'English Summer' has found a new home

'English Summer' has found a most wonderful new home! One of the South African Art Society (SASA) patrons, and a great South African artist himself, Sam Nhlengethwa, has bought one of my recent SASA annual exhibition paintings for his very own collection! What an honour for me!

Sam has a highly prestigious collection of art works in his Joburg home and he sometimes even opens his home for public viewings. He was in Cape Town as the honorable guest who opened the annual SASA exhibition on 1 October 2012, and to award and honour the SASA winners.

"You again?" said Sam as I came up to receive my third award for the evening!

"Yes, you hug so well," said I.

My trophy-winning Best Oil at the SASA annual - 'Three Beauties' - was sold on the opening night, and before Sam returned to Joburg he went back to Kirstenbosch to buy my 'English Summer' painting because he said that he had dreamt about the bicycles for two days!

I painted it in oils from a photograph I took on a gorgeous summer's day in England whilst daytripping down to Brighton with my family.

May my paintings bring great joy to their new owners!

Thank you!

To my delight

It was a cold stormy Sunday when the annual selection day took place for the South African Society of Artists (SASA). Selection day is in advance of the prestigious SASA Annual Exhibition starting 1 October 2012.

Criteria for selection are strict and selection day proved a nail-biting affair with acclaimed external judges this year who had the task of scoring nearly 500 entries. Every painting is judged by three judges, each providing a score out of four, with a total for each painting out of 12. To get into the annual exhibition you need a minimum of 8 out of 12

I entered three artworks, all in the oil category, and all three made it into the SASA Annual! Approximately 200 artworks made the cut for this upcoming exhibition. 

In addition to being selected for the exhibition, overall prizes are also given out for best in various categories. Prize winning artworks are selected from the pieces receiving 10 or above. In the category of oils there were 49 oils with 10 and above, in comparison to only 10 in the category of acrylics.

Imagine my excitement to discover that not only had I scored a 12/12 for one of my paintings, but that I had also won the Best Oil for my '3 beauties' - two Nguni cows and a fat lady on a beach in the Transkei.

'3 beauties' oil on canvas (Best Oil 2012 SASA Annual)

I also received a highly commended for 'English summer' for my bicycles and umbrella scene on Brighton beach, and a commended for my 'Foggy Day', a plein air painting of Table Bay.

'English summer' oil on canvas

'Foggy day' plein air oil on canvas

I was particularly chuffed to have won the top prize for my oils as it gives me additional gravitas amongst my amazing oils for beginners class which I teach on a Thursday.

Plein air bliss

An Indian summer on a Cape winter's morning on the slopes of Table Mountain, looking towards the docks at the V&A Waterfront. What a subject for a painting!

A golden thread of light zigzagged across the bay towards Milnerton as the mist snaked through the town below. All in tones of blue, grey and creamy foggy beiges. As I painted furiously to capture that moment in time, the real life fun began.

Not long after, the 'My Top Billing Dream' TV crew arrived in our empty car park to film for the next week's episode. Five wanna-be Top Billing presenters were remaining out of the top ten, and they were all ready for action to be filmed for a mountain biking insert on Table Mountain! Lucky me getting a real live, interactive sneak peak of the upcoming programme!

As an avid watcher of Top Billing, and having followed the 'My Top Billing Dream' every Tuesday, it was such a thrill for me to hug Lauren, my original favourite in the competition. And to think I was hugging her the day before she jetted off to Australia to interview the one and only American music teen sensation Justin Bieber. Only last night she won this amazing opportunity as a prize for her on-the-spot interview when she interviewed 'Sechaba' from Isindingo while on a ferris wheel at Gold Reef City. Each of the contestants had to interview an actor from the SA soapie Isindingo (another favourite in our household!) and hers was voted the best, resulting in a flight to Australia to find out more about Bieber-mania!

I also met - and hugged - the other four finalists and watched the filming as some fell of their bikes and ad-libbed about the experience! Plein air painting is never dull! It captures a small slice of life using all your senses and gives one a heart flutter of amazing memories and fun!

