3D project!

i have this papier mâché project going on in the studio, 

inspired by the Make Do Art workshop

and i am absolutely loving it! 

above is the beginning, the building of the shape and structure. 

they were meant to be little men but they are slowly morphing into birds...

for now ;) 

i've started the papier mâché building and now i'm waiting for them to dry 

before i can start painting them. 

at home

last year our house became an ever 

changing "art gallery". 

with the exhibition coming i had paintings lying 

everywhere, hanging here and there so i could 

"live" with them and make the changes needed. 

but now it's time to redecorate and settle things down.

i really wanted a reminder of my 365 faces challenge, 

so M and i carefully chose through the ones 

remaining and i had them mounted. 

 then last week we took on the labour of love 

of hanging them. 

(well i mostly watched and passed the tools :) )

they are between the entrance and the kitchen,

i pass them many, many times a day. 

 and that wall of little guys makes me ridiculously happy!

practice makes progress

my drawing practice is coming along... 

still not a strong enough habit

but i'm working on it.

after sunrise

my favourite time of day. 

happy easter, joyeuses pâques beautiful people! 

before sunrise

i am loving using my real camera again, 

there are moments a phone just can't capture. 

 early morning misty walk. 

new

i needed a new watercolour set

and i decided to splash a little 

 for a good quality one. 

oh and i added some inks too ;) 

i'd love to get better with watercolours, 

they are tricky but i've realised there is nothing worth

than trying to get a decent result out of

mediocre paint. 

plus this Sennelier set is just 

so incredibly smart looking, isn't it? 

the only "issue" is that the set is so handsome

that i'm too scared to start using it 

:) 

treat

we went on a little trip to the country for a few days. 

it was all a beautiful treat. 

after our incredibly hot summer 

it was extra special to get some cool and rainy weather. 

i took these photos on a late afternoon walk, 

dramatic sky before a thunderstorm. 

can you spot the big cloud bird above, in flight? 

3 days of painting

so i went with what i really felt like painting, 

the landscape that stirred the most emotions in me, 

the shopping centre building site. 

here is the evolution of it, 

under Dee Donalson's amazing expert guidance. 

first in acrylics, 

loose drawing with a long stick. 

and then starting with oils. 

also Dee has been on a mission to eliminate

all the toxic mediums that come with painting with oils 

and it was such a pleasure to find new, greener and less 

smelly way to work. 

some details

and the finished product! 

i had resisted this course, turning my nose up at landscapes

but i have to admit, this was my best painting workshop ever! 

somehow painting a landscape felt vastly different to painting 

portrait (even and imaginary one)  and i loved the relationship

i developed with my painting. 

i also loved painting those lines, 

there is a good chance you will see more of them ;) 

experimenting

for the next three days

i will immerse myself in one of  Dee Donaldson 's workshop

but

instead of doing her portrait bootcamp 

(you can see last year's one here) 

 i thought i'd take myself way out of my comfort zone  

and try her landscape workshop instead. 

i don't think i have ever painted a landscape before

so i'm feeling a little intimidated 

and unsure of what i will do 

but i'm excited to try something new! 

we have to bring a few of our own landscape photographs to 

choose from. 

here is my choice for now: 

it took the photo above in Namibia, 

i love the colours and i have always loved 

windmills. 

 this enormous shopping centre is being built near us, 

completely unnecessary in my humble opinion... 

so i thought it might be an interesting "urban" landscape to paint

and i can put some the emotions i feel about it

onto the canvas. 

i took the photograph above at the Buddhist Retreat Centre 

in Ixopo, early morning the sun came up the mist was 

flowing through the trees. 

or this desert photo from the Skeleton Coast in Namibia... 

not sure yet which one i will choose, 

but i will keep you posted. 

one little step at a time

i'm still figuring out what my next step is in 

my creative journey.

i think i am finally surrendering to the fact 

that it might take some time. 

brushes made out of pine, good thing i went on a trip because we don't have pines here. 

mind mapping with a twist, inspired by Misty's Make/Do Art workshop

i want to play, to rest, to daydream, to experiment, 

and i trust something will come out of it. 

or not. 

deep trust, open. 

round robin journal

journal and artwork by super talented Courteney Hope Webb) 

this month i got the privilege to work in 

Courteney's gorgeous handmade journal. 

(as part of our South African Round Robin Journals) 

the journal itself was a work of art and it was a real 

treat to have it for a month and work in it. 

i'm a little bit behind schedule but here is my spread (below), 

i hope Courteney likes it... 

but first it's going off to the next round robins! 

garden wonder

the place we stayed at in Kaapsehoop 

was magical. 

Kaapsehoop Horse Trails 

Christo the owner has put so much heart into the garden 

and all the little nooks, it was a delight to wander around and explore! 

i was so mesmerised by all the details 

(i believe love is in the details)

that i forgot to take photographs of people or horses!?!

well, real horses... 

Seriously ;)