"Too late"

A bit of morbid Alice in Wonderland art here - this little rabbit skull that I dug up in my garden is either going to be my lucky charm or the death of me. Every time I do a painting that includes the skull someone buys it. Now people are starting to ask "when are you going to do more skull drawings?" Which is great, but I can already see myself becoming "that skull girl". I do like drawing bones a lot because of the archaeology angle, so I'm not complaining. More skulls (I mean, more instances of the same skull) coming up soon! I didn't actually use any paint in this one, it's just pencil, pen and ink, and tea.



In other news, I'm currently in Hillcrest visiting my in-laws; it's an extremely beautiful part of the world so I hope I'll manage to get a bit of work done while I'm here. I'm really feeling kloofs, ferns, waterfalls, moss, forests, lots of green. I hope to get to the sea as well before we leave here - I have a steadily growing mermaid obsession that one of these days is going to come out in my art in a big way...

No words.

If you have none either, but are looking for a good cry (and who isn't, really?), here you are.

 

Animal, vegetable, mineral

Animal, vegetable, mineral

Another world


Microctenopoma ansorgii

Collection I


Collection II


Cyclamen

Drimiopsis


Impala / lily


Motivated


Nature morte


Star map I


Twinspot

Public service announcement

Mini-exhibition

Look! It exists! It is a thing! My exhibition opens on Thursday, and between you and me I'm almost finished with the pictures for it. Everyone is invited, not that I'm exactly expecting a crowd. I don't really know what to expect, in fact, especially as there is another exhibition opening same time, same place, and I'm worried that some distant aunt or something will think the other artist's (much better) artworks are in fact mine, and embarrassment will ensue.

Help, I'm stuck - artistically, that is

Hey, anyone out there? I'm looking for someone to tell me something that will magically make it all better. Emotionally, artistically - I just can't. I feel like a bike with square wheels. Only in terms of my work, though, in the rest of life and my little day jobs I'm just fine, but I've got so much art stuff I need to do and I can't do it. Can't start, can't finish. Scared of the blank page, scared of a half-done picture. Convinced I'm going to screw it all up most royally, and the longer I wait the worse it gets. Feel like a fraud, like a bad artist, bad person. Help, Internet, anyone. Course I'll get through this, but I don't feel like it now. Decided to throw it out there in the hope of getting an encouraging note from somewhere.

"Autumn leaves" miniature

This is a miniature inspired by my biggest and possibly boldest painting. Which I haven't shown you yet. I wonder why? Let me try and figure that one out and perhaps remedy it. Same size as the other miniatures, watercolour with a bit of pencil and ink.

New Rain featuring Daleen Roodt

The amazing Daleen Roodt (see this post) has collaborated with Martie Erasmus of New Rain Clothing to produce a Summer 2013 collection that features prints from Daleen's paintings of indigenous orchids. I can't tell you how much I love these dresses, so I'm going to post a few photos from my sneak peek at the lookbook. Also, Martie and Daleen modelled the collection themselves; they are awesome.










That's Martie's email address you see above. Mail her and she'll send you the whole lookbook. There are also some custom options available, so get your orders in before the 26th of July.

Please note: I was not paid in any way or even asked to do this post.

Interested in archaeology? Don't miss your chance!

I'm so excited to show you this - 13-year old me would have been bouncing off the ceiling! Don't-ask-how-old me is still pretty darn excited, and is going to be in charge of one of the trenches.

And you absolutely don't need to be in high school. This course was originally targeted at high school learners - and is thus suitable for absolute beginners - but we've opened it up to anyone who's interested. The project is coming up soon, so get in contact with them and book your place. You do (naturally; unfortunately) have to pay - but it's only R1500 for the full, 7 day course including 5 days of fieldwork.



Interestingly enough, this fort is on a funny little hill that's visible from my house, and I have always, as long as I can remember, wondered what was there. I even had fantasies about being able to fly and flying over the hill to see it. (Somehow the idea of driving there never crossed my mind.) It's also a closed nature reserve, so this is your only chance of seeing the Mystery Hill in person.

So if you want to take part in a serious dig (and meet your favourite blogger ;D), don't hesitate!

"Do I dare disturb the universe?"

That couple of lines from "The Love-Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" (which I adore) was given to us as an essay prompt in English class when I was about 13. My then best friend wrote a story about a child-goddess playing marbles, and that story inspired this little picture an alarming number of years later. Thanks, Sheila, and I still miss you.

My mother-in-law bought it from the gallery, for which I am most grateful! This was another polarising picture like my lighthouse one; some people loved it, some people hated it. The lighthouse picture, incidentally, was bought some time after I posted it, by a guy with a compulsion to buy lighthouse-related things. As a mentor of mine once said, every picture has a buyer out there, someone who will love it. You just have to keep putting it out there until that person finds it.