Nasturtium

 Acrylics on canvasboard, 4 x 4 inches ( = about 10 x 10 cm):

This item may be for sale on my Bid-or-Buy store, or contact me directly at brianvds@gmail.com

Landscape near Kroonstad, Free State

 Acrylics on Masonite, 20 x 25 cm:

SOLD

A friend had to drive to Kroonstad to go pick up a new puppy she had adopted, and I tagged along. Now many people would wonder whether I had lost it - the Free State? That flattest, most featureless, boring province of maize fields and cattle!? Well, call me crazy, but I think it is perhaps the most beautiful of all South Africa's provinces - sun-bleached plains stretching to forever, under an equally huge and bleached sky. Suddenly you feel like you can breathe again. 

Anyway, I took a few snapshots, none of which came out well (I suspect cell phone cameras don't do well under such intense light), but one can still use them for reference. One thing I notice about these lovely plains - it is really difficult to do them justice in a painting. As beautiful as they are when you're standing there, they don't necessarily make for a particularly striking painting, so painting this area makes for an interesting challenge.

Red berries

 Acrylics on canvasboard, 4 x 4 inches (= about 10 x 10 cm):

This item may be for sale on my Bid-or-Buy store, or contact me directly: brianvds@gmail.com

Firethorn berries

 Acrylics on canvasboard, 4 x 4 inches (= about 10 x 10 cm):

SOLD

Ocean view

 Ocean view, British Columbia. Oil on Masonite, 20 x 15 cm:

Doesn't hurt to now and then try something I am not so familiar with. A Canadian friend of mine posted a photo on Facebook, and I shamelessly stole it to use as reference photo. I couldn't quite do it justice, I think...

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.

Landscape with two poplars

 Acrylics on Masonite, 20 x 25 cm:

This item may be for sale on my Bid-or-Buy store.

Landscape with cottage

 Acrylics on Masonite, 15 x 20 cm:

This item may be for sale on my Bid-or-Buy store.

Abandoned home, Karoo

Oil on Masonite, 15 x 20 cm:

SOLD

Mission Station, Tweespruit

Oil on Masonite, 20 x 25 cm:

SOLD

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.

Squirrel City

I wrote this story about a million years ago as Christmas gift for my niece. And now I finally got around to publishing it:

You can read it for free right here, but if you enjoy it, please consider buying a copy, or making a donation of your choice by clicking on the PayPal Donate button in the panel on the right.

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If you enjoyed this story, please consider buying a copy, or donating an amount of your choice by clicking on the PayPal Donate button in the panel on the right. 

Assorted mini pictures

A bunch of small paintings, acrylics on Masonite, 65 x 90 mm (= ACEO size, 2.5 x 3.5 inches), which can be turned into handpainted fridge magnets by simply sticking a magnet to the back:

The above for sale on my Daily Paintworks Gallery.

SOLD

I rather enjoy painting these - quick, not overly serious, and they allow me to freely experiment with various subject matter, styles and techniques.

I am currently taking some time every day to upload one or two of these (plus a whole bunch of others) to my Bid-or-Buy store.

The Amazing Unusual Animal ABC

I have completed my latest adventure in children's book writing:

A is for apple, B for book? Says who? Here is an ABC book featuring some of the lesser known creatures of the world, with a bit of information about each.

Some sample pages:

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