Daily painting #719 Beautifully boring

Daily painting #719 5"x7" oil on primed panel (unframed)

I didn't have much time to do a daily painting. I have been working on some much larger surfaces which is much more physical and time consuming and I was keen to get started. I don't have painting classes for a few days (its a long weekend in SA) so I have been able to move the larger canvases back into my outdoor studio which I normally just teach from. The space is much larger than my studio space in the house. I like to keep my own work separate from my teaching studio and so I usually do most of my work from my smaller studio space inside. But this space, being much bigger, gives me a better perspective when working on much larger surfaces. I am going to do a share on Instagram stories comparing the canvas sizes...it is amazing to see the contrast so if you want to see too you can find me on Instagram here. I love the freedom of having so much space to move around in....just for me! It is such a luxury. But back to my daily painting...

I was desperate to get back to the larger paintings but the benefit of engaging in these little paintings is great and it does wonders for my 'painting mood'. I didn't have time to fuss about what I was going to paint so as always flowers are my go-to. The roses sitting on my entrance hall table where grabbed on route to my studio. A boring and safe choice perhaps, given how often I paint flowers, but I can't help but be drawn to the beauty, the colour, the form...the beautifully boring!

Now I'm off to closet myself away outdoors, blast out some 'happy tunes' and grab some BIG brushes for a few hours before locking the studio doors for the day and indulging in some quality family time around the fire with a good glass of red. Can a day be planned any better?

I hope you are having a good Sunday too... Sunday love...Heidi

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Daily painting #718 Voting Day

Daily painting #718 5"x7" oil on primed panel (unframed)

Today 3rd August 2016 is VOTING DAY. It's time for all South Africans to have their say and make a difference. GO VOTE!!

Today I share with you a Zulu Love Letter brooch...and in turn my own love letter for our beautiful country, South Africa.

I live in the province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) where the Zulu culture is most prolific. Our children are given the option of learning Zulu as a second additional language and while I am not Zulu, anyone who lives in KZN is familiar with many Zulu traditions and crafts. I own many beautiful Zulu beaded necklaces, brooches and belts, ornaments etc. I have this beaded brooch which I painted today and wanted to share it with you. It is fondly known of as a Zulu Love Letter. Zulu love-tokens (Incwadi) are woven in beads by Zulu maidens and were said to be sent to their lovers as a means of communication. Each colour, or combination of colours has a specific meaning. Many of these have changed over the years, but the basic and most commonly used colors were...

White - Purity, vision, true love
Red - Intensive love "my heart bleeds for you"
Blue - Loneliness "If I were a dove, I would fly the endless skies to see you"
Green - "I have become as thin as blade of grass, from pining for you"
Yellow - Jealousy
Pink - Poverty - she feels he is wasting his money and not making enough money to pay her Lobola (bride price)
Brown - My love is like the earth which gives rise to new life
Black - Anger, hurt, jealousy. "My heart has become as black as the rafters of the hut as I hear you have taken another maiden"
(Taken from a zulu kingdom sa brochure which came with my brooch)

But today I have my own love letter for our country and if I could make a brooch it would say...

Black beads for all the anger and hurt that the past has evoked and white beads for purity, vision and true love. Love beyond measure, race, religion, culture, sexual orientation or beliefs, can heal anything. If only we all could love unconditionally...love could heal the anger and the hurt. Blue beads for the loneliness that the lack of love can bring and green beads for the pining of a better future where peace and love can conquer all. Pink beads in recognition of all those that live in extreme poverty and brown beads for the dry African earth that can give rise to new life and new beginnings which can bring hope to so many South Africans. Finally my love letter would be dominated by red beads...intensive love. "My heart bleeds for you". My heart bleeds for the poverty, crime and government corruption that has been allowed to rot away at the South Africa Mandela envisioned for ALL South Africans. It is only through intensive love that we can all make a difference every day, in small ways and on days like today, in BIG ways. By voting we all show our intensive love for our country.

