Emerging

Emerging 800x800mm oil on canvas

2 new works and the annual

I love a rainy day

1200x1000mm

One man's wealth ...3

900x800mm

another in the Africa weeps for her children series

Both of these were accepted on the adjudicated EPSAC 90th Annual Exhibition.

Marching along

March already??? I swear, we are going to blink and it will be next Christmas!

As far as community involvement goes, with the Crime Forum, Community Art gallery and COPE (the new political party making waves and offering hope in South Africa) I seem to have bitten off rather more than I am able to chew or swallow recently, but I have managed to slink off into the studio every now and then, usually at very anti-social hours, and these are the latest results.

Where have all the icebergs gone?
1200x1000mm

A quiet protest about allowing global warming to continue unchecked. As always the poppies signify lives lost, in this case not in man at war with man, but rather man at war with his environment.

to the woods

600x900mm

A friend once pointed out how many of my landscapes contain roads leading off into the distance, and as i look back, he is quite right, it must be a subconscious expression of the growing need i am feeling to travel! Much as i adore my part of the world, and enjoy travelling vicariously on the internet, I am longing to hit the road and soak up some places that are less familiar... Capetown next week, after that ??????????

Simonstown

900x800

Iam kicking myself that I didn't take a decent pic of this when it was finished. In this form, it wasn't working for me, so I pallette knifed over the background buildings, and made it more abstract. l lightened the sea in the foreground, and added a yacht in the closest bay.

I smile whenever I see this view of Simonstown, with its Naval Base from the mountain behind it, on the road that leads across to Scarborough and Cape Point. In the repressive Apartheid years, there was a stern sign at this lookout point, warning that it was a military installation below, and photography was prohibited. Naturally this brought out the rebel in me, and i photographed the sign, the fact that the harbour was in the background was pure coincidence... or that's how I planned to explain it if any officious person challenged me!

Africa's Children, the lost generation 2

400x400mm

Africa's Children, the lost generation 3
400x400mm

The Africa's children series just keeps going, I just can't seem to get it out of my system! I look at some of the little waifs around me, whose parents are dying of aids, or have no hope of finding jobs, and they break my heart as I wonder what the future holds for them. Can we make enough of a difference in this country that we can turn things around for these kids? I hope the election next month will put an end to the government corruption which is robbing these kids of their future.... which is why I am currently throwing my energy into COPE.

facing my future

600x900

Adrift 600x600mm

the comments above apply here too.

The food aid arrives 6 and 7

400x400mm

Despite the fact that these kids face the uncertainty of having to wait till their next meal drops out of the sky, they exude the joyful playfulness of children all over the world.

Farewell Homeland 2

1200x1000mm

A Sudanese mother and her children look back on the remains of the only home they have ever known, before fleeing to who knows what future. Every now and then I do a painting that really talks to me in a special way. This is one of them. I hope it doesn't sell too soon, I want to live with it for a while!

People of the shadows

600x600

As many countries continue to be in meltdown, their citizens are forced to flee through the shadows to escape. The refugees of Africa continually amaze me with their resilliant spirits against all the odds. I know it is fashionable to mock people like Bob Geldorf and Bono who are trying to make a difference, but I salute them! They could so easily be squandering their wealth and fame on self indulgence, as the majority of high profile people seem to do, but instead they are willing to care and do something about the plight of these people.

3 new works

I started the year with a commissioned painting... which is good and bad. The good is obviously having a definite sale to start the year with. The negative is that, until that was complete, it kind of blocked any other work. I was feeling inspired to do more of my series examining the plight of many women and children in Africa, and the great 1st world/3rd world divide, but had to first stay in "historic building" mode for a while.

corner Buckingham and Way 900x600

Anyway the building is now signed, sealed delivered, and I am free to run along the Africa path again for a while. Two have emerged so far.........

Window of Opportunity... OK I studied, now what?

1200x1000mm

I saw this young man at a huge political rally I went to. One of the big themes of the day was job creation, honest and transparent leadership, jobs going to those who are qualified rather that cronies of other leaders etc. And my heart went out to him, because there are SOOO many youngsters who have studied hard, often under really trying conditions, and achieved results, but now they sit in desperation looking for jobs. And the sad reality is, with unemployment soaring, the chances are, it is not going to happen. What does he do? How does he live? How does he even BEGIN to plan a future?

Emerging from the shadows

900x600mm

A more hopeful painting, the rainbow nation emerges from the shadows, there is a way to go, but the spirit of the country is changing, we are proud, more and more united, and the future looks bright.

now its trees AND african children!

I suppose it is a natural progression, the trees and the lost generation of African Children seem to now find themselves together on the same canvasses! I am also loving the combination of printing, painting and drawing, with some collage thrown in for good measure. My studio looks like a tip because I have been on such a roll with these!

tree 4
acrylic on canvas
250x300mm

trees too
acrylic and leather on canvas
500x400mm

The tree on the right and the leaves on the printed tree are leather.

