S Africa

Hello from S Africa...I was hoping to keep up my blog with photos, but it will have to wait till I get home and I get back on my laptop, so in the meantime...Here everything is more beautiful than I ever could have imagined. The coast around Capetown was breathtaking. We had a car and went to several beaches over a few days and then a bunch of wineries for tasting SA wines which are delicious. Now we are at a dairy farm "estate" in the Drokensburg mountains at about 6000 ft. We can see for miles, mountain range after range after range. Tremendous thunder and lightening storms in the afternoons. Soon we pack up the 2 jeeps and go on safari for 2 weeks in Bortswana. I feel so fortunate to have this time with our friends here who are avid birders and all around naturalists. No electricity and camping in tents for the whole time. We are not in fenced compounds! We are with the animals and can't imagine what it's going to be like, but they do this all the time. First stop the Central Kalahari Game Park, then 3 more: Chobe, Linyanti and Rhaha...I won't be able to keep in touch for that time... till next time I can post...

The Glass Vase

Oils on stretched canvas 20" x 24"

C.$850.

Of all the paintings I have done in the last two months, this is my favorite. It was like the glass vase painted itself and totally wanted to be on the canvas. Sometimes it is like that...those painting moments are so precious. They come to me more often after a prolonged period of creativity and concentration. I think the key word is SIMPLIFY...and it is one of the hardest concepts to actualize. Pare everything down to what is most important. Let go of the details...relax and follow the brush.

Heron

Oils on stretched canvas 10" x 12"

C.$200.

Of course there were many herons where I was in Florida. In fact I got quite used to them walking by my windows and fishing when the tide was low. I took many photos and then had my laptop set up near my easel, so I could use what was on my monitor for reference.