As idealistic as my sentiments may be, one message remains. If you went to vote today, you could make a difference. I pray that today will see a brighter future for all South Africans...my love letter to you.

all my LOVE Heidi #proudlySouthAfrican

If you voted today, I would love to hear about it. Keep politics out of it, but if you have some South African love to share...I would love to hear about it in the comments xxx

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Daily painting #717 Abundant beauty

Daily painting #717 5"x7" oil on primed panel

Every year I am blessed with a wonderful show of beautiful orchids on my back veranda. I have pots of orchids sitting there and to be honest with you for the most part of the year I forget that they exist. They provide a sea of greenery which is lovely but they are really quite neglected...I couldn't tell you when last I even gave them water (guilty) but they clearly thrive on neglect. The only kind thing I have done is find just the right spot in the house for them, but even that was by accident.

So it is with a little bit of guilt but a good dose of gratitude that I enjoy this abundant beauty each year. 

My supply of little canvas boards that I use to oil paint on (for daily paintings) has run out and I have not managed to prime a new batch. I usually spend an entire day just priming and prepping boards and I have not had the luxury of a whole day to do just that. So today I used one of the extra smooth primed panels that I keep for ink and acrylic. It was so different painting on such a completely smooth surface with oil paint. I would imagine it would be wonderful if you are working up soft layers of glazed oils but daily painting is quick, alla prima with no time for glazing. Things got a little slippery and I found I had to make much more bold marks....but I quite enjoyed it and will be experimenting a little more I think. So much to do ( and experiment with and learn) ...so little time! 

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Daily painting #716 Red carnation

Daily painting #716 6"x6" oil on primed panel

Thank you to everyone who joined in the creative sharing yesterday. My Facebook feed was abuzz with sharing and that makes my heart happy. Thank you too for the number of private messages I received from total strangers saying how they felt inspired and more motivated after listening to my message. It made the anxiety and nerves of doing a silly little recording all worth while! I just have to figure out how to get a better quality next time, although I think I will stick to blogging...vlogging every day (keyboard over camera any day) would send me over the edge!

I have beautiful carnations all over the house. I needed a little floral inspiration around (some girls like shoes...I love flowers...and books). The reason why I bought so many bunches is purely because they were SO cheap. I have to be honest I never buy carnations. Don't ask me why because they are actually quite beautiful - the frilly flower, the tight little buds and the long shapely leaves. For some unknown reason though they don't normally catch my eye. The price however caught my eye because lets face it, fresh flowers are expensive and when Durban is hot (which it's not for a change) they don't last long either. So I got to walk out the shop with a couple (actually quite a few) bunches of carnations. I felt like I had hit the floral jackpot and now that I have them all around my home and have spent time painting them (and observing so closely) I cannot fathom why I have never painted them or enjoyed them before. The formation of the petals, although smaller, is so similar to a peony - my favorite flower of all!

A friend and fellow Durban blogger at The bright side of life uses a wonderful catchy phrase... "the same but different" and I love this term. Its a wonderful way to grow with confidence and form new habits. So today in my studio it is floral all the way only its... THE SAME BUT DIFFERENT!
You are never too old to change habits. I think I like carnations....
Heidi
PS What is your favourite flower?

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#DoSomethingCreativeToday

Every week a few more people are brave enough to share something creative that they have done. Paintings in the post has taught me the value of daily creative engagement and I want to encourage more of you to engage in a creative and meaningful way....DO SOMETHING CREATIVE TODAY! It doesn't have to be a painting or drawing or even anything art related. There are many ways to be creative in the home, in the office, in our gardens, in the kitchen...

So often we put off (for another day) the one task that sometimes requires us to think in a different way or puts us out of our comfort zone...being creative has a way of doing that! But there is no day called 'someday' so today feels like a good day to just do it! I put myself completely out of my comfort zone and made a little video to hopefully inspire some of you to be creative today. If I can share a video (cringe, gasp, cringe) then you can share too!

