Star Gazing

Now is a good time to book your painting holiday in November to incorporate a spot of Star Gazing and painting, as in the southern hemisphere, November is a great month to lie back on a mountain slope, or on a sand dune still warm from the days sun and do a spot of star gazing. Here you can watch the antics of wonderfully named comets such as Encke and Tempel-Tuttle whose orbits pop through our earth’s orbit making it possible for us to see fantastic meteor showers producing spectacular shooting stars.

Every year around November 17, plus or minus a week the displays from these comets are truly spectacular with thousands of ’shooting stars’ flashing across the sky every hour. They are said to be linked to the formation of Stonehenge and the Star of Bethlehem.

When you join our South African Painting Holidays at one of our Berg, Bush or Beach lodges far away from the light pollution of the cities, you will see the night skies in all their glory, like nothing you will have experienced in Europe or much of the USA… so treat yourself to a luxury painting holiday you will never forget and enjoy natures own firework display in Africa this year.

Still on a light note (pun intended )
Here is my favourite BUMPER STICKER for artists..
“2b or not 2b”
From the artist network forum

Gill’s Perspective

Here is a snippet from a conversation I had with Gill regarding perspective. Gill said that fundamentally perspective relates to the eye level or horizon line of the viewer, parallel to the ground plane. This therefore varies according to our personal height above the ground. When sketching landscapes most often the actual horizon is obscured by hills or other objects so the artist must begin by establishing the horizon in the minds eye, simply by locating it
at eye level.
When this is established it is easy to determine where objects such as buildings fit into the composition in relation to the horizon line.

Perspective relates to the angles of lines which appear to converge in the distance i.e. The vanishing point The parallel lines may be building lines or a line of trees or simply the road which apparently vanishes in the distance.

Buildings, trees and other objects become smaller and closer as they recede. They also apparently meet at the eye level mark. Buildings may also be viewed from a two or three point perspective, this occurs when viewing a building from the corner, you have two angles “moving” away from your eye. You now have a vanishing point on either side of the building. It can also happen that you have both or either of the vanishing points falling off the edge of the paper. When sketching windows and doors remember that the tops of the doors or windows may be angled slightly differently to that of the roof as the window is lower than the edge of the roof.

For more of Gill’s FREE Tips visit the Art Cafe

Tip 2 Remember
When placing people in a painting

All heads are at eye level

The tops of doors and roof lines go down to eye
level
and

The bottoms of doors and pavements go up to eye
level

Join Gill on a South
African Painting Holiday and get her to help you reach your
true painting potential while you paint in an amazing African
landscape

Painting in mountains where once dinosaur walked

Facts courtesy of KZN Wildlife Rhino Club

The Drakensberg Mountains, meaning “Dragon’s Mountain” in Afrikaans and called uKhahlamba, “barrier of spears” in isiZulu, are the highest mountains in Southern Africa, rising up to 3,482 m (11,422 ft) in height. Geologically, they are formed from basalt and sandstone resulting in a combination of steep-sided blocks and pinnacles. The sandstone layer was deposited as the remnants of a gigantic sea that occupied much of what is now Southern Africa some 500 Million years ago. The Basaltic layer which overlies this was deposited about 220 Million years ago in what many geologists think was the largest volcanic eruption in the history of the world linked with the splitting of the tectonic plates of Africa and South America.

In these mountains we often find fossilised sea shells and wonder how they could be here when we are so far above the sea. Even more curious are dinosaur footprints on the roof of a cave at Giant`s Castle! These footprints were left in the silt of the ancient sea. The Drakensberg is one of only two mountain ranges (along with the Simian Mountains of Ethiopia) to have been formed in this geological way, which accounts for its extraordinarily distinctive formations and colours. The landscape is dominated by extremely steep cliffs, some of them amongst the most impressive cliff faces on earth, such as the Amphitheatre Caves and overhangs are frequent in the more easily eroded sandstone It is here in the caves and on rock faces that the ‘First People’, the San Bushmen, lived and where they painted their view of life in these mountains.

