What’s on my easel…

It’s time to start seeing spots again!

I started working on this piece a few weeks back. I’ve been scouting around for a new leopard image to work off of for quite some time now, eager to track down something rather dissimilar to the last Leopard piece I produced. I eventually came across this beautiful image by http://www.africaimagery.com/gallery/index.php, reference photos by Roger and Pat De la harpe.

I doubt it will come as a surprise to learn that it was the incredibly arresting eyes of the fabulous feline that first caught my attention. But, more than that , her facial expression itself, soft and unassuming , found me itching to pick up a paint brush.

Personally, I just think that this leopard has the most beautiful face. This might sound like a rather obvious observation, especially when it comes to describing the face of a leopard… but this particular creature has such delicate features, she’s down right ‘pretty’- a look that I instantaneously reckoned would translate well on to canvas. In addition to the pretty kitty, it was the bark of the tree in which she is resting that yelled out – “paint me, paint me now”… It looks to me as though the bark belongs to a Marula tree (could be wrong).. but regardless of tree species, it has fabulous patterns and textures and I cannot wait to get stuck in!

To kick-off the painting process, first came the painstaking task of painting in the spot pattern- not the most enjoyable part of the process but, highly necessary (for me anyway). Next, I applied the base layer of paint, trying to pay careful attention to facial shape, shadows and highlights that I want to create/ preserve, while at the same time trying to build up basic fur texture.

This is as far as I got on day 1.

Day 2 saw the completion of the leopard as a whole (base coat that is). I’ll add a second (maybe even a third) layer to the fur before putting down the basic background base coat. In case it’s not obvious, the leopard is resting in the fork of a tree, so the immediate space surrounding her will contain some focused bark detail. I want the leopard’s face to be the main focal point here so, I’m going to attempt try and fade out the detail of the bark towards the edges of the canvas . I absolutely love recreating the texture of wood so I’m really looking forward to getting going with that.

Thank you for viewing, and, as always- I’ll keep you posted 🙂

Painting Tsendze Owls

One of my favourite spots in Kruger has to be Tsendze rustic camp. I’m not sure if it’s the peace and tranquility that lingers beneath the canopy of Mopani and Apple leaf trees, or if it’s the beautiful little owls that are concealed within the branches. That being said, a huge part of any stay at Tsendze is getting to know the “owl spotters” , AKA camp managers Rodger and Elina. They are wonderful people and their company most certainly adds greatly to the Tsendze experience. Rodger and Elina frequent the grounds daily, regaling campers with all sorts of outrageous tales of bush life in between pointing out impossibly well camouflaged Scops Owls and African Barred owlets. Yes, it’s a culmination of all of the fore mentioned that makes Tsendze feel like home.

Rodger and Elina can be tracked down in two different ways… If you’re a guest at Tsendze, Rodger always sticks to his promise of telling you three good stories a day- two a day if you’re staying for an unusually long period of time as he reckons that any good repertoire has its limitations when it comes to quantity . Let me assure you, Rodger has a gift when it comes to adding a comedic element to the tales he tells, so if you follow the sound of eruptive fits of laughter around the camp grounds you’re bound to find Rodger, Elina standing quietly by his side shaking her head in affectionate acceptance of her friend’s boisterous story telling antics.The other option of tracking the owl spotters down is to just sit quietly in your camp site, soon enough they’ll make there way over to you for an unobtrusive friendly chat.

It may be the owls that are the focus of this story, but knowing Tsendze as a whole is vital to understanding why painting them is so special to me.

I’ve painted one of the little barred owlets before, I worked off of a photograph my fiance took whilst we were camping at Tsendze. Rodger had taken great pride in pointing out the owls to us and knowing how passionate he was about them, upon my next visit to Kruger I gifted Rodger with a print of his beloved owlet. It was a very special experience, he promptly told me it was one of the nicest gifts he’d ever been given. I love that I was able to do that for him.

Rodger enjoys photographing the owls himself and he sends me pics from time to time so when I was recently asked to do a commission of an African barred owlet I knew exactly where to look for reference material! I started working on the piece a few weeks back and it’s coming along nicely. I’m so enjoying it because as I paint my mind wanders peacefully along the pathways beneath the Mopani trees and I picture Rodger, scanning the trees for his owl friends, and Elina with her big beautiful smile… that being said Elina and her big beautiful smile are another story all together… let’s just say that I cannot wait for my next visit to Tsendze when I’ll be bringing with me another very special gift.

