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

Morning sunbath

Acrylics on Masonite, 15 x 10 cm:

SOLD

Red-billed hornbill

Acrylics on Masonite, 20 x 15 cm:

The hornbills have a rather strange system of breeding. They breed in hollows in trees. The opening is mostly blocked off with a plaster made of mud and droppings, leaving only a narrow opening through which the male feeds the female and her chicks. When the hole becomes too small for its occupants, the female breaks out; the opening is then resealed as before, and the chicks fed by both parents until they are ready to leave the nest.

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

Caracal

Acrylics on Masonite, 20 x 15 cm:

I am not overly fond of painting predators. When I do, I decidedly prefer the smaller, lesser known ones, rather than the big glamorous ones like lions or leopards. Caracals are medium sized cats, and quite common throughout much of Africa, the Middle East and India, but are elusive and seldom seen.

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

Bullfrog

Acrylics on Masonite, 10 x 15 cm:

SOLD

The Afrikaans name for these huge frogs is "brulpadda" ("roaring frog"), and refers to their raucous calls, which can be heard from a very long way off. It is a common night sound after good rains, when the females lay their eggs in temporary stands of water.

Southern Red Bishop

Acrylics on Masonite, 20 x 15 cm:

SOLD

The bishop birds are part of the weaver family, and like other weavers, in the breeding season the males turn into bright colors, build woven nests and engage in mating displays in an attempt to attract females. In the non-breeding season, they lose their bright feathers and turn drab like the females.

Cape white-eye

Acrylic on Masonite, 15 x 20 cm:

SOLD

Malachite kingfisher

Acrylic on Masonite, 20 x 15 cm:

SOLD

Orange-breasted bush shrike

Acrylic on Masonite, 15 x 20 cm:

SOLD

A bird and a big beast

Red-headed finch on a branch. Acrylic on Masonite, 15 x 20 cm:

SOLD

A big beast in a small painting: Grazing elephant. Acrylic on Masonite, ACEO, i.e. 2.5 x 3.5 inch (64 x 89 mm):

SOLD

 

Small gifts

Gifts for various people about to embark on long journeys, in the form of a bunch of small paintings of subject matter they happen to like. All done in acrylics on Masonite. The elephant is an ACEO (2.5 x 3.5 inches in size = 64 x 89 mm), and the other two are 10 x 15 cm:

Laughing dove

Laughing dove, Spilopelia senegalensis. Acrylic on Masonite, 15 x 20 cm:

SOLD

Bell peppers

Acrylics on Masonite, 15 x 20 cm:

This item is for sale on my Daily Paintworks Gallery.

Red jungle fowl

Acrylics on Masonite, 10 x 15 cm:

SOLD

These are the critters domestic chickens are descended from. I experimented a bit here with a much looser, expressionist sort of style; I have yet to decide whether I like it!