You can come with me to see these extraordinary paintings and paint a few of your own in this amazing part of the world, while enjoying a South African Painting Holiday

South Africa on centre stage in 2009

THERE’S SNOW IN KZN

I woke up to some long awaited rain this morning but with a definite bite in the air. then I found out why, THERE’S SNOW IN KZN.

Here is the report from the East Coast Radio News Blog

KwaZulu-Natalians in the Drakensberg and Midlands have woken up to a winter wonderland this morning.  Check out some of the photos we’ve received… There’s been heavy snowfall overnight, and it was still falling this morning. Areas that have received snow, include Underberg, Nottingham Road, Balgowan and other parts of the Midlands and ‘Berg. Kokstad, Matatiele, Cedarville and the Swatberg areas have also been dressed in a white blanket. If you’re travelling towards Kokstad, the Transport Department’s urging motorists to be very careful as there’s heavy snowfall there. Below, some photos courtesy of the Pile-Inn B&B, Underberg.

You see, we can offer you absollutely everything in this province of ours.

Join us and paint your way around this beautful and varied place

South Africa, Arbor Day

In South Africa, Arbor Day was first celebrated in 1983. The event captured the imagination of people who recognized the need for raising awareness of the value of trees in our society.

Trees play a vital role in the health and well-being of our communities as a source of building material, food, medicine, and simple scenic beauty. Collective enthusiasm inspired the government to extend the celebration of Arbor Day to National Arbor Week. So every year from 1 to 7 September schools, businesses and organizations are encouraged to participate in community “greening” events.

2008 TREES OF THE YEAR
The Wild Plum is the common “tree of the year”. It is an attractive garden tree good for attracting birds and butterflies into the garden.  The tasty plum-like fruits are enjoyed by , monkeys amongst other animals, birds and people who often use them for making jams and jellies. With their sour taste, they also make a good rosé wine.

Wild Plum

The bark is a popular traditional medicine. It is used to treat acne and eczema, and is usually applied in the form of facial saunas and skin washes. Powdered burnt bark is used to treat sprains and bone fractures. Bark is also used for dyeing, and it gives a mauve or pink color.

One of the rare trees of the year is the Bladdernut.  The berries are enclosed in inflated papery structures that give this tree its common name of Bladdernut. The berries attract fruit eating birds.

Just a couple of the different trees you can see if you visit South Africa. Come on a painting holiday and you can cheerfully sketch or paint the trees while sitting out in the bush plein air! Wonderful!

Sources: KZN Wildlife Rhino Club

Art in Nature or Nature in Art?

Spring has sprung here in South Africa and my garden is bursting back into life. On beautiful sunny day I decided to meet my daughter in the Botanical Gardens for the most pleasant of days browsing through trees and plants from all over the world in the most glorious of surroundings. Daughter mine, being of artistic bent travels with pencil and sketchpad and had a ball sketching away at the interesting plant life.

Cycad

Then at the weekend as fate would have it there was a HUGE  Spring Flower Show at the local mall. That was just delightful – the funniest was a dog made of chrysanthemums but the best for me was a huge balancing floral interpretation of “Bold and Distinctive.”

Bold and Distictive

What must have been very difficult and was done in such a masterly fashion was to interpret a painting in flowers!

Usually we artists interpret nature not the other way round…

All in all it is a great time to do a spot of botanical art work, painting or sketching and South Africa has an abundance of fascinating plant life to
inspire anyone from the finest of artists to those who enjoy more chunky palette knife work there is something here for all tastes.
Vincent van Gogh summed it up very well with this advice “It is not the language of painters but the language of nature which one should listen to;
the feeling for the things themselves – for reality – is more important
than the feeling for pictures.”

