School at Night/Night School

There must be few places which feel more deserted than a school building at night. I am sitting at my desk at 6.48 pm, waiting for my son to return from a hockey match. I had the crazy idea that i could get lots of work done while I wait, but it has turned out to be an exhausting excercise. I have been here since 7.30 am! The windows reflect the interioir of my classroom instead of revealing the seaview and trees outside. Fortunately I am no longer on the top floor of the main building where the Art rooms used to be. I did manage to compile the brief for the Grade 11 mid-year prac exam and assessed a couple of source books, chatted to my son in Cape Town on google-chat and caught up on some blogs.

More Shweshwe

I love the way in which some of our local designers have incorporated Shweshwe in their designs.

Shweshwe

http://www.dagama.co.za/ I have not blogged for so long... Now that the weather is changing, and it is no longer so hot, I feel like gardening and sewing. This made me bring out the fabric and a lovely piece of Shweshwe with Nelson Mandela's image on the border. I have not decided what i want to use it for, but I am sure something will come to mind. i have been Googling some sites on Shweshwe and the DaGama one is the best so far. http://ideasmag.co.za/craft-decor/shwe-shwe-pumps

New Ideas

Pierre and I have been busy, busy lately. Strange how one's creative energy seems to come in waves and then subside for a while. i have learned to accept this as the natural way of things - so instead of fighting it and forcing the issue, I go with the flow - so to speak.

The weather is still really extreme - 30degrees (C) forecast for tomorrow and the humidity to go with it! At least it is cooler at home.

I have had this urge to paint a lot of canvases deep red .
After thinking about it, Rothko's Colour-field Pianting comes to mind.
red seems an odd colour to choose in this heat, but I just did it. 

I learned this trick from Rob Wareing at one of his painting workshops years ago. To avoid the stress of a white canvas, cover it with a colour wash and then work onto it. You can leave as much of the wash visible as you wish or cover it completely.

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A new year with much promise

It has been a particularly wonderful time at home - this Christmas holiday. A real Indian Summer with lazy, sunny days at home.

David and Michelle became engaged which made it extra special. We also have a new grand-daughter, Abigail, and a new grandson due in two days' time. The family is growing and there are just more and more to love.

Ansa, my friend since 1985, paid us a surprise visit today too, and we chatted for hours. it was great to catch up. We also made lots of plans for the new year.