Saturday, February 14, 2009

The Basket Ladies

Another of my Urban Sketchers posts - a corner near a friend's house in the villagey little suburb of Melville - where these basket ladies display their wares when the weather is good, which it hasn't been for a while now. I don't know how they sell their baskets when it rains and rains! While I was sketching the scene around them, they suddenly got up, loaded themselves with pots, mats and baskets, and took off down the road, where there are lots of restaurants with tables out on the pavements. They left most of their goods behind - very trusting in this city! I had to sketch fast to get the back of one of them before they vanished.
After 15 minutes or so they returned, the woman in the red hat going straight back to sleep again!
There were also some paintings out on display - I'm not sure if that guy with the dreads was the artist, but most of the time nobody was watching them either.


8 comments:

Helen Percy Lystra said...

I do so love your sketches

Anonymous said...

A beautiful sketch. Lots to discover each time you look at it. Love your use of colors. You captured the scene perfectly.
Jean

RH Carpenter said...

Stop on over to my blog to see the little award you have received from me because I love your blog :) Your sketches are so wonderful.

Joan Sandford-Cook said...

Hello Cathy - thanks for commenting on my proteus acrylic piece which is now finished and posted today. I loved my 5 weeks in your country sketching and touring with friends who have a home in Port Alfred. I understand that Artesian wells are bored vertically through strata with hardly any need for pumping for the water to rise.
As regards your own work, love the colours you've used in this basket ladies sketch - so warm and reminiscent of my trip. Well done with the self portrait too - I'd never term it 'dirty laundry' but revealing a very interesting lady. I darent do mine - there'd be too many wrinkles at my age it would look like a spiders web!!!

Candace X. Moore said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Art with Liz said...

Hi Cathy, isn't life in Africa great! You really bring it alive.

Joan Sandford-Cook said...

I like your work so much I have sent you a BLOG AWARD in my today's post. I feel such an afinity with you - probably as a result of my 5 weeks in RSA.

Terry Banderas said...

Love your atwork. Great lines and nice colors. See you again soon.