In Cape Town, our Mother City.

This is The Old Town House at the Greenmarket Square in Cape Town.

 Isn't it a delightful symphony of lines, curved and straight? It makes me think of  something by Queen or Muse. Bold and bright it says "Look at me! I'm a block of a building, with a purpose to serve, but lets not forget to have a little fun!" 

A rendering of the Drill Hall in Oudtshoorn in water colour. The intensity of light in the Little Karoo makes me want to grab the brushes and paint and forget about time and every day's niggles and worries.

Just finished the Klein Karoo National Arts Festival in Oudtshoorn. Always an experience. The art this year was, for me, of a better standard than previous years. Is it the difficult financial times that are making artists work harder? Any ways, after 8 days there weren't a lot of red dots anywhere. So I suppose the work will be even better next year. This can only benefit the buyers of art! Let's hope they have a more prosperous year and come to support us in 2014. While I didn't get a lot of time to draw, I managed to finish this drawing of the Drill Hall in Oudtshoorn. A magnificent building. One among a lot of others in Oudtshoorn. I talked to Joost Pyck, a belgian "klipkapper", or stone mason, who has got the unenviable job of watching the great sandstone buildings of Oudtshoorn falling into disrepair. Apparently there is neither money, nor interest to keep him busy in restoring the beautiful buildings and houses that need it desperately. He is thinking of becoming a guide on a local show farm in the area. Isn't this a rather sad state of affairs?

Drill Hall 

Oudtshoorn

The moederkerk in Oudtshoorn is a lovely sandstone building with unusual, for this area, details. Gargoyles, turrets and lots of other bits and pieces that gets to be sat on by pigeons. I have struggled in the past to really appreciate it, as it had been painted a uniform dull yellow brown colour, This obliteration of the lovely hues and interesting variations that is witnessed in other sandstone buildings that was spared this coating, is unfortunate, but I heard a story that it was done to save the sandstone itself from the ravages of time and weather. Recently I looked at it in the softer, kinder late afternoon light of autumn and the magic happened! Just look at the drawing I did of it!

Here are two of the gargoyles. They looked a bit scared to me. Also a few other places in and around the Klein Karoo.

De Rust

Le Rouxhuis in Oudtshoorn

Some line and some colour

My foray into colour is beginning to show some signs of possessiveness regarding my time spent with ink and pencil. Time, the most precious commodity we have, resists stretching, but I have to keep on trying!

Here are a few more that I have recently completed.

Detail of Tourism Offices in George.

Old King Edward Library

Oil painting of  late afternoon in 

Witfontein road George.

Side view of C.P.Nel Museum in

Oudtshoorn

Oil painting of Child Welfare offices in 

Oudtshoorn

Two old buildings from Mosselbay and the Dominee's home in Oudtshoorn plus some sandstone detail from St. Judes, also in Oudtshoorn.

Urk house 1904 Mosselbay 

Mosselbay Boating Co. 1901/2 

Pastorie Hoogstr. 141 Oudtshoorn

Detail St. Judes Oudtshoorn

Detail St. Judes Oudtshoorn

Latest work!

I have been quiet for a while but here is some more recent work. I get anxious when I think of all the beautiful places out there, hidden away in small towns. They are crumbling away, disappearing and who is to know of them when there are so little to remind us of  what was.

Detail George Post Office.

Old House in Riversdale

renovated till it resembles a Modern artwork.

Cottage in Riversdale

Another little house in Riversdale.

Another view of living in Riversdale.

 

A Victorian house in Oudtshoorn.