Autumn - wonderful time of the year!

A small W&N watercolour in Moleskine 200gsm watercolour sketch-book

Autumn (fall) in South Africa (mid-February to April) offers the best weather of the year. Very little rain falls over the whole country, and it is warm but not too hot, getting colder as the season progresses. In Gauteng, autumn is fantastic, with hot sunny days, blue skies and warm, balmy nights.

Winter at the pond

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm 

I think we have an icy winter ahead of us. We've had a lot of rain and already some of my plants are showing signs of frost-bite.

A farm gate

W&N watercolour and ink sketch on Bockingford 300gsm 

I just cannot drive or walk past a farm gate or fence without stopping to photograph or sketch it! And I'm especially partial to barbed wire fences! This is a farm gate on a friend’s smallholding in Tarlton (Gauteng, South Africa)

Small Aloe ferox painting

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm 

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Small paintings in a sketch-book

Just taking a break from all the sales talk! I have this small, hand-made little sketch-book with satin-finish linen paper, which is exquisite to paint in. The paint takes on a life all of it's own when it his the paper and the outcome is always unexpected! But it is very unforgiving, doesn't take well to pencil or ink and cannot erase on it at all. So whatever gets put down, that's it! But I just love churning out these small little 7"x5" paintings!

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