TIME TO EXPERIMENT

 Over the past few weeks I have been experimenting with acrylic pours and jewellery making.  What a lot of fun it has been. Suddenly , it all made sense and I started producing something that did not look as if it had been painted by a demented elephant.  

I am not sure if the breakthrough was good for me.  The playful attitude and acceptance of less than perfect art slowly disappeared.  My quest for perfection reared its stressful head.

CORONA YOU HAVE NOT KILLED MY MUSE

We spent some time in South Africa this year.  Beautiful Hermanus is always a special place for me.  I avoid going to Cape Town.  Like any other large over-populated city in the world, it is loud, dirty and the traffic is horrendous. We were fortunate enough to board one of the last flights to Germany. Corona hit the world with a bang and life changed overnight.  Restrictions, lockdowns, fear and death chased my painting muse away. There was a sense of complete helplessness in the face of a virus of which I had never heard.  Our small town in Bavaria is a lovely farming district so walks in the fresh air were part of our rather isolated lives.

COPING WITH BAD NEWS

Being part of a world which has become so visible through social media and the constant bombardment of news, is sometimes so depressing.  We open our newspapers, turn on the TV check our cell phones and listen to our radios. Our minds are filled with the horror of violence, corruption, crime and of course the mutterings and utterings of unpleasant world leaders!!

How do we counteract this to make our daily lives more pleasant and relaxed?

DOG SHOW

It is a lot of fun going to a Dog Show.  This one in South Africa happened purely by chance but what an afternoon it turned out to be.  For me as a sketcher, it was pure joy.  There were all breeds of dog, some really quirky owners and lots of competitive behaviour both by the canines and the proud exhibitors.  It has always been surmised that dogs and owners tend to look alike.  This might be true for some but a very large lady and a tiny puffed and groomed little pom certainly do not have anything in common physically. 

Animal Paintings

Two of my favourite creatures in South Africa are ostriches and meerkats.  They always make my laugh.  

The one thing I love about ostriches are their beautiful eyes with long eyelashes. This one whom I have name Orwell had particularly lovely coloured eyes.  Strangely, I found the beak the most difficult part to paint.  

This little family of Meerkats was rather on the small side.  I have seen them in groups of eight or nine cuddling each other.  Their social behaviour is particularly delightful.   They are so loyal and caring of each other. 

I do hope you enjoy these two paintings.  I had such pleasure in the process of painting them.  Click on the paintings for a larger picture.

TIP.  I never use black in my paintings.  I find that a mixture of blue, brown and a touch of red makes a lovely warm dark.  To cool it down, I add a little more blue.

ENDANGERED WILDLIFE

I am having an exhibition next year and am busy with a number of paintings. It depicts my life between South Africa and Germany.  Although there will be landscapes, botanical and figurative work, one of my main themes will be endangered wildlife and other animals .  Here are two paintings I have just completed.  

There are many problems between farmers and wolves.  These beautiful animals are returning once again to Germany and are in the main, protected.  However,  wolves who have to really search and fight for survival in the wild, are suddenly confronted with a herd of sheep or young cattle.  It is like a buffet where they want a taste of everything.  As a result this becomes a killing orgy.  The farmers lose lambs and calves.  The main reason for this unbalance is the amount of land that is taken from nature for agricultural purposes and over-population in this world in which we live so egotistically.

The African Wild Dog or Painted Dog as it is often referred to, is also severely endangered.

Both paintings are almost life-size. 

 

PAINTING HOLIDAY

For several years I have been going to a lovely little town called Beniginam which is about an hour's drive from Valencia. 

My friends Loli and Harold run art holidays in their beautiful villa. I love it.  I always have a nice big bedroom with a large shower tucked amongst the many plants and trees in the lush garden.  The swimming is near my room and I enjoy the sound of the fountains at the head of the pool gently splashing on the water.

The food is not for anyone on a diet.  Loli and her new chef Carlo are fantastic cooks and it seems to be a Spanish thing to feed your guests until they just cannot eat anymore.  Delicious regional dishes are the order of the day.  

I have enjoyed the different tutors , each with his or her own style.  Although I am a very experienced artist, I am always open to learning something new. I have left with tips and colour mixes which I add to my repertoire.  

This time was no exception and as the tutor was concentrating more on beginners, I toodled off a few times and did my own thing.  I did however, experience for the first time using Brusho.  I found the way it dissolved interesting and colourful but it is not my favourite medium - rather too messy and difficult to control.  Perhaps it lends itself more to crafts and would be great for such things as mixed media journaling.  

Here are a few of the sketches from my sketchbook.  These were done en plein air in various locations.  Hope you like them.

TIP Sit quietly for about ten minutes and really take in the scene around you. Decide what you especially like about it.  Is it the light or the colour or the textures?  Choose a focal point.  Make everything around that point of secondary importance.  Although I have a camera, a sketch is something that really makes one remember the place, the atmosphere, the smells and colours. For all those artists who might read my blog, try to do more sketching.  It is such a joy.  It doesn't matter if you make a mistake.  Your sketchbook is your own private space if that is what you want it to be.  You do not have to show it to anyone.