Away in Arniston

Work was never like this - a 7 day 'business trip' to the idyllic town of Arniston - 211km from Cape Town, through rolling hills of cream coloured harvested wheat fields set against mauve stormy skies. And arriving at the seaside, there were aqua seas to take your breath away!

So much to paint - small thatched fishing cottages where the local fishing community live. Dogs, cats and darling children dressed in bright pinks, greens and orange (even Netherlands soccer shirt!), riding bikes, playing soccer or swimming - being children.

The working fishing harbour is always a buzz with boats coming and going, bringing in their catches of shark, Stompnose or Red Romans. Yellow, green and orange oilskins reflect in the wet slipway, while winches pull the boats up to their resting places in the harbour.

To capture these colourful moments in time is a challenge indeed - having wind, changing sunshine and boats going out to sea as you try to paint them in the natural daylight as they exist! But it is all worth the adventure - to lose oneself in one's passion of painting, yet gaining an insight into other people's lives!

The Impressionists did it, I know why there were hooked on it - and so am I! Plein air painting at its best!

Some of my paintings of Arniston's seaside life are already hung in a new gallery space in Bredasdorp, not far from Arniston. Run by Zoon Jacobs, the Bredasdorp Square Gallery is in Bredasdorp. And what an opening that was in March 2010 - my first introduction to high coffee... Italian ice-cream in fab Italian coffee. Mmmm!

Holidays are a joy for all one's senses - swimming, dining in style, comraderie and topping up one's spiritual tanks!

Gone fishing... (well, painting!)

Its a gorgeous day in Cape Town - one of those still, perfect and and peaceful mornings where the sky is bright blue and the silence indicates the heat of the day ahead! Apparently we're expecting 33 degrees! Seems summer has arrived at last!

And I'm headed up the coast, beyond the well-known whale haven of Hermanus, to another fishing town - Arniston!

For a whole week, a group of the girls will be painting by day and nattering by night! From harbours and boats to houses and mountains, the natural scenery abounds and so too, I hope, will the art!

To the right is one of the plein air paintings I did on our last Arniston trip! So until I return, sending you all some of Cape Town's glorious sunshine and a dash of inspiration for me!

Arniston here we come!