It was still winter

W & N Watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm – no preliminary sketching 

It was still winter – freezing in Tarlton (South Africa) and it had actually just started drizzling. At first I thought it was sleet, but at closer inspection found it was a solid drizzle, and everything was going to be set for a very cold and frosty night! The winter of 2011 seemed to be the coldest we’ve experienced for some years, but you know what they say about a long winter,

’Sunshine’s smile does come my friends,
and a cruel callous winter makes for a balmier summer!’

A blank page (SOLD)

W&N watercolour on Amedeo 200gsm 

a blank page . a new journal . what shall I do
dream / sing / write / wait / think / pause / garden / chat / paint
decided to paint

Short-cut through Spring Farm

Small W&N watercolour in Moleskine 200gsm sketch-book 

 
Often, when I go to Magaliesburg (Gauteng, South Africa), I take this short-cut through Spring Farm past the little dam. It’s a gravel road, forcing one to travel slower and take in the scenery and I often have tortoises, hedgehogs, guinea fowl and small buck crossing my path. I much prefer it to the quicker route along the main tar road.

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The corner plot

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm

Not far from us on the plots in El Jessee (Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa) quickly referred to by some as LJC plots! is a smallholding known as “the corner plot”. It is well-known for its seasonal fresh fruit and vegetables which are available direct from the owners. And if what you are looking for is not in their store room, they send someone to pick it for you direct from the lands.

The road to a friend

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm 

The road I take to visit a friend in Hillside (Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa)

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The road West

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm 

An Autumn scene on the way to Rustenburg.

En route to Magaliesburg

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm 

Whenever I go to Magaliesburg (Gauteng, South Africa) just 13km from us, I choose to take a short-cut through Spring Farm and although it is a gravel road, I do away with lots of traffic and getting stuck behind trucks on their way to Rustenburg or Botswana and, to top it all, I see lots of wildlife. It’s a route we used to take with the horses during my horse riding days.

Going home

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm 

At the foothills of the Magaliesberg

 

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm 

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The last signs of Winter

 

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm 

The last signs of winter still lingering – a row of scorched wooden fencing that now needs replacing…

The Magical process

"Painting is a magical process that I like, where you conjure something out of nothing; you get a little idea that leads you through ... You can go into a trance while you're doing it, so it's a nice contrast to real life."

- Paul McCartney

Watercolour on Arches 300gsm 12" x 7" - unframed

Stuck indoors again, lots of rain, so no field sketching at the moment! This is one of the 6 paintings I did while it poured outside and being without electricity (and therefore internet as well!) - having to boil water for coffee on the little gas burner and sitting close to the window (for light). Did this from my imagination, taking inspiration from the blue, wet hues outside, the bright green of all the grass and all the muddy patches everywhere.

ITEM ID : MagicalProcess
PRICE - R350.00 including postage iin South Africa