Birthday cake #527

Daily painting #527 6"x8" oil on primed canvas panel

It's my husband Andrew's birthday! I couldn't wish for a more loving and supportive companion! He is an amazing Dad and my best friend....we love and cherish him and wish him a bucket load of blessings for the year ahead! Happy birthday to you! X

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 family #526

Daily painting #526 6"x8" oil on primed canvas panel 

The Leucadendron belongs to the same family as the protea. Sadly large areas of the southern Cape were destroyed by massive fires last week that took almost 5 days to get under control. Vast areas of natural vegetation were burned and homes were lost. It was a tragedy to watch as flames engulfed these areas. Much of the natural vegetation though is often regenerated by fires and the fynbos grows back with renewed vigor. The tragedy is always in the homes that have been lost and the animals that have been affected by the fire and some of the images I saw last week were heartbreaking! I am off to Cape Town at the end of the month and I have a feeling I am going to be shocked. I love the fynbos and the natural vegetation that grows there and proteas or anything from the protea family are my favourite flowers!

I read a beautiful message from a Paintings in the  post follower late the other night and I have tried desperately to access the message again to reply but google + would not allow me to! The message warmed my heart! The lady having been forced to slow down due to ill health had decided after being inspired by my sky paintings to pick up a paintbrush and paint the sky. She spoke of taking time out to relax and breath in the beauty of that special time of day when the sky is changing. It is one of my most soulful times of day and taking time out to appreciate this beauty is one sure way of feeding my soul tank and replenishing my energy! So I hope and pray that you are reading this message and that you will know that I am sending this to you.....I thank you for your message! If I can inspire just one person out there then I am filled with great joy! Thank you and sending you wishes for renewed health! Blessings x Heidi 

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art

Time out #525

Daily painting #525 4"x6" oil on primed canvas panel 

Taking time out this morning to enjoy some quiet time....my soulful way to start the day!

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art
(Click on the highlighted writing to view gallery of available daily paintings and for all purchase details)

Found #524

Daily painting #524 6"x6" oil on primed canvas panel

Found in my studio. I have no doubt it is an offering from one of my cats who were sleeping in close proximity to his prize catch!

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art
(Click on the highlighted  writing to view gallery of available daily paintings and for all purchase details )

From my kitchen #523

Daily painting #523 6"x6" oil on primed canvas panel

Thanks for all the messages yesterday! We were unharmed and safe and really very fortunate that all the necessary security systems in place kept our home and ourselves safe and secure! I was asked by someone why I published my experience as they felt it put South Africa in a bad light and we really didn't need any more bad publicity or foreigners reading negative things about South Africa. My intention was not to be negative. I share snippets of my daily life...the good and the bad. Just like I share my daily painting (my little visual records of daily life) ....and again I share the good and the bad images! Although, I like to think I share more good than bad! Our experience the other night was not pleasant but it is a reality and in life we have to learn to take the good and deal with the bad! The world over has problems, just in varying degrees and  different problems! Hiding from any problem or unpleasant situation is just crazy! Being realistic and facing a challenge or unpleasant situation is far more productive and burying my head in sand has never been an option for me! We have challenges in South Africa but for those of us that choose to stay, we do so because this is home, warts and all! So we secure our homes, learn to accept things that others find obscure, deal with the challenges and grow an amazing appreciation for the beauty and positives that South Africa does have to offer. It is our choice, it is hard yet there is no place like it....it is home! A mixture of good, bad and little reality, there still really is no place like home!

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art
(Click on the highlighted writing to view gallery of available daily paintings and for all purchase details )

Pizza #522

Daily painting #522 6"x8" oil on primed canvas panel

It was take-away pizza for supper tonight! I walked in the door at 6.45pm having trawled through the day on about 2 hours sleep! The last thing I still had energy for was cooking supper! My kids still had mountains of homework to complete, I had work to do and we were all exhausted! The opportunist who broke into our outside room on the weekend decided to take his chances once again only this time he tried to come into my house! At about midnight we were woken by our dogs whose barking was more growl and a 'I am going to eat you' kind of bark rather than a 'hello to the dogs up the road' kind of bark! We were already up and checking when our garden beams and veranda alarm were activated. Our veranda is enclosed so he had already managed to get into the veranda! As our private security company arrived I watched him casually walk off of our veranda and saunter across the garden...that is until my dogs who had rushed off to meet the security men came bolting across the garden at high speed and on full attack! My one rescue pup has a lot of wolf/German shepherd in him and quite frankly this man can count his lucky stars that he managed to get his backside over the neighbours wall just as my dogs lunged for the fence! He might have been missing a limb or two had they got to him! It is quite something to see your normally meek and mild furry babies in such a rage! Then again I can't describe the rage I felt at the cheek of it! It makes me furious that we are subjected to such crime and I was angry at myself for thinking "well thank goodness it was just one man and other than a crowbar (he was obviously using it to open doors) he was unarmed!" Well it looked like he was unarmed but you never know! At least we know that all our security is not paid for in vain and that it kept us from being woken in the night with someone inside our house. But the biggest heroes are my furry babies who immediately put their life on the line to protect and alert. I hate to think, if they had managed to attack him what he might have done with the crowbar in his hand. A blow from that could have been fatal for one of my pups! But hopefully he will leave us well alone now....between alarms and dogs he hopefully got the message that he is not welcome here! On the flip side I can't imagine the desperation of having to resort to theft and crime to feed your family ....life can be hard! Tonight I am grateful for my safe home, my warm welcoming bed, my work which I am passionate about .....and pizza so I don't have to cook! It's been a long and emotional day!

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art
(Click on the highlighted writing to view gallery of available daily paintings and for all purchase details)

Strawberries without the yoghurt #521

Daily painting #521 5"x7" oil on primed canvas panel

Thick Greek yoghurt and fresh strawberries....it's like dessert for breakfast!

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art
(Click on the highlighted  writing to view gallery of available daily paintings and for all purchase details )