Art Deco in Durban

Durban from the sea

A few weeks ago now I was invited to join a group doing a Durban harbour tour. I haven’t done one for a while so happily agreed. On the day though I knew I had been too hasty it was plumb miserable and pretty cold. Anyway the group was made of sterner stuff so off we set me with a big coat in tow!

Fortunately like most days that start out on the cloudy side, that day cleared up stopped raining by the time the boat ride started and actually started to shine by the time we went off for lunch.

I must say the boat ride was still lovely. I just love seeing the buildings from a different perspective. Durban is actually now known, second only to Miami, for it’s art deco buildings. Whenever I go to Durban I always allow more time so I can slowly drive round and spot the beautiful buildings.

If you fancy a peep there is even a website that offers a virtual tour of these beauties.

Cruiser in the distance

Anyway back to the boatride – we slid past the most enormous ship I have ever seen loading up with cars. it all looked like dinkies when we were kids playing in the garden… amazing and then just accross the way was an equally huge but very sleek passanger cruiser readying to take folk on a trip to the Islands.

When the tour was over we all decided on fish and chips for lunch not an easy choice as there are loads of really good restaurants at Wilson’s Wharf. Anyway not a decision to regret that’s for sure, wow what tasty fish ‘n chips. And the view wasn’t to be sneezed at either. Some rather good looking yatchs!

Durban harbour yachts

It was all in all a well worthwhile and fun outing and one I would recommend to any of the painters coming on a South African Painting Holiday.

Fine art and graphic art

My daughter I think is really good at fine pencil drawing. She is studying graphic art, well almost finished now.

Steph's latest drawing

Can the two continue to work harmoniously together?

Will she always enjoy her fine art side while making a living from her graphic side?

I do hope so.

Here is her latest drawing from her fine art side, a rather lovely squirrel.
If you want to see more of her work click here to visit her web page

Sunday Glorious Sunday

Well what fabulous weather we are having. Cool mornings and cool evenings but wall to wall blue skies all day with just the hint of a breeze at times.

Burnt Tree

My family all just spent the most joyous day together at my brother and sister-in-law’s house overlooking the kloof (gorge) We weren’t doing anything in particular today other than chillin and chatting catching up with all the news and enjoying each others company as families around the world do especially on a Sunday.

A Really really nice day. While we were there my Mum pointed across the kloof and said I so want to paint those trees over there especially when the sun is setting and the colours are so beautiful. What better reason to hang out together a bit longer than while a painting is being executed of your view? here is one of my Mum’s previous paintings..

There are so many stunning landscapes one can paint in this glorious province of KwaZulu Natal you painters out there don’t know what you’re missing! Why not look at the videos above and check out how you could have the painting holiday of a lifetime.

Hippos and Holidays

Hippos have been in the news here lately.
Unfortunately it appears that there is a roaming hippo north of Durban and it looks like it has lived up to the hippos bad reputation for killing people, by killing a man over the weekend.

Now, understandably, the unfortunate decision has been made to shoot the hippo. They are moody creatures and don’t like their pathway back to the water obstructed and we humans unwittingly seem to do this and then pay the price.

I’ve posted a great little video of hippo viewing at night in St Lucia and then a really cool one about a pet hippo just to give the hippo an even press! Both good viewing so take a little look by clicking here or the Videos button above.

We take in the St Lucia area on our painting holidays as they have just the largest hippo community anywhere and it is really fantastic to cruise down the estuary and sketch them as they wallow in the muddy edges. But what intregues me most is how they run around under the water following their pathways, often under the boats, only to pop up in a completely different area. Intregued I might be but I wouldn’t care to scuba dive with them, hey – that would be plumb daft!

They do have the most gorgous shape to sketch and paint though so come on down and have a hippo time of your life on our Painting Holiday

A Story About The Paintbrush

I’ve been delving into paintbrushes trying to figure out if it really is essential to make brushes out of animal hair!
See what you think and let me know, won’t you?

Until the end of the 17th century, each artist had to make their own painting tools.  They were all handmade and quite a slow process. It was essential that the artists were also excellent brush makers as the better the brush maker, the better the artist could paint.

This is how a brush is made:
A brush consists of three parts: the tuft, the ferrule and the handle.

• The tuft is a bundle of animal hairs or synthetic fibers tied tightly together at the base;
• The ferrule is a metal sleeve that surrounds the tuft, providing mechanical support under pressure, and protecting the flat base of the tuft from the handle.
• The handle which is usually lacquered wood and shorter for a watercolour brush than an oil painting brush.

A natural hair brush is thought to typically have an excellent colour holding capacity, a lively elasticity and ability to quickly regain it’s original shape.