But back to the owls… Here’s a look at my progress so far

Looking forward to sharing the finished product with you!

On My Easel- Lilac-breasted Roller Update

You might remember this piece from a few months back, I started working on it in September.

There are +- nine pieces keeping me busy currently. Canvases of elephant, leopard, lion, wild dogs, buffalo as well as two individual portraits stand scattered about my studio at present (to name a few). With so much on the go it does mean that individual progress can sometimes be a little bit slow but I’m not bothered by that.

Working on multiple pieces at one also means that sufficient drying time is allowed in between paint applications, not only that but the variety keeps my enthusiasm levels high , each time I work on a specific piece I look at it with fresh eyes and fresh perspective which affects greatly the quality of the finished product ( in theory at least 😉 ).

I don’t stop working on a piece until I’m completely satisfied with it! The progress of this specific piece has been steady and most enjoyable, I’ve greatly enjoyed working on it in between the larger more demanding works I have on the go currently. It has been a lovely experience working off of my own reference photo- I have loved sharing the process …

Reference Photo Taken In Kruger National Park Oct 2014

Laying down the base layers

After applying the first layer of the background,

I start to incorporate a bit of detail.

I really like the soft blue sky tones in the reference pic,

They work well in the painting so I don’t want to change

them too drastically, I add some soft jaun tones to prevent the blue

from looking too “plastic”. Detail is added to the branch.

This is the piece in its current state, There are just a few touches I need to

add, some depth and definition and then I think I’ll be ready to send it off to be

Photographed, Can’t wait.

Portrait Progress

I am so close to completing this work now, I can hardly contain my excitement… The process of painting this portrait has been the most incredible journey for me, I am starting to feel a comfortable sense of satisfaction with my efforts but there’s really so much more to it.

This is a piece with true heart and soul behind it, for me this piece represents the wonderful journey I experienced during the time in my life where “Rhampo” played a part of everyday normality (be his presence significant or unassuming) . Maybe even more so, it’s the feeling I get when I think of the journey revolving around the finished piece, the journey that’s still to come… which is a story to be shared at a later stage.

When I photographed Rhampo back in 2008 in the grounds of the Botswana safari lodge where we both worked it was a very simple process. Rhampo was attending to his work, clearing the guest arrival point of ALL signs of Mopani tree litter (with the precision and thoroughness that only he could manner), I walked up to him and asked if I could take his photograph, holding out the rickety old camera that I had borrowed from my brother before leaving for Botswana as I did so. Unfortunately for me the camera was not rickety when my brother initially lent it to me, only did it become that way after a troop of baboons “borrowed” it from my house, taking a few snaps themselves before “hiding” it in the dry river bed, allowing me the chance to test my tracking skills under pressure. Baboon shenanigans aside, Rhampo smiled softly and nodded in agreement. I snapped two quick shots, thanked him and we both went back to our respective daily activities .

Looking back at those photographs now, knowing the man behind the picture, I just feel an immediate connection to them, something resonates within me when I look at them, I am transported directly back to the time, to the place, to the people, each one of the components that played such an integral part in a time of my life that I loved so much.

When doing portrait work it’s obviously most important to capture expressions and emotions, however subtle they may be. I love the subtlety that was captured when I took the picture of my old friend, because Rhampo was in fact an incredibly “subtle person”, in the purest and most discerning sense of the word. He was the most subtle yet extraordinarily effective human being.

That being said, I think my favourite part of this painting process has been seeing that soft smile I remember so well slowly come to life in his expression.

There is much to be said about this man but I shall save the words to accompany the finished piece.

Portrait work is intense, I feel as though there is big responsibility that comes along with it too, but, if you are able to get it right, my word, the fulfillment you feel is something special…

Not long to go now, I cant wait to share the finished piece with you!!

Lion Painting In Progress (1200mm x 700mm)

I think the phrase “go big or go home” is highly appropriate here…

I have wanted to do a painting of a lion for the longest time and it has taken me quite a while to locate my ideal reference image. It goes without saying that lions are incredibly tough, rugged creatures, I’ve been looking for a photograph that sufficiently captures that. I am so very pleased to have finally found the right image.

