‘Lotus’ Acrylic and recycled plastic water bottle butterflies on canvas ‘Artistic Merit Award’ at the 2021 Luxembourg Art Prize. The painting has also been selected for the 2022 Artbox.Project.World.2.0 exhibition to be held at the Urbanside Gallery in Switzerland next year. Multiple insulin jabs keeping my blood sugars into some, sort-of, ‘green’ range. Not, quite on-top of the food-carbs, or the exercising trashing of blood-sugars. Ride over
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 100cmx100cm Acrylic and recycled plastic water bottle butterflies on canvas First attempt at sticking the recycled plastic water bottle butterflies to the canvas a failure. At least, neither the canvas or the butterflies were damaged. Worked out a system to keep them in straight lines using a wood strip secured with clamps as a guide. Finding gaps in the mark making butterflies amongst
Star Jasmin ball with recycled water bottle butterflies Recycled plastic water bottle butterflies in the jasmin-ball pot coming into spring leaf. The next mobile test progressing with a brass backbone. Epoxy to hold the butterflies, a slow Responsible for integrated health HIV/AIDS and TB humanitarian programs In Botswana and Tanzania, I painted the start of the Serengeti migration. My painting, the backdrop for the
Terry’s terrine de campagne, cold-smoked salmon, green salad with pine-nuts, sweated peppers, tartiflette, pork rashers and boerie the tapas-style birthday dinner. The Fairview Carignan and Tannât were perfect pairings. The Palatinus, outstanding! Salmon, grapefruit, avo, radish and creme fresh The ‘black’ in my portrait ‘Wild Thing’ a mix of Lefranc Burnt Umber and Windser and Newton French Ultramarine. Searching for the essence, within the facial
Two of the small cheetah paintings handed over to their new homes, and another one finished. My shoulder trashed. Seven passes ride, the section to the bike-park and back. Stunning through the Forest. Or the bits I could see through sweat stained glasses. Core muscles strained over the corrugated trail. Which, the storm and howling winds, danced over. Still, an opportunity to try another of
Special Recognition Award for ‘Outstanding Art’ at the 10th International ‘Animals’ Art Exhibition, selected from 1,040 entries from 32 countries. Mist through the Forest on Kom-se-Pad ride. Privileged. Spectacular. That tad bit of drama, managing my blood sugars on the long ride and over a 1,000 meters of climbing. Getting better at listening to when my body is fatigued and crashing. Woolies low-carb seed
The painting of the Cheetah Cubs at that point, where, that touch of magic. If. I’m brave enough. To let it happen. Disaster avoided, as howling winds tossed the shopping bag, containing eggs, as I tried - unsuccessful - to navigate a walk between storm squalls. Wet. Bedraggled. The Forest a jumble of fallen trees. Ancient yellow-wood tree standing tall amongst the carnage. The
Fortuitous that our Leisure Isle run coincided with the Comrades Marathon Legends virtual route. Which meant we had runners and spectators cheering us along. While my Comrades Marathon run was some 25 years ago, it’s 90km camaraderie, still remarkable. I’m on the far right! Large canvases arrived. The Cheetah Cubs painting the immediate excitement. However, the painting of the kids in Khartoum, needing attention. The rich
‘Rain Day’, 60cmx50cm. Khartoum, Sudan. Children reveling in the uniqueness of a rain shower. I wanted to capture the happiness of celebrating the small stuff. Particularly at this time of disquiet and upheaval. The acrylic for the dark background, frustrating. Dull and lifeless. My worst! Shoulder trashed slicing chocolate for a Tarte au Chocolat, https://janraats.com/tarte-au-chocolat/ something I haven’t done since I smashed my collar-bone. The texture,