Category: Blog

‘Frantic’, ‘Baby’ & Fragrant Roses (red & blue )

I had decided at the start of this Blog to avoid photos of family and friends, and stick to Illustration as the focus of my posts. But in the interests of introducing myself and my environment I decided to put up a few pictures.Here are my favourite sheep ( as we live on a sheep farm) and some of the fragrant roses from my garden.

“The best things in life are nearest: breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you. Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life’s plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life”. – Robert Louis Stevenson

Fragrant Roses, Red & Blue

25 Jan 2009
Porcupines & Aloes

This last week my husband, John, discovered that the Aloe Broomii which grow on one particular hillside on the farm, were suddenly being stripped, defoliated and killed. Over the years the colony of aloes have increased dramatically on this particular hill, and have been a stunning sea of golden spires in the flowering season. Now about 80% of the colony has been eaten by porcupines, which is so sad! While on the subject, I found some porcupine quills lately and enjoyed studying their variations with paint. How intricate and curious are the patterns and form to be found in both the Porcupine quills and the Aloes.

20 Jan 2009
All the Way My Saviour Leads Me

Sunday 18 January.

I love this Hymn that my Uncle (Tony) recommended for the recent Book that I wrote; ‘A Family History Timeline, 1950-2008′ and have used it in the calligraphy page here as one of another book I am making for my God-daughter, Amy. It is precious for all the heartfelt sentiments that Fanny Crosby felt when she wrote it despite her blindness, she never blamed Christ, but praised Him instead. So as this year dawns, with all the uncertainties, the hopes and fears, it is good to remember; “For I know whatever happens, Jesus does all things well“!

As I spent some time reading John Piper’s Blog on Desiring God, I had time to reflect on how much ‘Our Saviour leads us all the way. John Piper’s interview in his post on the Economic Downturn expresses the way God leads us back to all the important things in life and this crisis is just one way that He may be doing that for people around the world.

And finally, as we forgo the New Year Resolutions which can be difficult to maintain, here are some lists that replace them. I LOVE lists !! Keep these near to your prayer bench. I plan to :

John Piper’s : 9 Ways to Pray for Your Soul , Texts to Pray for Our Children , 10 Reasons to Pray the Scriptures

May God bless your 2009, and challenge you to seek Him first.

20 Jan 2009
Hello all, and Welcome to my Blog!

“swallows over stormberg spruit” sketched from my computer monitor

As a self-confessed addict of creative-Journal-keeping I begin this new adventure, in this new year of 2009, to share some of my life in this remote little corner of Africa. We are far from most places, but fortunately not the internet, and therefore not far from all the far flung readers out there who may share my interests and passions in life. So my hope is that you will join me on my visually orientated journey of exploration, and through my creative meanderings, get to enjoy it along with me.

For almost a year now, I have been visiting the sites of other creative bloggers, like Sparkletopia (the first one I found), and came to realize that it would be a great way for me to keep in touch with friends from all over the world.

The sketch above was the first that I painted direct from my Computer Monitor as you can see in the next image. This is not my normal painting table, but the computer table. For bigger paintings the monitor can be moved.

Over the years the high costs of printing photographs for painting, have prompted me to start painting directly from the monitor, and though I haven’t painted much in 2008; due to a death, a wedding & the writing of a book, the New Year holds great promise, and I invite you to visit my studio whenever you can.

8 Jan 2009