The individual in the reference photograph really is just the guy I’ve been looking for, his posture, the penetrating focus of his gaze, his scarred face and scruffy mane -he has all the ingredients that go into creating an enjoyable and fulfilling painting process, hopefully producing an end product that is both captivating and effective. I’m thoroughly looking forward to creating the rough texture of that gorgeous mane… there are after all, no beauty salons in the wilds and I don’t want to paint a lion that looks as though he’s just been for a fancy blow wave!

I’ve actually worked on paintings of lions twice before, back in high school, little 24 cm x 24 cm pieces. The first piece was done as my “term project”, intended to be gifted to my Gran once the term was complete. The second piece was a replica of the first, done for a teacher who had requested to purchase the first one (which is still hanging proudly on a wall in my grandparents home today). So in actual fact, the first painting I ever sold was that of a lion! Fun fact!

It was a fantastic feeling applying the base layers to the canvas on Monday. Under layers usually take me an hour or two to complete but, with the sheer size of this work, the process took me the entire day!!! It may be hard to believe that an entire day’s work has gone into the product you see below , it looks very messy and weirdly coloured now but I can assure you that there is definite method behind the madness of it all and after the next layer has been applied the piece should start to look a little bit more realistic.

This painting is the largest I have ever taken on, when deciding on the canvas dimensions the old cliche’ “if you’re going to do something, you may as well do it PROPERLY” came to mind. A piece like this should not be small!! The canvas measures 1200 mm x 700 mm which is in fact just about the average height of a male lion, so whilst the lion itself is a little bit smaller than it would be in real life, you still get a very clear size perspective, believe me.

After applying the base coat I placed the canvas at the front door in the hopes that the through-draught would speed up the drying process… my husband had to think twice before entering our home upon his return from work, walking to my studio he greeted me by simply saying, “There’s a lion at the front door???” – Oh the joys of living with an artist!

I never know how long a piece is going to take me to complete, I don’t stop working until I am wholly satisfied with the end result, this one is certainly going to be a challenge and I know I’ll learn a lot along the way, once complete it should be a piece to be proud of (if everything goes according to plan).

I shall definitely keep you posted on the progress.

On My Easel – African Wild dogs

The alternative name of “African Painted dogs” has never been more appropriate!

During a recent Kruger trip we were delighted to come across a large pack wild dogs (+- 18 members). It was early evening, the first suggestions of dusk just beginning to bleed softly through the foliage, a typically serene, almost haunting time of the day. The pack however, had newly bought down an unfortunate Impala Ram and the atmosphere was one of chaos and excitement. We did not witness the initial hunt, and the kill sight itself although not far off the road was veiled in a cloud of bush debris kicked up by frenzied paws and desperate hooves. We sat silently, unobtrusively, watching leaves and dust dance about nonchalantly before us in the late afternoon light, a blatant contradiction to the scene concealed beneath their cover.

I’m constantly on the lookout for new reference photos and wild dogs have always been high up on my list of subjects I’d like to include in my painting portfolio.

I did actually attempt a wild dog painting in High school art classes. I’m quite certain that I only ever completed 4 paintings in total (possibly even three) during my entire high school career, this being an ever so slightly horrendous tally considering that students were required to submit one completed piece per term! With four terms per school year over a duration of three years… well, I wasn’t good at Maths either but even I know that’s a really bad summation- YIKES! However did I graduate?? It’s still a mystery to me!

ANYWAY, as over complicated and messy as it was, the wild dog painting was one of my favourites. Come to think of it, this particular piece was most likely the work that made me fall in love with oils as a medium. Needless to say I’ve always had a yearning to paint dogs again.

It is an absolute treat to encounter wild dogs in their natural environment, over the years I’ve been extremely lucky with the sightings I’ve had. On a childhood family trip to Kruger we once witnessed a wild dog pup being taken by a croc- quite an awful thing to see in certain respects but also an incredible event to experience and, heart breaking as it was we were very appreciative of the significance, a chilling reminder that Bushveld life is harsh… I can remember sobbing softly in the back of the car!