Life is full of surprises

Such a wonderful story in my art class on Thursday!

One of my oil painting pupils has just returned from an overseas holiday on the continent! Sitting in her friend's home in Zurich, Jane admired a painting on the wall of an Nguni cow! 

Going closer to admire the brushstrokes, she discovered it was mine, painted by her very own art teacher! What are the chances - a true God incidence and blessing! The world is a very small place!


PS. This painting, which won the coveted Eleanor Palmer trophy in 2009, was bought from an exhibition at Kirstenbosch, Cape Town.

Spring awakening

August is like spring in our art calender, an awakening after winter! The Constantiaberg Art Society (CAS) AGM, competitions and our SASA Annual Selection day for SASA Annual Exhibition 2011.

The latter was very nerve wracking! 458 art pieces from 163 artists brought before a panel of three proficient judges, Natalie Hircshmann (artist and teacher), Derric van Rensburg (watercolour, acryllic and abstract painter) and Andrew Lambrechts (University art lecturer).

It was a wonderful surprise to be honoured with a highly commended for 'On line', my risky oil painting of irises on a washing line with golden pegs! This was a big step of faith for me into intuitive painting, painting what the canvas suggests once one has textured it. I loved the process!

On line (oil)

It all began after a wonderful two and a half day workshop in Hermanus with Shelley Adams. Its good to test the waters and stretch one's mind and talent!

And my 'Dash in the rain' pastel won a commended on the same selection day!

Dash in the rain (pastel)

Thursday 25 August, was another good night at the  SASA Annual Life and Landscape competition, winning a 3rd with a very busy painting of the bustle down at Kalkbay harbour, called 'Kalky's'. This was painted on site en plein air over two weeks. Sunshine on my back, seagulls calling, fishing boats coming in and out, a quayside full of freshly caught fish - two Red Snappers became a delicious dinner cooked by my husband Brian with champagne mustard sauce over it! The best! Fresh from the sea!

Kalky's (oil)

At a different art society, at the CAS AGM on 30 August, I won a gold (1st) for the oil category. The topic was 'Blue' with orchids in blue vase.

It was a good month indeed!

Monet's yellow kitchen

Monet's yellow kitchen has been the inspiration to a Scottish couple's new kitchen in the house they're building in Evian, Switzerland. And for her decor and design, and being a keen gardener as well, Kathleen Davidson wanted flowers in yellows and blues to add to her Monet-inspired walls!

Imagine my delight when she chose my three 30x30cm square oils and one of my watercolours...

She bought my blue Agapantha head, plus a matching white Agapantha and an artichoke flower in purple which she says remind her of the thistles in Scotland!




She also chose a large energy-filled wild watercolour of two sunflowers! So a collection of four of my artworks in yellow and blue will be very at home on her new walls in Switzerland!

What a blessed day of selling four paintings at our Constantia Art Society summer exhibition at Kirstenbosch, Cape Town - and all four were painted with energy and passion from beautiful living specimens!

Watercolour magic - Hazel Soan style

Hazel Soan enthusiastically sprinkled her magic passion for watercolour on a very blessed workshop group held in her new studio at the Oceangolf Guest House in Noordhoek on Saturday 15 January 2011.

To watch this internationally acclaimed English artist at work was pure delight, as she shared many technical gems with us - a translucent hibiscus and ellies that glowed in the sun. We too had a go and individual problem-solving time helped many pennies to drop - real aha moments!

An honour and privilege to be in her space! We were also spoilt rotten at a grand buffet lunch served on the patio with the aqua Noordhoek sea crashing on to the beach in the distance - what a highlight of 2011. Memories are made of this!

Hazel has authored many watercolour books  - one on safari through Africa, painting animals and scenery as she went, entitled "African Watercolours" and one on flowers called "10 minute watercolours" - as well as DVDs! A talent shared! Thank you Hazel!

I was thrilled with my sunlight elephant painted from a photo in only three colours!