alone:together in PE

for those who were not able to see our exhibition at the Grahamstown Festival, it has moved to PE for the next month or so.

Grahamstown Festival 2012

After visiting the Arts festival as a day tripper for many years, popping in to exhibitions, sampling all the creative output on show, attending one or two jazz gigs and walking the streets soaking up the festival vibe along the way, I thought I had a pretty good idea what it was all about.

This year I am here as an exhibitor, not exactly for the first time (back in the days when I was a studio potter and festival was smaller and less organised, I used to pop up for a day and sit on grass in front of the Cathedral, selling my pottery.) But this is certainly the first time as a full on exhibitor in a formal venue for the duration of the festival. And I am loving it.

What is making it so great is the sharing. I think it must take a special kind of stamina and determination to come here, set up a show and man it alone from 9-5 day after day, without an opportunity to see other exhibitions, chat to other artists or get a bigger picture of the National art scene as it is concentrated here for these 10 or 11 odd days each year.

So, many exhibitors choose to have joint exhibitions, and it really does add an element of fun and camaraderie to the whole experience. I am exhibiting with 2 friends, Jimmy Ndlovu and Ayanda Mji, and we are having a great time alternating between interacting with visitors to our space when it is busy and each other when it isn't.



the 3 musketeers



 When things are quiet and one or other of us can handle the venue alone, we take turns to check out the festival, seeing other exhibitions, attending shows etc. The down side of this is that it is terribly easy to spend way too much on other peoples art, shows, food etc. But experiencing festival over the full time span in bite sized chunks, rather than trying to cram it all into a manic day trip really is such a good opportunity to feed one's creative spirit at the same time as giving out to those around through all the interacting about one's work.

Even though the build up to festival is exhausting in itself, producing, transporting and hanging a whole body of work, along with all the peripheral admin of pricing, labeling, recording etc, the creative energy concentrated here carries one along, so that the days of sitting and selling and the nights of going to shows don't seem nearly as daunting as I had anticipated.



being able to take in some great shows is a bonus, here Afrika Mkhize leads a fabulous jazz gig.





Afrika khize giving it stick...



There is also great camaraderie between the other artists in the venues, and as a first timer, I have really appreciated the openness and generosity of the veterans in sharing insights, advice and practical help. In the Carinus Annex where we are exhibiting, it really is one big diverse happy family and we are loving being part of it.



Anne-Mari Burger pops in to chat, she is one of the very generous and helpful veterans who has gone out of their way to make us feel at home in the venue.



From an exhibitors point of view, we are in a smallish venue, so we quickly abandoned any thoughts of well spaced work having breathing space in a white cube environment... all 3 of us have colourful powerful large scale work that demands attention,  and it is crammed cheek by jowl on every surface that will support it. Along with the happy friendship, debates, afro jazz playing in the background and ever brewing pots of coffee, many visitors have commented an the warm and inviting atmosphere that has drawn them in. It is such a different experience, when one is used to seeing one's work carefully and tastefully hung in a quiet and respectful gallery environment, and I am loving it.





Jimmy and I at the opening of the Arena Exhibition, enjoying the view of the town's lights below the monument where the show is being held

Jimmy and I painting between batches of visitors to the show

I think, for me, one of the highlights I will take back with me is the opportunity this has provided to interact with people as they interact with my art. Usually one works away in the studio, and then the works are sent off to various galleries and exhibitions, to be sold there. Or they go onto the online gallery and get sent off to some far flung country, but as an artist one is seldom exposed to public reaction or feedback to one's work. However, in this environmemt, people walk in and react, engage (or dismiss and walk on) in a very honest way, and it is really rewarding seeing a piece speak to someone, often in unexpected ways, and they sometimes see way more in it than I intended at the time, because they bring their own life history into the viewing experience. It is both humbling and enriching when something one has created speaks strongly to the heart of another individual.

packing goods that have been sold, Ayanda holds the packet while her sister Lungi organises the cash book



another huge bonus for me has been making friends with the family I am staying with, i have seldom met anyone who is so generous and accomodating to a stranger.... this is their stunning and peaceful garden.



So far this has been a very positive experience and we hope to be back next year.

National Art Festival 2012

After years of wanting to exhibit at the NAF in Grahamstown, I have finally had the opportunity to put together a body of work and will be exhibiting with two friends.

Would love to see you there, and for those of you who are far away or too busy to make it, I'll start posting photos of some of the works I'll have on show there....
I have already posted many of the drawings. Here are a few of the new paintings:

africa weeps for her children A 1600x900 oil on canvas

African Roots 900x1500 oil on canvas

emerging from the shadows 5a 450x450 oil on canvas



emerging from the shadows 5b 450x450 oil on canvas

emerging from the shadows 7a 500x500 oil on canvas

emerging from the shadows 7b 500x500 oil on canvas

emerging from the shadows 8a 300x300 oil on canvas

emerging from the shadows 8b 300x300mm oil on canvas

reaching out 1000x1200 mixed media on canvas

urban decay5 charcoal encaustic and photography on board

urban decay 4 800x800 oil and photos on canvas



urban decay 5 800x800 mixed media on canvas

An old friend returns....

Sometimes you get to see old work that you have not seen for ages, and cringe to see how amateurish it looks compared to what you are doing now... in a way this is not all negative, as it at least indicates progress. On the other hand, some early works still resonate, for whatever reason, and it is like finding an old friend. This painting, one of my very early ones done around 2000, came back to me recently when my daughter moved and was unable to hang it in the new house, and it still speaks to me. Even though there is a lot I could do to improve it, I somehow think if I tried, something would get lost in the process, some naive quality that just highlights how I relished the backlit pink grass. That field is still one of my favourite spots to drive past on the N2 near Jeffries Bay, and I have enjoyed watching the line of trees in the background grow from the young saplings they were when this was painted, into an avenue of real trees now.



cows in pink grass  oil on canvas circa 2000

The aloe and cows in the painting were not in the original source photo, I added them from other pix, but when I took the photo below several years later, I deliberately positioned myself to include one of the aloes on the roadside, so that it would be in a similar position to that in the painting, a sort of reversal where a painting became source material for a photo rather than the other way around!


this pic of the field was taken several years after the original, in 2006, by then the trees were teenagers, but the pink grass was just as stunning, it is at its best in mid May and I always look forward to an opportunity to drive past at this time of the year.

A friend has just photographed the field this weekend, it is great to see that it is looking just as pretty, has not been ploughed up or had some hideous housing development plonked in the middle of it, the only difference is the line of trees which has matured some more. Thanks Caroline Morgan, nice to see this old friend again!



same field 2012



emerging from the shadows 4a and b

expressing concern for the current generation of youngsters in countries that have a recent history of civil rights abuse or violence, they will need nurture and guidance if the brutality they have seen is not to filter through society for generations to come.

emerging from the shadows 4a, 450x450mm oil on canvas

emerging from the shadows 4b 450x450mm oil on canvas

Across the Bay

I love the fact that a short stroll across the park in front of our home brings us to the edge of a cliff, and a sweeping panoramic view of Algoa Bay.....

across the bay   1000x1200mm    oil and metallic foil on canvas

Karoo National Park

Karoo National Park - charcoal on Fabriano - 430x620mm

Inspired by a recent trip to the Karoo, one of our favourite parts of South Africa. The harsh, arid beauty and distinctive mountains capped with layers of hard rock creating red ramparts of pillars are instantly recognisable to anyone who has been there.