Ocean view, British Columbia. Oil on Masonite, 20 x 15 cm:
Wednesday 19 August 2020
Ocean view
Monday 17 August 2020
Pylons
Pylons near Balmoral, Mpumalanga:
Oil on Masonite, 15 x 20 cm.
This spot is only a few kilometres from where I lived as a boy. It is mid-winter, and the winter frosts have killed off the grass and, it seems, everything else. New growth will burst forth in spring, and by November, if the rains were reasonable, the area will resemble Ireland.
I find most people don't particularly like this kind of scene: the winter colors are considered drab, even depressing, and the pylons an eyesore. With me it is different, perhaps partly because I grew up in this sort of landscape, and thus perhaps view it through the soft-focus filter of nostalgia. For me, these pylons and their cables snaking over the horizon are very much part of the landscape, and I love the rich but subtle and subdued hues of the winter grass.
This item will be for sale on my Bid-or-Buy store as soon as it is dry enough to travel.
Tuesday 4 August 2020
Sunday 26 July 2020
Mission Station, Tweespruit
The Belgian-South African artist Frans Claerhout spent his last years here, in the small Free State town of Tweespruit. During his life, his art generated millions of rands. But as Catholic priest, he did not keep a cent of it for himself; it was all used in development projects in the community where he served, and he retired in humble circumstances, sharing a house with another retired priest. He died in 2006.
Sunday 28 June 2020
Monday 22 June 2020
Cape hunting dog
I haven't painted anything in ages, but have been itching to do so, and to try out a medium I haven't used in years, namely oils. I was rather relieved to see that while my painting has become a bit rusty, my old oil paints are for the most part still perfectly usable.
To start with, I stuck to a limited palette of black, white, yellow ocher and burnt umber. For this sort of subject matter you don't really need much else anyway, though the reference photo I used was definitely more colorful, particularly in the background.
Saturday 25 August 2018
Tuscan window
When it comes to painting outdoors subjects, I seem to prefer this sort of intimate scene rather than grand vistas. Not even sure what one should call this: landscape or still life? No idea, but it is what it is.
Sunday 12 August 2018
Ceramic and egg
Painted with a limited palette of ocher yellow, ocher red, black and white. Using such a limited range of colors makes for an interesting challenge, particularly if you try to paint green or blue things; I cheated a bit here by picking subjects with colors that could be fairly easily approximated with what I had available.
Monday 11 June 2018
Wednesday 6 June 2018
Mini bottle and Eugenia berries
Probably the last of the berries for the season - mornings are getting decidedly frosty...
Thursday 31 May 2018
Onion and bottle
Back to still life, but I decided to try something other than my usual dark backgrounds.
Wednesday 30 May 2018
Pretty flowers
For a change, an outdoor scene. For this sort of thing I often prefer a far looser, impressionist sort of style. I based it on a reference photo I took in the garden of a local school; I noticed the girl intently staring at the flowers, haloed in rich light, and knew I wanted to try painting it.
Thursday 24 May 2018
Wednesday 16 May 2018
Monday 14 May 2018
Candy and Delftware
Cloudy and drizzly weather today, so the light is no good for photography. And hence, the camera didn't really reproduce the picture all that accurately.
Thursday 10 May 2018
Tuesday 8 May 2018
Egg, mushroom, tomato
One of the last cherry tomatoes sill on the last surviving plant before winter hits us here...
Monday 7 May 2018
Grapes, mushrooms
Oil on board, 10 x 15 cm (= 4 x 6 inches):
Friday 4 May 2018
Mini bottle, mini tomatoes
Wednesday 2 May 2018
Sweet things
Oil on board, 15 x 20 cm (= about 6 x 8 inches):