You are welcome to tell me about your creative decision/task/achievement in the comments below or head over to my Facebook page here and join in the fun. You can add a photo or just comment on the post feed to share and hopefully inspire someone else to be a bit more creative too!

Let's share, inspire and most importantly be creative!
Thanks for joining in the fun
#DoSomethingCreativeToday

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Daily painting #715 Hot chocolate and rain

Daily painting #715 6"x8" oil on primed canvas panel 

Hot chocolate (yes...sugar-free) and rain...what a fabulous combination. As I sat in my studio getting ready to paint, two little dainty cups of hot chocolate on hand (one for drinking, one for painting), I couldn't help but feel that things couldn't get much better! A yummy warm drink, quiet time in my studio to paint, some colder weather for Durban (makes a change) and glorious rain falling on the glass door and windows of my studio. Water glorious water running down the glass, forming giant puddles and creating a dripping symphony of sound like a heartbeat for our dry gardens. You see the problem is we are in the middle of one of the worst droughts in ages. Farmers have been unable to plant crops, our dams are almost dry and we have severe water restrictions in place.

But as I sit huddled in bed to keep warm tonight, laptop on my lap to load this blog post, I am   listening to torrents of water rushing outside as the rain still continues to fall and I have to say I am full of dread. Talk about extremes...we have had flash floods and many areas are in a state of disaster. Many of my friends have had their homes flooded, garden walls collapsed, cars damaged or been stuck on flooded roads. We have been praying for rain for ages but right now we all need Noah and his fine ark to come to the rescue! So as I sit here now, I am grateful! Grateful for my dry home and my warm bed and hot chocolate. Grateful that my animals and family are safe and that we have escaped any real disaster so far. But I know that others have not been as lucky so I spare a thought for them.

Now if you are in need of some (sugar-free) cheering up or something to keep you warm if you are in Durban (we are not familiar with cold weather or equipped for it) then try my sugar-free Hot Chocolate...its the best! Two heaped spoons of cacao (or cocoa powder) and a few drops of stevia mixed with a little boiling water to dissolve it. Warm up some full cream milk and stir in the chocolatey mixture...enjoy!  

If you are in Durban...stay safe and off the roads if you can. 

Lots of love from a very wet and cold Durban!

Heidi

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Daily painting #714 Cream doughnut

Daily painting #714 6"x8" oil on primed canvas panel

In September last year I decided to cut sugar from my family's diet completely. I cleared the cupboards of anything containing any form of sugar. I completely changed the way we eat and my family's perceptions of 'healthy food'. As a result I haven't painted any sugary things or sweeties in ages.

I stopped at the bakery to buy this doughnut purely for the purpose of painting it. I was particular about which doughnut I wanted. I didn't want the one with hardly any coloured sprinkles (too boring) or the one that looked a bit squished (wrong shape) or the one where the cream had been bumped and messed. I carefully chose the one I wanted and asked the lady behind the counter to "package it carefully so that it didn't get damaged before I  could paint it"! I wondered why she looked at me a little strangely and when she asked if I liked doughnuts, I answered without thinking that "I don't eat sugar but I look forward to painting it". She looked even more confused and although I saw her mumbling something under her breath to another cashier, I still didn't think too much about what I had said, until I walked off doughnut in hand and a scathing teenage son at my side who vowed never to come to the bakery with me again because I was so embarrassing! He thinks I will be known as the strange lady who doesn't eat sugar but buys 'the perfect doughnut' with the pretense of painting it...apparently the lady's expression had "Yeah RIGHT!" written all over it. Either that or she was thinking I was going to put paint on the actual doughnut which seems even more absurd and probably explains her strange expression. The lady was a Zulu speaking lady and so with English as her second language I can understand how my explanation might have seemed odd. As for the son....well I think he was just grumpy that he didn't get to eat the darn doughnut (he quickly got over that)...this giving up sugar thing is hard...but oh so worth it!

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