Rocks, Pools, Waves

I'm back from a wonderful, relaxed ten days down in the Eastern Cape - in the little hamlet of Kidds Beach where my family have been spending holidays for generations and which holds many happy memories.

It was quiet after all the holiday-makers had returned to work - we are rejoicing in no longer having to stick to school holidays to take our breaks!

As you can see, I had time to sketch, as well as walk, read, swim, sleep... I found a great watercolour book at our extended family's home, 'Mastering Color & Design in Watercolor' by Christopher Schink, which I studied and took copious notes from, and tried to use some of his exercises in these sketches (using mostly watercolour, with some Inktense crayons). The colours in that rock pool are exaggerated, but when you stare at them for ages, they seem so brilliant! There were beautiful long white beaches too, where we walked and swam, but my husband and son fished from the rocks so that is where I sat too. Trying to paint the sea and rocks is completely absorbing, time flies and I felt I'd just begun when it was time to leave. I can see why some artists spend a lifetime trying to capture it.

A Little Break

A repost of a 2009 sketch just to say, I'm off to see the sea for a few days, lucky me! I'm looking forward to long walks, staring at the waves and rocks, and perhaps trying to get some of it onto paper. An old expression my grandmother used to say: "Sometimes I sits and thinks and sometimes I just sits" sounds good to me!

Flutter by, butterfly

Oh, I'm having trouble getting going in this new year! I've been cleaning my studio, slowly, sluggishly, for two weeks - hoping that when it's sorted out (still not there yet!) I'll get to my easel and start on at least one of my intentions for 2013 - more painting. I feel I need to sort out this blog too, freshen it up, but that seems like a mammoth task and many hours on the computer. In the meantime, this is a watercolour sketch from the dining room window a week or two ago when things were rampantly growing in a spell of hot, wet weather. There's been a huge migration of little white butterflies swirling endlessly through the garden, from west to east, over Johannesburg and much of the country. Where they come from and where they go, I don't know, but they are lovely!

Joburg Carnival

A few of us sketchers still in Joburg over the holidays went into town to sketch the old year out on Monday at the annual Joburg Carnival. Groups of inner city residents, with the help of local artists and art students, make floats, dress up and parade through the streets. The procession got to our designated meeting place nearly an hour sooner than I thought they would. I was a bit early, so dashed over to where they were coming down the next street towards Nelson Mandela Bridge and scribbled off a couple of quick impressions. Luckily the parade ended nearby in Newtown, where we caught up with it and carried on sketching as the groups competed for best costumes, floats and performances. Onlookers crowded around some of the sketchers, fascinated, but blocking their view, and ran off to tell the subjects they were being drawn, who then came over to have a look. Quite chaotic, but lots of fun.


I took too many sketching implements and couldn't decide which to use - so a bit of a mixture here. I must learn to restrict my choices.

This and other possible New Year resolutions to follow, but in the meantime, I wish all my friends, followers and passers-by, all the very best for a happy, healthy, love and art filled 2013!

Kidsweek at Concourt

 I found an email in my blog inbox last week from the Director of the Constitutional Court Educational Programme, Paula Rainha - just in time to take up her invitation to come and sketch at the Constitutional Court with some children from Hillbrow. It was the last day of their Kidsweek, a holiday programme (coincidentally started years ago by a friend, Monique Dalka) where they came to learn and draw some of the aspects of the court. This was a sketch of a group of the kids who were drawing portraits from a wall of photographs of past and present judges.

They first went into the courtroom, to ask and hear about human rights, our constitution and the history and significance of the buildings. Constitutional Hill used to be the notorious Old Fort Prison Complex where many political activists, including Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi and Walter Sisulu were detained. Every detail of the court has been thoughtfully and beautifully designed by architects and artists. Two whole books have been published on the buildings and art here: A Light on the Hill and Art and Justice, I won't try and explain it all here...

...but for a start, the angled and mosaiced columns and wire leaf chandeliers in the foyer represent the tree under which African justice has traditionally taken place, transparent, participatory and accessible - which also appears in the Concourt logo. Long may its principles last...

Below is a sketch I did last year on a visit with a friend, of the outside entrance, with the long wooden doors carved by artists and Dumile Feni's 'History' sculpture. One of my very first, nervous urban sketches was done at a book launch here, back in 2008!

12.12.12

Well, I haven't got much to show, what with a small deluge of work coming in - just in time to go shopping :-), some very wet weather and preparations for the festive season. But I can't let the 12th of the 12th, 2012 go by without posting something, it's not going to come around again, certainly in my lifetime. So some sketches from earlier in the year of our dear 15-year old Weimeraner, Gucci and his biggest fan, Kenzo (although she happily and possessively hogs the whole bed if he's too slow getting there). I could draw endless combinations of the positions they get themselves into, as I think I've said before - yes, here, here  and so long ago - 2007! - here . When I look back at those, I do believe... yes, I think I have got a bit better at drawing the pets. Progress!

Parkview Christmas Market

Christmas Markets have been in full swing in Joburg - getting their business done before everyone disappears to the coast for the holidays. I went to this one in Parkview on Saturday - it has been so hot and sunny but the weather turned cold, wet and grey, unfortunately for everyone who worked hard to put this together, and the charities that benefit. Still, quite a few turned up and it went on over three days, so I hope they made a good profit.
Lots to draw, with musicians, jugglers, dancers, pretty stalls, children and angels - and Father Christmas scandalously dressed in blue for his sponsor. I think I wasn't the only one put off, some of the children looked at him very doubtfully!