Monday, December 14, 2009

A walk on the mountain

The Cape is well-known for its wide variety of wild flowers. These (and many more) I snapped on the mountain this weekend.











Have a lovely week - smell the flowers, and if there aren't any, draw or paint some!

Friday, December 11, 2009

More Bad Copies


Bad Copy #4 (of a photograph of Douglas Ginberg & Christian Nerf from the exhibition One More Day to Regret, May 2008)

Bad Copy #5 (of sculpture by Donovan Ward from the exhibition Barbie Bartmann: Homecoming Queen, July 2005)

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Stay Calm - Life Happens

Here is an idea for a Hollywood movie script. Lipsticked and coiffed 1950's housewife, upon opening her car door, is suddenly abducted by aliens in a biplane, and dropped in the middle of a desert somewhere in Africa, where she wakes up transformed, clutching a rusty tin can, her (now) only possession. A voice booms from the sky: "Stay Calm - Life Happens."

So much of what we have or don't have in life is an accident of birth. Not earned or deserved, as we so like to believe ...

Monday, December 7, 2009

What Anairam Found

Saturday was the last car boot sale of the year. And the next one is only in February! How to bear it??
Anyway, this time I got a few lovely bits and pieces ...

A lappie - intended to be sewn onto a cushion cover, and two mini-books (7x9 cm) with photographs of London - published by Valentine and Sons Ltd.

A tiny polar bear - just in case they all really do disappear. It is planning to take a walk across Westminster Bridge to the Houses of Parliament. What will it say, I wonder?

These two miniature plastic figurines - Japanese warriors? The lamp and umbrella can both move!

This book - not to read, but for the cover. I think I have mentioned before that I collect book jackets - preferably 1950's and older.

Inside I found this old Cape Tramways ticket ...

My best buy - a tiny carving of a deer - the legs and even hooves are beautifully detailed. I think it is bone and am thinking of making a necklace with it.
And lastly ...





... a small book called Bedside Book of Discoveries with these (and more!) beautiful wood engravings by Hellmuth Weissenborn.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

What Snous Found



Good Morning, Mr Tortoise! (This one is for lisa whose post here I loved and still remember!)

Friday, December 4, 2009

Weekword: Contrast

Oh, Weekword, how I have missed thee ...
11.15 am yesterday

2 hours later ...

A weed's beauty lasts much longer if it is not picked ...

Fruenswerk chose this week's word - visit her blog for more contrasts!

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Bad Copies

I love art. And I love going to art exhibitions. As a result, I have collected a box full of exhibition invitations, and I simply can't get rid of them. I can always use them in collage projects, art pages, to make cards, and so forth, I reason. So a few days ago I had a brilliant idea for a journal project: at the same time as reminding myself of our local artists (and introducing you to them), I can also practise my drawing skills. I have decided to
a) do my own interpretation, rather than trying to make an exact copy, and to delete or add bits as I wish,
b) spend no more than 5 - 15 minutes on a drawing, and
c) use only pen and colouring pencils.

I have called the journal "bad copies".

Herewith the first three entries:

Bad Copies #1 (of paintings by Mary Visser, from the Nocturnes exhibition).

Bad Copies #2 (of painting by Lizza Littlewort, from the exhibition How did Lizza meet Jake Chapman?)

Bad Copies #3 (of painting by Timothy Zantsi, from Timothy Zantsi - Solo Exhibition)