Africa's Children, the Lost Generation
mixed media on canvas
400x500

Africa's Children, the forgotten ones
Mixed media on canvas
600x500mm

Children of Africa.
mixed media on canvas
600x500mm

three trees
mixed media on canvas
1200x1000
SOLD

more of Africa's children

SOLD

Africa weeps for her children 7

600x900mm

SOLD

One man's wealth is another mans...?

600x900mm

I guess you could say this goes from the sublime to the ridiculous....

........but I will never be an artist who can settle on one groove and stick in it.... so amongst all the angst about what the future holds for the children of Africa, there is still time for quirky playful moments!
So 2 new offerings,

Africa weeps for her children 5

400x300mm

SOLD

did you say bacon?

300x300mm

OK, at last, here's the new batch.

My solo exhibition at the new Blou Vrou (Blue Lady) Gallery opened on Friday night. The opening was fun, thanks to all those who came along. The show runs till 8th August, and is a mixture of new works, with selected older works that show the progression of how ideas and styles evolve into new ones.

The new works are a further exploration of the "Africa Weeping" idea, using running paint to depict the meltdown that is taking place in so many societies and economies on the continent. Within that framework, I have explored differences between rich and poor, and also hopefully managed to express the courage of the women, who hold their families together against the odds. I also hoped to show the spirit of the children, who, despite facing the bleakest of futures, manage to still be children, and make their own toys, or just have fun. Despite the terrible conditions so many live under, they have a dignity and cheerfulness that is a real lesson to many in wealthy societies who seem to do nothing but be dissatisfied with their lot in life.

Many of the children are depicted as faceless, in similar white garb, because to the rest of the world they are often seen as faceless hungry masses rather than unique individuals. The scenery, clothing, cattle and features of the people are typical of Northern Africa, as I have been using photgraphs taken by my kids, working amongst the displaced people in Sudan, as inspiration. But I have deliberately kept them non specific, as many of the problems there are common to most of the continent.

Sometimes I have detailed a face, and tried to show the strength and dignity behind the pain.

One man's wealth is another man's.....

900x900mm

SOLD

SOLD

Vortex, 400x400mm
Using the rich warm colours of Africa to again express turmoil and meltdown, this is pure abstract.

1st world 3rd world, bridging the divide.

900x900mm

Africa weeps for her children 2

700x950mm

SOLD

Africa weeps for her children 2
700x950mm

SOLD

Africa weeps for her children 4

600x900mm

SOLD

Does anyone care?

400x400mm

The next two are dealing with special South African issues:

Heritage under threat

600x500mm

SOLD

This painting was inspired by a comment we had on our Port Elizabeth Daily Photo blog, on the post called Red Location. ( it highlights the destruction of the historic cottages there, Visit Facebook to join the group "Save the historical Red Location Cottages" at http://vupload.facebook.com/group.php?gid=26684527714 )

The Red Location is one of the blots on Port Elizabeth, a black township, established by the British Colonial Government in 1903, and made worse under apartheid. It is a place of abject poverty, most of the residents living in shacks made of waste material, plastic, old corrogated iron and weathered timber, on the edge of a windswept wetland overlooking the sea. It was the place where the anti-apartheid movement in the Eastern Cape flourished and many amazing stories of underground meetings and couragious resistence are told. The multi-award winning Red Location Museum has been established there, to celebrate the courage of the resistance leaders, and bring much needed tourist money to help upgrade the living standards of those who live there. If the history of red location interests you, Max and I did some posts about it when we visited last year, and also went into the origins, when we discussed Richmond Hill on the PEDP blog. Anyway, sadly the original shacks, which are national monuments and need to be preserved as a reminder of what this nation has been through and that we must never allow such things to happen again, are being stolen bit by bit, and sold to scrap dealers, and outrage over this prompted the painting. The gold stripes represent the stitches that we need in order to repair the torn fabric of our society. The words read "The time is running out. It is urgent that we unite and work together to mend the rips in the fabric of our society. Our freedom was won at a high cost – and we have the opportunity to rebuild and restore – but there are too many who vandalise, steal and destroy. We need to end the negative actions and save our heritage to remind us of our past- then build the future hand in hand.”

Happy Birthday Madiba

1000x800mm

SOLD

This one is special to me because it is a tribute to my hero (and I am not a person who easily puts anyone on a pedestal, I firmly believe in treating all people with the same respect and dignity, be thry royalty or a humble street sweeper.) But my respect for Nelson Mandela is enormous. Last week, on the 18th July he celebrated his 90th Birthday, and I did this painting on that day to celebrate the occasion. The quotation from Madiba reads: "For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others."

SOLD

And finally here is one that was done on site at the Algoa Bay yacht club when I went there with some friends to paint en plein air the week before last. (We also went last week, that painting is still in the pipeline.)