FLOWER OF THE MONTH
Victorian botanical collectors must have rejoiced when they came to South
Africa for they certainly took large amounts of plant material back to Kew
Gardens in London, England, in the nineteenth century and much of this
genetic stock from the flora kingdoms of South Africa has been hybridized
into many varietals to suit every climate producing many of the common
garden plants that you will probably see in your country and others all
around the world today..

One of these plants, which is the international flower for August, is the
Gladiolus, from the Latin word for a sword and part of the Iris family.
Gladiolus vary from very small, fragrant spikes to spectacular giant
flowers. The South African species were originally pollinated in by-gone
eras by long-tongued bees, but nowadays sunbirds, moths and long-tongued
flies do the business. The gladiolus also attracts butterflies so not only
does an artist get the opportunity to paint a charming flower but also the
flitting butterflies

Just another lovely painting moment in South Africa.

You too can enjoy a botanical drawing frenzy

in

South Africa

A beautiful Spring day in South Africa

Well today is my birthday, oh thanks but I wasn’t fishing, I was about to tell you that is is an absolutely stunning Spring day.

today I’m lucky but the weather can be quite capricious at this time of year as we flip between Berg winds and the more stormy winds from the south.

Five years ago I had one of those special birthdays that people like to celebrate to help remind you how old you are, he, he.

Well they all clubbed together and surprised me with the most wonderful birthday. I had wanted a pizza party on the beach as the beach is so awesome here but they had other plans and took me up to Ballito where our new International Airport is now being built, and sent me on a fantastic microlight flight out over the waves and down the coast to Durban and back again.

It was sooo stunning except for one brief moment when we went in a circle looking at sharks one too many times for my stomach, but that was soon righted when we went straight again. The only down on the day was the weather.

The day before we had been swimming in the sea and walking the beach. On my birthday it was bitterly cold. Grey skies and a sharp wind with the hint of rain to come. My landlubber family were huddled round a fire while I shot off into the atmosphere to return an hour later elated but frozen blue. I thought they would give us a babygrow thinggy to keep us warm but no such luck so my sister and I stole everyones coats (hence why they were huddled round the fire)

It was a great day though and the next day the sun shone down again laughing at me. Today though it is perfect so I have been busy in my new garden planting and weeding. Enjoying the perfect weather and thinking of the lucky people out on a Painting Holiday today. What great painting will be done today!

A Moveable Arts Feast

Something I found and that I think is a really cool idea. I shall be going, Why not join me in the fun

LET’S CELEBRATE DURBAN
ETHEKWINI MUNICIPALITY AND THE VISUAL ARTS NETWORK SOUTH AFRICA PRESENT

A Moveable Arts Feast
An innovative project to encourage the pubic to visit Durban’s many galleries is
being launched by Visual Arts Association of SA, KZN as part of the Celebrate Durban season.
People are encouraged to visit a selection of Durban’s premier galleries through an “art gallery trail” every Saturday throughout the eight-weekend season beginning 9 August 2008.  Members of the public will be able hop on the specially-decorated free Arts Bus at the KZNSA Gallery, travel a dedicated circuit to various venues throughout the day allowing visiting eight galleries per Saturday.

Arts Bus Tour Guide King Zorro will be providing narrative along the route about the galleries and exhibitions on show.

WOW what great fun and a tremendous way to visit a whole lot of art all in one day!

I’m going, Won’t you join me

Help your painting techniques reach new heights

You can join the Painting Circle here

It is a password protected area for Holidaying Artists on a wonderful free 90-day dabble in the Painting Circle pages of South African Painting Holidays and our Monthly Subscribers.

With monthly and free 90-day membership, not only can you join in all the regular features within the Painting Circle but Gill has agreed to an on-line Mentoring programme, where she will personally
mentor 100 Painting Circle Members individually for 3 months

If you haven’t signed up for this new on-line 1 on 1 mentoring, don’t delay!

The ONLY way to make sure you receive your invitation to be one of the “lucky 100″ is to register today

Spaces won’t last long!

If you are not yet a member and you would like to join in the fun and help your painting techniques reach new heights you may Join our Painting Circle here