Category: Gallery

Karoo Interlude

Karoo-scape. Watercolour. 500 x 700 mm

When I first moved to Silvermere way back in 1978, I never thought I would get used to the vast treeless nature of the karoo landscape. It was such a dramatic change after all the wonderful woodlands of Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) where I grew up. As my father was particularly interested in botanical research and the trees in particular, we travelled extensively around the country to collect leaf specimens of tree varieties for the Herbarium in Salisbury (Harare). It was such an all consuming interest that our whole family became familiar with identifying the tree species with ease. My brother,(John Burrows) was particularly inspired, and has made a career out of this passion for plants. He has written several botanical books and continues to travel widely throughout southern Africa collecting, recording and photographing various plant species for his research.

Karoo hills & windmill. Watercolour. 325 x 235 mm.

However, despite this heritage, the vast, barren and expansive nature of the karoo has inadvertently crept into my heart. It has become one of my most stirring and favourite painting inspirations. I never tire of photographing it as we crisscross the karoo on every available little holiday adventure. We have travelled so many of the little dirt tracks & farm roads to find new vistas and quaint treasures that would make good painting subjects. We avoid the main tar roads as often as possible, and have covered most of the central & eastern Karoo, as well as Namaqualand, the Northern Cape and the Freestate. But there is always something new over the next horizon, and I doubt that my appetite for these beautiful arid landscapes will ever be exhausted.

Karoo farm road. Watercolour. 700 x500 mm

30 Aug 2011
Random Roses

Random Roses. oil on canvas. 845 x 650 mm.

26 Aug 2011
Rock Pigeons over the Sunflower Fields of the Freestate.

2 rock pigeons. Watercolour. 330 x 240 mm.

Some orders are just beyond challenging! They are enough to make one wonder why we take on commissions. This one is for an American hunter who targets the pigeons that raid the sunflower fields of the northern Freestate.

The fields are ready for harvesting, but the Rock pigeons descend in large flocks to eat the seeds. How dull the painting would have been with only fields ready for harvesting, as it is no doubt in reality. But this is art and needs to suggest the situation without looking like a war zone. So I have added a separate field with flowers still young, to brighten the painting and enhance the subject. It is unlikely that there would be crops at such different stages in development on any sunflower farm, but it was important for the painting.

The sunflower farmers have no alternative but to hire hunters to come to their aid. I don’t like killing anything, but as we face the same problem with Jackal and Lynx raiding our sheep flocks; I do understand their situation. All I can do now is hope that the client will be satisfied.

Rock Pigeons over the Sunflower Fields. Watercolour. 500 x 700 mm

15 Jul 2011
Sheep Study Two

Here are a few more sheep sketches and paintings.

"I know you're there" sheep sketch. watercolour & ink on cartridge. A4

I have an enormous online library of quirky and entertaining photos of sheep taken over the years; and now that photography is digital, it is so easy to capture moods and attitudes at every available opportunity, without the costs of printing them all.

'Two Ewes & a Lamb'. 350 x 250 mm watercolour.

There was a time when I spent far too much on frequent trips to the nearest Foto-First (200 kms away) in Bloemfontein.

'Ewe with twins, cold winter morning'. 325 x 240 mm. watercolour.

But now, with the aid of a trusty printer, I am able to only print what I want to paint, at the moment when inspiration strikes.

"Ewe with twins sketch", watercolour and ink. 320 x 240 mm

It was difficult to choose just 4, for this set, but I really must move on to some other subject matter now. I can’t imagine there are many of you out there who are so entranced by sheep as I am, so I promise to put sheep aside for the moment!

24 Jun 2011
Remembering the 90’s, & Bon Jovi

During the 1990’s Bon Jovi became my favourite rock band and I followed them avidly. In 1995 we attended their first concert in Johannesburg. I also joined the fan club, ‘Backstage with Jon Bon Jovi’, and entered a few competitions. I sent a couple of paintings which Jon and his wife, Dorothea apparently received, according to his Mum. At that time Jon’s Mum ran the Fan Club. I won an autographed T’shirt in one competition, and collected all the Albums of their music. But during the next ten years, although I continued to follow their music and enjoyed the odd appearances on TV, gradually the fervor faded and I gave the subscription money to a worthwhile charity instead. I even forgot about the two oil portraits that I’d done during that heady decade; until recently when a friend asked about them, so here they are:

Jon Bon Jovi, 1995. oil on Canvas 450 x 550 mm

Jon Bon Jovi, 1998, oil on Canvas 550 x 450 mm.

7 Jun 2011
Beautiful Bokmakierie

The beautiful Bokmakierie belongs the Bush Shrike family and is such a colourful resident of our otherwise drab winter garden. Although they live and nest here, it is seldom that I am able to photograph them. How lucky I was, and of course a sketch was inevitable !

'Bokmakierie'. watercolour. 340 x 250 mm

1 Jun 2011
Old World Vulture – visions

Rueppell's Griffon & Whitebacked Vulture. 290 x 420 mm.

One of the painting commissions from the client who took photos in the Maasai Mara National Park in Kenya, was of the Whitebacked Vulture. (It was not the Serengeti as I first thought.)

Sketch of Whitebacked Vulture. 310 x 230 mm.

