Ruimte Road, Centurion

Oil on board, 15 x 20 cm:

SOLD

 Loosely based on a photo I took on a morning walk.

Stuff I get up to elsewhere on the web.

Desert rocks, Augrabies

 Oil on board, 15 x 20 cm:

SOLD

My other dubious activities all over the web.

Free State road sign

Acrylics on board, 15 x 20 cm:

SOLD

Other stuff I get up to.

Small paintings

 Mutshenzheni, Limpopo:

SOLD

R34, Free State:

SOLD

Both of the above 15 x 20 cm.

And an ACEO - Stone chat, oil on board, 3.5 x 2.5 in:

I get up to all manner of other stuff all over the web too...

Roadside shop, R33

 Oil on Masonite, 15 x 20 cm:

SOLD

Other stuff I get up to.

Boomplaats Road, Mpumalanga

 Boomplaats Road, Mpumalanga. Acrylics on Masonite, 15 x 20 cm:

SOLD

Elsewhere on the web.

Via Roma

 Acrylics on Masonite, 20 x 15 cm:

SOLD

I have been having quite a bit of fun painting in this, er, what exactly is this style anyway? Surreal? Naïve? It is influenced by a lot of stuff, ranging from postimpressionism to children's book illustrations. 

As if this isn't bad enough, I get up to no good all over the web...

Alice's umbrella

 Acrylics on Masonite, 20 x 15 cm:

SOLD

Something rather unusual for me: a weird picture in the vein of pop surrealism. But it was such fun I think I might have discovered a whole new style here - watch this space!

All my other dubious activities all over the web...

It wasn't me!

 Pencil drawing with digital color:

Print available.

Elsewhere on the web.

Witch landing

 Witches from all over are currently landing at your local airport for the seasonal festival. Children beware!

Elsewhere on the web...

Weaver bird

 Female weaver bird sitting in a chain link fence. As city dweller, this is how I often observe my wildlife!

HB pencil on 20 x 15 cm paper:

Other stuff I get up to...

Even witches need to rest

 Pencil drawing, digitally colored:

Prints are available - see link below.

All the dubious stuff I get up to all over the web

Whimsical things

 Been playing around with making pencil sketches and then adding color digitally. I had quite a bit of fun creating these rather whimsical, cartoonish designs:

Prints are available at Saatchi Art.

Or go check out what else I get up to on the web.

Parked truck

 Acrylics on Masonite, 20 x 15 cm:

Saw these blokes busy with something or other, right across the street from me, so I took a quick photo for reference. The painting is only rather loosely based on it. I live in a rather dreary suburb, and have long complained that there is nothing to paint here. But of course, one should just look - there is something worth painting almost anywhere. Or at least, that's my current theory, which I intend to test by paying more attention to my own surroundings.

This work is for sale. Contact me at brianvds@gmail.com.

Or see what else I get up to all over the web.

Calico cat in the grass

 Acrylics on Masonite, 20 x 15 cm:

This work is for sale. Contact me at brianvds@gmail.com.

House in Melchome street

 Oil on Masonite, 20 x 15 cm:

One of my occasional experiments in a more or less expressionist kind of style. 

This work is for sale, or will be as soon as it is dry enough to travel. Contact me at brianvds@gmail.com.

Boxer

 Acrylics on Masonite, 15 x 20 cm:

This work is for sale. Contact me at brianvds@gmail.com.

Bunch of mini-paintings

 All 65 x 90 mm, acrylics on Masonite, except the donkey, which is in oil:

Secretary bird, SOLD

Busy bee

Donkey profile

Pug portrait

Cape buffalo

 Cape buffalo. Acrylics on Masonite, 15 x 20 cm:

This work is for sale. Contact me at brianvds@gmail.com.

Off the R516, Limpopo

 Acrylics on Masonite, 15 x 20 cm:

SOLD

This work is for sale. Contact me at brianvds@gmail.com.

Laughing dove

 Acrylics on Masonite, 15 x 20 cm:

These attractive doves are very common around here. They get their name from their call, which supposedly sounds like soft laughter.

This work is for sale. Contact me at brianvds@gmail.com.

Or go check out what else I get up to all over the interwebs!

