Garden

Another steppingstone I made for my garden project. Will post some garden photos soon.

Thursday group

Last Thursday was the last of the month so it was time for everyone to work on their own paintings. There were some interesting ones I would like to show you.

Hantie. She is working on 3 panels. Notice the purple canvas she is using to paint the poppies on.

Ronel. I just love her paintings. She is such a talented artist. She started and finished this on Thursday morning.

Nick. He is working on a series of paintings using these pots of lavender. Peacefull paintings.

Vivia. You can always expect something different from her. Here she is using a photo that she incorporates into her painting.

My Nguni. Someone asked for one and this is my first attempt.

PARLOTONES

I got tickes to see the Parlotones at the Barnyard Menlyn on 13 May. Can't wait! The last show I saw was absolutely incredible. The show is part of their tour to launch their new album.

I include the lyrics of "Baby be Mine" a stunning love balad from their last album "A world next door to yours".

BABY BE MINE

If I asked you to lay with me
Would you say you are not in the mood?
If I asked you to pray
Would you refuse because my intentions aren’t any good?
In a world filled with liars, killers and cheats
Wanting you shouldn’t be a crime
I am not asking for much
All that I am saying is
BABY BE MINE

If I asked you to dance
Would you lie and say you don’t know how?
If I sent you bad poetry
Would your face crease into a frown?
In a world filled with liars, killer and cheats
Wanting you shouldn’t be a crime
BABY BE MINE

I am not asking for miracles
I am not asking for promises of your hand
All that I am saying is give me a chance
If I picked you wild flowers
Would you say you are not that type of girl?
If I stared at your photo for hours
Would I be weird and out of this world?
All that I ask is for a moment with you
BABY BE MINE
BABY BE MINE
BABY BE MINE

Thursday Group

It was great to be back at the paint class after 2 weeks of school holidays. Can't wait for Thursdays! Today we did a charming painting of buildings in a country setting.

We started with a purple and orange canvas. Always challenging to work on a coloured background. In this class it worded out great. We used a technique called "scumbling" meaning you work with a dry brush so the background shows in places.

I started with the houses, doing the shady parts first and then going to the highlights. Here you can still see much of the underpainting showing through.

The last step is to enrich all the shadows and highlight where is needed.

Here are some of the paintings. I think they are all very charming. Always amazing to see so many different interpretations on the same theme.

Hantie's painting
Johanna's painting
Millie's painting
Vivia's painting
Nick's painting

Painting

A painting from about a year ago.

Fish
Original oil on canvas

Kokoriba

We spens a few days at Kokoriba http://kokoriba.co.za last week. The kids had a great time in the swimmingpool and riding their bikes. The resort is inside a game reserve and the warthogs come for breakfast every morning. The big attraction to Kokoriba is the fact that you can cycle your bike on 20km of dirt road in the game reserve. We went out every morning for a few hours and saw girafe, njalas, rooibok, kudu, waterbuck and lots of birds. A lovely place to go.




On our way back we decided to take a detour to Hartbeespoortdam. Haven't been there in years. Couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this giant mill next to the road. It is called Jasmyn Meule and is actually a restaurant. Will definately go back for breakfast some time.

Cleverlittlemonkey

I am working with a wonderfull site called http://cleverlittlemonkey.co.za creating new wall art for their virtual shop. They are a South African company doing kids room decor and have an amazing website. Have a look, you won't be dissappointed.

2 Samples we are working on

Protea

Protea

Original oil on board

I don't usually paint flowers but I loved doing this protea.

Michelle Nigrini

While in Rosendal I visited the gallery of well known South African artist Michelle Nigrini. I love her work. She paints on canvas covered with colour blotches and paints over it, revealing spots of colour. Her paintings are reflections of her surroundings, including old farm houses, windpumps and cows. Go to http://www.art.co.za/michelenigrini/default.htm to see more of this artist's wonderfull work.





Some of Michelle's paintings.

Rosendal

We spent 2 days in Rosendal, Eastern Free State. What a lovely surprise. This is one of those unspoilt little towns that we all would like to spend time in. There is no tv reception and no internet, which was terrible news for the kids. They soon found out it is much more fun to explore and enjoy the freedom of playing outside. In the past few years it has become the home of a number of artists, and weekends are busy with lots of tourists visiting. They also have a small theater where well known actors and bands appear regularly. Everywhere there is property and stands for sale. Seems it is going to become the place to be in a few years. It will be a pity if it became too commercialised. The charm of the town is the fact that it is so quiet and laid back. How lucky are these people to live here. Hope to make plenty of return visits.

I took many photos but can only show a few. Go there if you have the opportunity, you won't be dissappointed. Go to http://www.dihlabeng.org.za/visit_intro.asp for more info.