In those days, we didn’t have a camera and so all of the incredible things we’ve witnessed exist now only in our memories, and that’s perfectly okay.

When visiting wilderness areas nowadays I (like everybody else) try to focus far more attention where my photographic efforts are concerned. My current equipment leaves MUCH to be desired (understatement of note) but I show willing and I have copious amounts of enthusiasm and I think that’s a reasonable place from which to start.

Coming across this particular sighting I did not have high hopes for capturing any photographic magic, the light was extremely poor and the dogs were rushing about like mad things, darting in and out of the shrubbery. I snapped a few shots but soon decided to retire the camera, appreciating the sighting for what it was, letting my photographic memory do the work once again. The few shots I did take were (as expected) rather unimpressive with poor detail and not much else that could be worked into anything too exciting. On closer inspection however, I came to appreciate the way in which the movement and posture of the dogs had been captured in the shots, my photographs, by no personal talent execution, appeared to reflect an accurate representative of the whole scene, in an interesting and unexpected way. I played around with a one of the images, cropping it and such to come up with a frame that I thought would translate well onto canvas.

It is a work in progress…

I am so enjoying getting back into my work once again, it’s fun to shift gears sometimes, experimenting with techniques different to my usual style, focusing more on movement rather than detail. It’s wonderful to get in touch with the creative side of my work from a different perspective too by taking an image and then building up my own representation of it on canvas.

It certainly has been an interesting experience and I look forward to continuing my work with this piece over the next few weeks. I have a great deal to learn about this style of painting and that really excited me; that is after all the thing I love most about painting- when there are new things to be learnt and there’s plenty of room for growth and improvement, life is never boring!

Getting there…

I’ve been working on my Lilac-Breasted Roller piece in between a few other larger projects I’m busy with. I’m so pleased to say that there is not too much left to do. I need to add some shadows and highlights as well as some final detail to the feathers and branch which should hopefully bring everything together, shouldn’t take too much longer. This has been such a lovely, cheerful piece to work on.

Lilac-Breasted Roller

The time has come to paint another fun and colourful Roller piece! I’ve said it many times before, I love to paint birds, I love the intricate feather detail, the interesting colour patterns and the different textures and effects that one gets to experiment with.

I am quite chuffed with this particular reference photo, I captured this shot whilst visiting Kruger National Park last Oct. Well actually, saying I “captured” the shot might leave open to interpretation that there was great skill involved in the photographic process when actually the lovely obliging Roller was sitting rather still, perched on a branch for quite some time, allowing me to take a ridiculous amount of photos, some of which were actually in focus and not half bad by my standards.

I’ll be the first to say that my photographic skills leave much to be desired, but I really enjoy the process. I suppose though, I enjoy pretty much ANY activity that requires many hours of sitting quietly in the bush, at home in my surroundings. But yes, Lilac-breasted Rollers are quintessential Kruger residents and their habit of perching in exposed areas whilst hunting means they make wonderful photographic subjects for even the least skilled photographer. Of the countless failed attempts I have stored in my Kruger files, this one was perfectly acceptable, lovely detail in the eye, interesting posture, good light, most definitely one I wanted to replicate on canvas.

Of all the things I enjoy about painting pieces like this, matching the bold, beautiful colours has got to be one of my favourites. That’s actually one of the things I love most about painting in general, taking a selection of assigned basic shades of colour, as they present themselves inside the tubes that confine them, and mixing them together in unexpected combinations to create the colours you see before you. Colours can be experimented with and in some cases pushed, when you can see opportinuty for exaggeration. That’s where “painting” becomes “art”, when you start to identify the green tones in the “white” of a subject for example, that’s what truly excites me. I have the best time mixing colours and I like nothing more than the look of a well used palette at the end of a successful, productive day in the studio.

Yesterday I laid down the “under layers” of the Roller. Layers are most important to my painting style. In an effort to capture as much depth and detail as possible I like to build up colour by using a layering technique, searching for the tones that lie below the colour as your eye sees it in the finished product. These layers often result in the initial layer looking completely comical and unrealistic and I always get a kick out of sharing this first stages of my paintings with friends and family who try their best to be polite and encouraging but really have the look of “this painting looks like a complete mess” written all over their faces. The colours of this piece however are pretty strait forward and the textures are not overly complicated so the colours as I have laid them now are not too far off what they will look like in the end.

