Last of the 800 recycled plastic water bottle butterflies cut out and painted for the large ‘Lotus’ painting. A few concerns about the muddle of what butterfly goes where, amongst the 32 rows and 25 butterflies in each row. Underpainting of the canvas started. Testing greenish, grayish, blueish sections to see if any work better than white. Fabulous time on Buffs beach at sundown
‘White-on-White’ Acrylic and recycled plastic water bottle butterflies on canvas chosen for the digital collection on the pandemic. COVID-19 DIARIES GARDEN ROUTE GEORGE MUSEUM Captivating COVID -19 Art. From the kitchen of Chef Hirsch. Zucchini cannelloni with cashew nuts on a Pomodoro base. Basil and sunflower seed pesto. Delicious. Oak Vally, Sounds of Silence, Pinot Noir. Perfect. Glorious afternoon for a sundowner boat trip with Pete
‘Plett Dreaming’Oil on canvas 100cmx100cm Beach walk. Or rather, dog play. Colours of the sea, incredible, with small fish playing in the waves. Gave me the chance to reflect on my seascape painting, and sort a few things with the waves that were bothering me Thunder driving Prince to distraction. A new ‘hide’ option from Heather that we will look at. For now, my cold,
A small recycled plastic water bottle butterflies art work commission, with the Lotus flower as inspiration. Didn’t think it would work as well as it did at the small size. The large work still progressing, although I wasn’t expecting that it would need an additional 200 butterflies! Italianalicious dinner. Charcuterie, Melon caprese salad, Keto Gnocchi in sage butterGamberi alla Busara. Also tried the pork
‘Dancer’ Oil on Italian linen (35cmx50cm) Increased the tonal contrast of the painting, strengthening the white areas and saturating some of the black bits. Trying hard not to overwork the painting or loose the spontaneous mark-making. Came across a painting I didn’t recall doing a few years ago of Wild Peacock (60cmx60cm), our fabulous deli in Stellenbosch. It’s painted in oil on a cotton canvas
Started a small study (35cmx50cm) for the dancer, on a previously used Italian linen canvas, which adds an extra dynamic. Painted in black (actually a dark grey mixture of Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Umber). The small size a tad challenging. Hoping to achieve a dramatic painting that bursts from the canvas. Not often that I have multiple paintings going on at the same time.
Small elephant painting heading to its new home in Switzerland. Thrilled with the internet sale at this time of limited tourism. Walk up the first part of the Buffalo trail above Belvedere. Hot out, as there is little shade. Prince came back with a gazzilion ticks, so we bathed him in a soothing herbal shampoo to settle his irritated skin and get rid of
Small seascape studies for a Commissioned work, to get the composition right and the basic palette. The boiling sea foam difficult at such small scale. A tonal study in grey. Pushed the wave detail and the sky too far. Cobalt Blue and Burnt Sienna for the grey mix, with a Cobalt Blue and Venice Red an alternate grey. For the sea, I used Green
Thatcher Oil on canvas 60cmx50cm Pula! Rain to start the New Year. I painted this thatcher of our compound during a different lock-down, while I was on Mission with the United Nations in Juba South Sudan, at the start of the civil war in January 2014. We spent, a perfect summer Christmas Day, with a group of ‘foody’ friends and the four Chef’s ensured that we enjoyed
Herb pot, recycled plastic water bottle butterfly (Photo credit Clare Bosman) Forest walk, with mist and a touch of rain to start, before the sun turned the heat up. For a Border Collie, the puddles irresistible! As are the single tracks. Pathways, of adventure, made to tear down. Slightly larger butterflies from various different plastic water bottles to see how the colours, or white change.