as promised, some new work

I have been working on a very small scale recently, inspired by the upcoming 'Modern Miniatures' exhibition which is going to be at Art Gallery over the National Arts Festival. .... is started out with one or two, and enjoyed them so much that I have just carried on...

I still seem to be hung up on cows and thorns, and issues of the relative value of humans and possessions, so although the works are smaller, they follow on from my recent exhibition.

As promised, here in no particular order, are some pictures of the new work, which will be exhibited at the festival.

A PEARL BEYOND PRICE
450X450MM

A PEARL OF GREAT PRICE
300X300

BITS OF AFRICA 1
100X100X40MM

DOTTY
150X150X40

HORNS AND THORNS 4A
100X100X40MM

HORNS AND THORNS 4B
100X100X40MM

IT'S ALL RELATIVE
100X150X40MM

LIFEBLOOD 20
300X300MM
PHOTO CREDIT: MIGNONNE VAN HEERDEN

MOOSAIC 1
150X150X40MM

MOOSAIC 2
150X150X40MM

MOOSAIC 3
150X150X40MM

MOOSAIC  4
150X150X40MM

PIECES OF AFRICA
100X100X100MM

PROTECT WHAT YOU VALUE 2
100X100X100MM

PROTECT WHAT YOU VALUE 2, OTHER SIDE

PROTECT WHAT YOU VALUE
100X100X100MM

SENDING A MESSAGE 1
100X100X40MM

SENDING A MESSAGE 2
100X100X40MM

SENDING A MESSAGE 3
100X100X40MM

SENDING A MESSAGE 4
100X100X40MM

SENDING A MESSAGE 5
100X150X40MM

THE HERD 2
100X100X40MM

THORN TREE 1
150X100X40MM

THORN TREE 2
150X100X40MM

THORNS
1500X100X40MM

THORNS 2
100X150X40MM

THORNS AND HORNS 4
600X750X44MM

WORTH HER WEIGHT IN GOLD
150X150X40MM

WORTH HER WEIGHT IN GOLD 2
150X150X40MM

WORTH HER WEIGHT IN GOLD
150X150X40MM

WORTH HER WEIGHT IN GOLD 4
150X150X40MM

WORTH THEIR WEIGHT IN GOLD
150X150X40MM

Preview of forthcoming attractions

I am embarking on a new series of works. It began with the simple idea of combining horns and thorns, ie cattle with large horns and those wonderful large paired thorns you find on Acacia Karoo trees, which bear a striking resemblance to each other. It quickly morphed (as these things tend to do) into a series of ideas around the thought of protecting what one holds valuable, and the fact that those items are relative depending on who you are.

If you are a Dinka Tribesman, your cattle are literally your life, of the greatest possible value, and due to cattle fueds and raids, it is no longer enough to protect them in kraals of thorns. In Southern Sudan, Uganda and Kenya, cattle wars have led to the death of literally thousands, and herdsmen protect their cattle with AK 47s. By contrast, in 1st world countries, we see cattle as just another food commodity, and can take a more flippant approach to depicting them. Our valued possessions often revolve around our fixed property, and we protect it with razor wire and alarm systems.

In a society where respect for women and life is being constantly eroded, there is also a need to protect ourselves. So the range of images emerging is already quite wide, and I will be combining painting, drawing, photography, and ceramics. WATCH THIS SPACE! :)

cow in kraal, photography and charcoal drawing on canvas, 1600x1600mm

new works in various media....

Hi, I have been so loving having more time to be in the studio lately, and while there are still many interruptions, I am getting a lot done whenever I am able to spend a while there.

I have been enjoying using different techniques to express the mood in each picture, so they are an ecclectic mix of faily standard oil painting, some mixtures of paint and charcoal drawing on canvas, and some very transparent layers of glaze coats and wet into wet on smooth boards, which gives a deliciously seductive result. And the the small charcoal drawings are ongoing too.

One thing I have not featured on this blog yet is my photography, but it is another medium I am busy with, and I am delighted with some large prints I have had done this week, ranging from A4 to a gi-normous A0. I'll show some of those pics in another post, but seeing them small on the computer screen really does not do them justice, they have such a presence in the big prints.

testing the waters 100x800mm oil on canvas (SOLD)

This is the daughter of a friend of mine... and I found their holiday photo of her dipping her toe tentatively into the water very touching, so I asked permission to paint it. It seems to me to be about so much more than a physical testing of temperature... it recalls all the insecurities of adolescence, being on the brink of the adult world, with all its possibilities and attractions, but also dangers and fears. Wanting to jump in, but being so very unsure of what one will find, or how one will be received.

New Mosque Istanbul 250x250 oil on board

Istanbul, it features in my thoughts, longings, reading and painting.... what a magical, mystical, contradictory and altogether enchanting place!

strolling in the rain, 250x250mm oil on board

Galata tower, Istanbul 250x250 oil on board (SOLD)

Rainy night in Istanbul 250x250mm oil on board

Rainy night in Istanbul 2 250x250mm oil on board

Be my Shelter 1000x800mm charcoal and oil on canvas

lifeblood charcoal on Fabriano 230x240mm

rainy night in Istanbul  230x240mm charcoal on Fabriano

two small works in very different styles

Tree of Life: oil, conte and collage on canvas 250x300mm

The obsession with baobab trees and lost children continues :)

Rainy Day - Galata Bridge: oil on board 250x250mm

I am having a love affair ... don't worry my husband knows about it... I am crazy about the City of Istanbul!

I am reading everything I can find to feed the passion (look for Orhan Pamuk if you want to read some great Turkish literature that truly captures the essence of the place) and have been going through my photos converting some into moody black and white shots. These will be the basis for a new series of small works. This one was done with thin glazes on board as the technique allows for a monochrome look but with a buildup of subtle colours.

Sometimes it is harder to name a work than to paint it!

.... this is a case in point.... the social conscience type works are easy for me because I already know the emotion or message I want them to convey, but I find ones like this seem so difficult ... the descriptive names seem a bit lame... trees, forest, waterfall. Moods might be a bit twee... serenity, the awesomness of nature etc... so, any suggestions?

sentinals.  mixed media on canvas. 1200x900mm

(PS. thanks to my facebook friends who came up with some good suggestions, I particularly liked Esme Goosen's idea and have called it "sentinals")

There was a time......

.............When I would upload several picures each month. Now i look appalled and see that i last added anything in March. Today is the first of June and i have only 6 new paintings to add. This will change... but not just yet!

I allowed myself to get all wrapped up in various quixotic causes, such as our general election, our neighbourhood crime watch, and our local community art gallery. Slowly I am extricating myself from some, wrapping up others, and setting boundaries for those that remain!

In the midst of this, my dad died last month, and we are off to Turkey and Bulgaria in the middle of this month. So the hiatus will continue for another 6 weeks or so, but i hope to return brimming with inspiration and energy, please be patient!

The new batch all has one thing in common... a pre-occupation with the need to help guide the next generation of children as they navigate through life, a life that seems to become increasingly uncertain for many in Africa.

Its a big world to navigate through

800 x 1000 mm

oil on canvas

Navigating through lifes maze

1000 x 1000 mm

acrylic/mixed media on canvas

the lost generation 1

250x250mm

acrylic/mixed media on canvas

the lost generation 2
250x250mm
acrylic/mixed media on canvas

the lost generation 3

250x250mm
acrylic/mixed media on canvas

the lost generation 4

250x250mm
acrylic/mixed media on canvas