This painting inspired me to make a couple of other studies that are posted here. Researching these vultures revealed many amazing facts about them. The Rueppell’s Griffon, is said to be the highest flying bird, with a recording of 11,000 metres or 36,100 feet, and their wingspan reaches 2.6 metres or 8,5 feet!!

Maasai Mara Whitebacked Vultures. 700 x 500 mm sold.

Here on Silvermere, we have the Cape Vulture, which I haven’t painted yet. These vultures come for the carcasses of sheep and cattle that die in the veld. We sometimes have flocks of about 50 on one carcass. It is wonderful to have them now, as they have been absent for many many years. We still hear reports that they were becoming an endangered species, but at least we have a flock that we see from time to time. Here are a couple of photos that I took of our Cape Vultures that roost on the power lines nearby.

Cape Vultures (photographs)

10 May 2011
Serengeti Cats

After a friend visited the Serengeti National park last year, he asked if I’d paint some of the photos that he took while he was there. These were 3 of them.

Serengeti leopard, 500 x 350 mm. sold

The challenge, more than the cats themselves, was the grass. There are some ways to simplify painting grass, but as grass featured in these three so prominently, it was important to avoid the short-cuts. It makes me think of all the grass that covers Silvermere at the moment, since the good rains of the past four months. The sheep get lost amongst it and looking for them is quite difficult. When we walk in the veld, grass seeds work their way into our socks if we don’t wear very long trousers and high boots. Looking out over the vales of waving grass, it really looks more like cattle country, than karoo veld; and is reminiscent of the tall savannah-grassveld in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) where I grew up.

Serengeti cheetah & kill. 700 x 500 mm. sold

Serengeti Lion, 500 x 350 mm. sold

I would like to make a correction here, since speaking to the client. These cats were all photographed in the Kenyan side of the Reserve, which is called the Maasai Mara National Park.

7 May 2011
A quiet country road after the rain.

On the return from our brief trip to Johannesburg to see John and Sue and Neil, we photographed lots of sunflowers in the fields alongside the N1. There is a possible upcoming order that includes a sunflower field. We drove off down a few linking farm roads and this perfect little scene was one that we passed. I found it particularly captivating and inspiring to paint.

A quiet country road. Watercolour. 500 x 350 mm

29 Mar 2011
Sheep

Archives.

1 Mar 2011
Sheep study one. Resting against the workshop wall.

After browsing through all my files of sheep photographs, I was itching to paint sheep again. Even though there is a limited market for sheep in the art world, I am absolutely enchanted by them and all the painting possibilities. I would love to paint an entire series, but realistically it is probably not a good idea! However, since when were painters driven by good sense? So call me crazy, but here is the first.

'Sheep resting against the workshop wall'. Oil on canvas, 850 x 650 mm.

In the long hot days of summer when a woolen winter coat is not really appropriate, these sheep find the wall of the workshop nice and cool for their midday siesta.

8 Feb 2011
Portraits. – Being captivated by Faces.

Charles & Jan's Wedding. Oil on Canvas.

Hello again ! What a long time it has been since last I wrote a blog post. This particular post has been delayed, partly by the busy-ness of the Festive Season; and the Portrait that is featured was a gift to my son and daughter in law. I didn’t want to reveal it till after Christmas. It is a commemorative painting of their wedding a year ago on the 4th January 2010. I would never consider myself a good portrait artist, and most of the ones I tackle are considerably flawed, including this one. Perhaps most artists would agree that portraits are particularly difficult to do really well. Many times over the years I have sworn to stop doing them, after several experiences when I was asked to make changes on ones that I’d sold. However I have always been fascinated by people’s faces, and have drawn portraits since I was at school.

A School Friend. Pastel. from about 1970

An early study. Pastel. 1974

This thought has reminded me of one of my all time favourite hymns; “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”. Whenever I sing this it tends to bring tears to my eyes; when I picture the thought of gazing at the face of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and realize how unworthy I am.

But the uncanny coincidence came yesterday when I was reading a blog piece by John Piper’s wife Noel, where she mentioned the art of Lilias Trotter. Then I went in search of her art, only to find that her writings were altogether more captivating. It was there that I discovered that her piece called, ‘Focussed’ inspired Helen Lemmel to write the hymn ‘The Heavenly Vision’, which is now called, “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”.

This image that Lilias spoke of in ‘Focussed’ resonated so powerfully with me, as I am so riveted by faces, and especially the face of Jesus as I see him in my heart, and my mind’s eye. The way He searches our hearts and thoughts with that perceptive and patient gaze, and loves us regardless of all our shortcomings, isn’t that beautiful? Isn’t He beautiful? Even though none of us know what He looked like and all have different interpretations of His face. If you look on Google Images you will see many of the portraits of Jesus, and it is clear that we all see Him quite differently.

So, today, whether faces fascinate you or not; take a moment to turn your eyes upon Jesus and look full in His wonderful face.

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Refrain:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

In the light of His glory and grace.

O soul, are you weary and troubled?

No light in the darkness you see?

There’s a light for a look at the Saviour,

And life more abundant and free!

Refrain

Through death into life everlasting

He passed, and we follow Him there;

Over us sin no more hath dominion

For more than conquerors we are!

Refrain

His Word shall not fail you, He promised;

Believe Him, and all will be well:

Then go to a world that is dying,

His perfect salvation to tell!

Refrain

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus.” (Hebrews 12:2)

Christ the Divine Redeemer by Simon Dewey

21 Jan 2011