Three spurfowl

 Acrylics on Masonite, 30 x 20 cm:

SOLD

Used to be known as francolins, but in an attempt to standardize common names, the powers that be in bird nomenclature have changed lots of bird names.

This work is for sale. Contact me at brianvds@gmail.com

Eastern highveld dirt road

Acrylics on Masonite, 20 x 30 cm:

SOLD

Three guineafowl

Acrylics on Masonite, 15 x 20 cm:

SOLD

Two birds

 Both in acrylics on Masonite, 20 x 15 cm:

Black-eyed bulbul, a common garden bird around here in South Africa:

SOLD

And crowned lapwing, very common in grasslands, including parks and sport fields:

SOLD

R43, Western Cape

 Acrylics on Masonite, 20 x 30 cm:

This work is for sale. Contact me at brianvds@gmail.com.

April fields

 Acrylics on Masonite, 20 x 30 cm:

SOLD

Sunflower field, Limpopo.

Acrylics on Masonite, 20 x 30 cm:

SOLD

Karoo aloes

 Acrylics on Masonite, 20 x 15 cm:

SOLD

Bushveld campfire

Acrylics on Masonite, 20 x 15 cm:

SOLD

Abandoned vehicle, Northern Cape

Acrylics on Masonite, 15 x 20 cm:

SOLD

I have been tinkering with a new story, but in the meantime it is fun to paint a bit again. Perhaps not the kind of subject matter everyone enjoys, but to me, this kind of slow decay, as nature gradually reasserts itself over the works of man, holds a certain magic I can't quite verbalize. And thus, I paint it.

Winter landscape near Potchefstroom

 Acrylics on Masonite, 15 x 20 cm:

SOLD

It has been a while since I have managed to get around to some painting: I am rather busy with a new illustration project - watch this space; it ought to be done in a week or two!

A minimal sketch kit

 I strolled around in a local nature area, trying out what I think of as a sort of bare-essentials sketching kit:

It consists of the following:

1. Small sketchbook, about 10 x 15 cm. I like working small anyway, but such a small sketchbook has other advantages. It is relatively easy to sketch standing up, so I don't have to lug a folding chair around. 

Furthermore, I have long been uncomfortable with sketching in public, where a whole crowd soon starts to hang around, looking over one's shoulder and making remarks (I swear if I ever again have to hear the question "Why don't you just use a camera?" I'll probably commit murder). With such a small sketchbook one feels more secretive! People walked right by me, apparently not much interested in what I was scribbling.

Last but not least, making such small sketches absolves one from the pressure of feeling that one has to produce a big masterpiece. This makes it more likely that I'll actually get around to sketching something instead of walking around trying to find "suitable subject matter" - with a small sketch, the entire world is suddenly replete with an embarrassment of riches for the quick sketch aficionado.

2. Gel pen. A roller ball will also work, or anything else that easily delivers its ink. I enjoy sketching with a ballpoint, but one needs to put some pressure on it to make a mark, which is difficult when standing with a somewhat floppy sketchbook in hand. With more liquid ink, the ink will easily flow onto the paper. Also, it prevents my perpetual sin of fussiness: there is no way to make very light, tentative lines, so it forces me to be more bold, decisive and expressive.

3. Watercolor pencils: primary colors, for obvious reasons, to which I added a green and a mid brown. I have a more complete set, but I find it difficult to juggle all the colors. With this minimal set I can achieve a reasonably broad range of color and tone. 

4. Water brush for wetting the pencil marks. One can of course use a water brush with watercolor pans as well, but I find it a bit difficult to work that way. 

5. Craft knife for sharpening pencils. 

And that's it. Perhaps somewhat limiting, but also very easy to carry around in a satchel, and can be whipped out on short notice for a quick five minute sketch of whatever catches my eye. I find that in this way I actually get more done than when I carry around more complete and sophisticated equipment.

Some of today's mini sketches:

Small watercolors

 Every so often I go through a mania for watercolor painting. Did a bunch of ACEOs etc. When working in watercolor, my preferred technique is line and wash. ACEOs (i.e. 2.5 x 5.5 in, or about 65 x 90 mm):

                                     

And a small picture of 10 x 15 cm (= about 4 x 6 in):

This last one is for sale; contact me at brianvds@gmail.com.

Or go check out what else I get up to all over the web...