It is worthy to note that it is ALWAYS a good idea to lay down the background layers first to avoid losing any of your work in attempts to blend paint behind the subject of focus… I have made things difficult for myself here by not laying the background down first, but I was just so excited to get working with the turquoise and lilac that I got a bit carried away 🙂

After my statements about crazy colours in under-layers I thought I had better share some other examples of the change from initial colour layers to finished work, just to give a better idea of how exaggerated these layers sometimes need to be.

Anyway, I have been waiting for the first layer of the Roller to dry before starting to add any detail. Allowing layers sufficient drying time is most important to avoid a finished painting that looks smudged and messy and could even end up cracking somewhere down the line. So as much as I wanted to work on it today I did some hard concentration portrait work instead. Hopefully tomorrow morning the paint will be dry and I can continue the process. Very excited to get this piece finished, I’m going to try buckle down and get it done in the next few weeks. I really look forward to sharing it with you just as soon as it’s complete!!

Portrait of an old friend

I have always loved painting portraits, there is just something about bringing to life human emotion on canvas (however subtle it may be) that is a true pleasure and privilege. The experience is of course all the more profound when the subject of your focus is an old friend with an interesting story to tell. This work is extremely special to me.

I started working on this piece a few months back. I was browsing through old photos when I stumbled upon a very special collection…

After I finished school I spent some time in Botswana, getting work/life experience in a remote little corner of Northern Tuli. Ultimately, my time spent in Tuli was completely unforgettable, definitely most significant and I always get rather nostalgic when my mind wanders back there. I must say that I have done my fair share of Lodge work over the years and I think it probably goes without saying that the very best part of partaking in said area of work is undoubtedly living in the bush, and all the wildness and excitement that comes with it.

This little spot in Tuli was no exception, the lodge was extremely remote, not overly busy with guests and because of this we (the staff) ended up with quite a bit of free time on our hands, which is EXACTLY what you want when you’re living in the bush, not so? The lodge grounds were completely unfenced, and whilst the guests enjoyed the comfort of stilted accommodation, our staff houses stood alone, quietly secluded, existing unobtrusively alongside the dry Majali riverbed. Encounters with elephant and hyena whilst walking to and from work were almost a daily certainly.

It didn’t take me long to develop strong friendships with the staff who lived and worked in the lodge grounds, I found the Tswana people to be incredibly warm, charming, intelligent, interesting, hard-working and friendly and, being just 19 and rather far away from familiarity I immediately felt comfortable and at home with my new found friends.

The majority of staff who worked there had done so for years. There was one elderly gentleman in particular who certainly knew the land like the back of his hand.William Thipe Pilane, known to us as “Rhampo” was the grounds caretaker from 1960 until it was bought by the owners (at the time) in 1985, after which Rhampo was employed at the lodge. He was a true gentleman, kind, softly spoken, exceptionally wise and well respected as an elder by all who worked with him, myself included. He was extremely hard working, sweeping the lodge walkways spotless each and every morning, clearing the car park of every single Mopani leaf and seed pod that dared gather there in the hours between his attendance. Rhampo had very kind eyes, when he wasn’t working he would sit quietly in the shade, atop an old paint bucket, observing his surroundings, watching over us with a soft smile on his face. I always found his eyes to be reflective of something pleasant, quiet laughter perhaps. He was a patient man, always encouraging my attempts to speak Setswana, he had a wonderful sense of humor too, we would often end up in fits of laughter when I said something incorrectly in my efforts to converse daily pleasantries in his native tongue.

By the time I returned home from Botswana I had developed a wonderful friendship with the Lodge owners which made it much more bearable to revert back to my life back in SA, knowing i could return to Tuli whenever I pleased. I was able to visit Tuli quite often, usually to house sit/ sausage dog sit the private residence of the owners when they traveled- these times were TRULY some of the best of my life, I have the most wonderful memories of those carefree days. This little spot in Tuli was free from cellphone, internet and electricity connections, wonderful when you’re there but definitely making it a little bit difficult to “keep in touch” when you’re elsewhere. Because of my frequent trips to Tuli I was able to maintain my friendships with the wonderful people that lived there which was a massive bonus to me. I last visited Tuli in 2009, by this stage Rhampo had retired and was living happily with his family in his home village near Semolale.