So – Everything begins with the end: the animal tail:

• Kolinsky sable-hair,
• Red Sable,
• Mongoose,
• Squirrel, Badger,
• Sabeline,
• Ox,
• Pony,  or
• Goat.

All this can be quite confusing too for the beginner! For example, a ‘Camel Hair’ brush may be made of Pony hair and/or any hair but Camel, ‘Sabeline’ brushes are made of dyed Ox hair, while
‘Erminette’, ‘White Sable’ and ‘Taklon’, brushes are made of synthetic (polymer) filaments.

The most favoured and revered and expensive are the Kolinsky sable-hair brushes (also known as red sable or sable hair brush).  which is not actually  a sable but a species of weasel. It is pale red in colour with darker tips. Those who use the Kolinsky sable brush claim it has superior strength, slenderness, and resiliency when compared to other hair brushes.
The hair for the tuft is obtained from the tail of the kolinsky or Siberian Weasel (Mustela sibirica).

Unfortunately we need many more brushes nowadays than previously plus we don’t have to make our own. We get someone else to do that and happily hand over our money for ready made brushes with no real thought to their making or impact on the animal populations!

So what do you think? Do you agree that an animal hair paintbrush produces such superior quality painting that it makes it okay to use real hair rather than synthetic filaments even if it means diminishing the weasel population?

Go vote here Now Let’s see

Sources:

http://www.wikipedia.org

http://www.davinci-defet.de/artistbrushes/wir_uber_uns.html

Send a birthday message to Mandela

We still have a few days to join in this super celebration of a great man’s life.
I’ve seen his paintings and like the man they are clear and uncluttered telling it as it is.
Wouldn’t it be nice to paint him a card?

I’m sure he’ll appreciate this tribute to his life so feel free to join in the more the merrier….

46664, the global Aids awareness initiative that bears Nelson Mandela’s one-time prison number, has launched a campaign that allows anyone in the world with access to a mobile phone or the internet to send a 90th birthday message to Mandela – and be part of the biggest virtual birthday card in history.

The campaign was launched on 16 June, exactly 46 664 minutes before Mandela’s birthday, and the message lines will be open right through to (and including) the big day on 18 July.

* For the number to text in your country, and the cost,
click here.
* If your country is not listed there – or you’d rather send via the web – you can leave a message at www.happybirthdaymandela.com

(Note: you must be 18 years old, or have the permission of the person who pays the bill, before texting!)

Profits from the text charges will go to the Nelson Mandela Legacy Trust and other charitable organisations supported by Mandela, including 46664, the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, and Mandela Rhodes Foundation.
Viewing your message

Once you’ve sent a message, you’ll receive a message back notifying you that your message has been received, along with a unique code that can be used to view your message on www.happybirthdaymandela.com.

The website also records the number of messages sent globally, and has a random rotating display of messages received from around the world to date. A random selection of messages will also be presented to Mandela on his birthday.

Everyone who sends a message will also be entitled to download a free music track being donated by various performing artists.

Among Mandela’s British fans who have already sent messages are Prime Minister Gordon Brown, entrepreneur Richard Branson, actor Lenny Henry, television personality Sharon Osbourne, and musicians Sheryl Crow and Josh Groban, to name a few.
Campaign launched in South Africa

At the launch of the South African leg of the campaign, 46664 Ambassador Yvonne Chaka Chaka took the opportunity to send a message to Madiba to illustrate the path of the message from her phone to www.happybirthdaymandela.com.

Her message read: “Madiba, no words can describe how the whole world respects and loves you for all that you have done. Now, on your 90th birthday, all I want to say is that you are the Man of the World, Warrior of our salvation. As people you have given us back our dignity. Yem Yem Madiba.”

Nelson Mandela Foundation CEO Achmat Dangor said the primary purpose of the campaign was to allow as many people as possible to wish Madiba a happy birthday.

Asked how Mandela might feel about this outpouring of love, Dangor said: “Knowing the modest man that he is, he would be pleased, but also a little embarrassed. Embarrassed in a good way! He always feels that he as an individual should not be celebrated. He’s always said … that his values should be celebrated.”

Chaka Chaka said she hoped that billions of people across the world would send in their birthday wishes. “There are 6.6-billion people in the world; I would like to see the SMS campaign receive at least 4-billion messages!”

For information about all the events taking place to commemorate Mandela’s birthday, visit Nelson Mandela at 90: The Celebration.

Source: SouthAfrica.info
The all-in-one official guide
and web portal to South Africa

Come and visit Nelson Mandela’s beautiful country on a South African painting holiday and paint Africa as he sees it

My birthday card to Madiba: