintings to send on their way before I leave. Like a mother hen gathering her chicks. I love looking at a few of them together like this...each one a random often insignificant recording of something ordinary that for some reason on that particular day caught my attention and has now been transformed...through paint. A visual diary or recording of my days. A 100 little paintings (about half of them are shown in the photo) have all been delivered and will be on show for the whole month of July so please pop in at The Gallery in Westville to see! By this afternoon this very same table was full of canvas panels again...only spot the difference...

Blank canvas panels ...waiting for the stories they will share. I feel just as excited looking at these...a sense of anticipation and wonder at what random recordings and significant memories will find their way onto my little white boards....keep watching this space! The only thing that is packed and ready to be put into the car is my paintbox...who needs anything else anyway!

P.S. Well considering it's winter and we are heading north, maybe a jacket ...and warm clothes might be a good idea too. I'll add that to tomorrow's TO DO list. I am getting quite good at prioritizing, don't you think?

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Prawn (tagliatelle) #584

Daily painting #584 6"x8" oil on primed canvas panel 

My daughter is away on school camp so Ross (my son) asked if we could have prawns for supper...Amy will NOT, under any circumstances, eat prawns (it's the eyes!). I think Ross said it as a joke, so he was really surprised when I whisked him off with me after school to a fish market to buy prawns. The market is not in the nicest area of Durban so I was grateful my daughter wasn't with us (she would have had a fit heading off into such a dodgy area). But the seafood is delicious and fresh...and so worth it! So tonight I treated the boys with a lemon and garlic prawn tagliatelle and other than cleaning the prawns, it is SO easy to make ...and SO yummy! If you love prawns and pasta...this one is for you! I will share it with you...

• prawns (you can buy already peeled and shelled if you don't want to cut, clean and shell)
• tagliatelle pasta (you can use any shape pasta you like)
• small finely chopped onion
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• olive oil and knob of butter for frying
• salt and pepper
• lemon zest and juice of 1 large lemon
• 1 cup of quality white wine
• extra knob of butter for sauce if needed (sorry this is not one for the diet book!)
• 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley or coriander
• optional is a little chopped red chili (if you like it a little hot!)

Prawns cook quickly so start by cooking pasta in boiling salted water until al dente (just cooked).
While pasta cooks soften onions in a little butter and olive oil combined, once onions are soft add garlic (if added too soon, garlic can go bitter or burn). Toss prawns into the hot pan (season with salt and pepper) and as soon as the prawns colour, add wine and lemon zest and juice. If the sauce needs it, add a little extra butter. 
Drain pasta and toss the prawns and sauce through the pasta. Add the fresh parsley/coriander and check your seasoning. Retain a little of the cooking liquid from the pasta and add a little if needed as the pasta will start to absorb the sauce. Enjoy...

A delicious feast and SO easy (super quick too) and you are bound to impress! My amateur photography meant that by the time I got a couple of photos the sauce had probably gathered in the bottom of the bowl...but you get the idea! I was hero for a moment and my boys thought I was THE BEST....until I asked them to help me clean up!

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