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So, whilst browsing through my photos I found a picture of my old friend, I couldn’t believe that I had never considered painting his portrait before. I have been working on the painting for the past few months and I have loved every minute of making those kind, wisdom-filled eyes come to life (or attempting to at least). This is a piece that I am truly excited to share. I just love this reference photo, I can’t wait to complete and share my version of it. The perfect reminder of the most special journey, and the most wonderful old man who showed me what it truly meant to take pride in the work that you do.

What’s on my easel in August 2014

I like to work on many different pieces at a time. Like many oil painters i use a layering technique to build up depth and texture. Oil is a slow drying medium and so it helps to be able to switch between works thus allowing adequate drying time for each individual layer. I also enjoy having some artistic variation- it’s great to take a few days off from a particular piece, work with different colours and techniques on a different piece and then return to the previous work with fresh eyes and new perspective! The pieces show below are at various stages of progression. Sometimes a piece can take weeks to complete… more often it takes months. A few of them are close to completion now so I thought it would be fun to share the progress with you!

Imfolozi landscape

Oil on canvas

300 mm x 300 mm

This is a little free hand piece I’m trying out. I took the image as a cell phone snap whilst in Imfolozi game reserve a few months back and despite the fact that I am by no means a photographer I liked the composition and thought it would be a fun image to experiment with whilst considering trying my hand at landscapes. It has been a quick, enjoyable little study… it’s always fun to paint free hand, I just need to get a move on and finish it now.

Vulture

Oil on linen

300 mm x 760 mm

I am having the BEST time working on this piece (original image by Chris Martin Wildlife Photography)- the texture, subtle colours and extremely fine detail are right up my alley. From the subtle blue detail around the eye to the golden sheen on the beak- SUCH FUN!!! I am so excited to finish this work, looking forward to seeing what it will look like framed for display at the Hilton Arts festival.

Vovo Pan

Oil on Canvas

500 mm x 760 mm

My first “large-scale” attempt at a landscape. Original image once again by Chris Martin Wildlife Photography taken in Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve. The original image is a stunner, I’m not very far along with this painting but I’m having a blast building up the dramatic cloud detail, the height added by the windmill makes for an interesting scene- another fabulous process to enjoy.

Nonjabulo- the preachers wife

Oil on polyester

410 mm x 610 mm

I completed a version of this piece in 2012 and it has definitely been one of my most popular works. I produced a run of limited edition prints which have been popular but I have still received many inquiries from people wishing to purchase the original. The original work became very sentimental to me and I found great difficulty in trying to put a price on it. I decided last year that it should be given as a gift to the photographer of the reference image, Dave Salmond, who managed to capture such a beautiful moment, allowing me to produce a piece that created a response positive enough to ultimately encourage me to quit my job in the bush and pursue painting as a full time career . I’m so happy Nonjabulo is now in his home… the best part is that I have visitation rights! With Dave’s permission I have decided to create a second version. No two pieces are ever the same , this version is different in proportion and the colours of her clothing are more vibrant – I have noticed too that more detail has been captured in comparison to the first version. This is also my first time working on polyester as a canvas medium and I must say personally, I’m not really a fan- I find it difficult to create fine brush work as the canvas is very rough and quite dry compared to other materials. Never the less, it’s Nonjab’s huge smile (and those lovely holes in her shoes) that capture people’s attention… it’s been a slow process but I’m getting there… hopefully she’ll be ready in time for Hilton.

African Fish Eagle (lighter version)

Oil on Linen

580 mm x 900 mm

I have painted different versions of this Chris Martin Wildlife photography image before, using the original dark green background which is very effective. This version was a commission request. I have always been curious as to what the eagle would look like against a lighter background. It has been a fun and interesting piece to work on- the green background originally made for fantastic contrast against the white of the head- the lighter background gives a chance for the golden sheen on the wing feathers to stand out. It is definitely a work in progress, once the feather detail is added on the eagle himself I’ll play around with the background and hopefully make the piece pop. I’m excited to see how it turns out.