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