Autumn series - oil paintings

Autumn path
Oils on canvas 50 x 50cm

Autumn series - oil paintings

Autumn Pool

Oils on Canvas 50 x 70 cm

Mullaghmor - Oil Painting - dedicated to my friend, John Quinn

In memory of my friend, John Quinn who died tragically on Sunday 11 July 2010. John was a kind, soft-spoken and generous man and I am so sorry that he will never get to see this painting that was done from one of his beautiful photographs.

John was a talented photographer and his passing is a great loss, not only to his friends and family but also to County Clare. We will always remember you, John and your photographs will live forever as testiment to your talent as photographer and love of Ireland.

Rest in peace, dear friend. Thank you for allowing me to use your photographs as references for my paintings. I will miss our chats, the rhubarb pie you always brought with you, endless cups of coffee and tea and your patience in trying to teach me to use my camera. 

 I miss you.

"Old Family Bible and Psalm Book" - oil painting

Oils on canvas 40×40cm

These are some of our most treasured possessions in Ireland. We brought this old Family Bible back from South Africa last year, as well as my father’s very old Psalm book which he used as a child.

It took quite a while to do this painting which will remain in our family. Maybe one day, the painting will also be a treasured possession in our family.

Thank you to my friend, Johann Claassen, for writing about the history and importance of the Family Bible to Afrikaner and Trekker families.

Today, as in the old days, the Afrikaner is once again under threat and over 3000 South African Afrikaner farmers, men, women and children have been brutally murdered over the last few years.

May you find strength and courage once more in the faith and determination that made you trek into the wilderness of Africa and survive the horrors of the concentration camps during the Anglo Boer war.

This is a short English translation of Johann Claassen’s beautifully writen history of the old Dutch Bible.

The Dutch Bible’s role in the time of the Great Trek

As part of a family’s preparations to join the Great Trek, careful consideration was needed to decide what to take and what to leave behind. Farms and other property were hurriedly sold, sometimes at ridiculous prices because the market was overloaded. Auctions were of the family’s furniture and other personal belongings. What was left behind was lost forever by the family.

The most important possession of any Trekker family was the Bible. Almost every family had the large and heavy old Dutch Bible. It was one of their most valuable possessions. It was also called the State Bible, referred to as “The Book”.
The Bible and other spiritual books were safely kept in the Voorkis on the trek wagon and was used not only for the evening’s religious gathering but also to educate children. The Trekkers strongly identified with the Israelistes of old so the Old Testament was the most read part of the Bible.

The Bible was also used to record the family’s genealogy as well as other events such as ship wrecks and it became a reliable source of imformation for research in South Africa.

http://wiki.nuwegeskiedenis.co.za/index.php/Nederlandse_Bybel 

Die Nederlandse Bybel se rol in die tyd van die Groot Trek

As deel van ’n gesin se voorbereiding om deel te neem aan die Groot Trek, moes daar deeglik besin word oor wat saamgeneem en wat agtergelaat moes word. Sekere goed kon egter eenvoudig net nie agtergelaat word nie. Plase en ander eiendom moes inderhaas verkoop word, soms teen belaglike prys aangesien die mark oorlaai was van grond. Vendusies is gehou van die gesinne se meubels en ander persoonlike besittings. Dit wat agtergebly het, was vir ewig verlore vir die betrokke familie.

Eetware soos beskuit, rys en droë vrugte asook koffie, wyn en brandewyn en ander nie-bederfbare items, is saamgeneem. Ook draagbare kombuisgereedskap soos messegoed en breekgoed en pekelbalies, trekgoed soos trektoue en rieme, klere en doekgoed soos komberse en linne, gereedskap wat kon help om ’n nuwe lappie grond aan die gang te kry, katels, tente, medisyne, groentesaad ensovoorts.

Dan was daar ook die kosbaarhede wat aan die Trekker gedra is of wat in die ou linnekis gebêre is; dinge soos juwele, sakdoeke spieëls, snuifdosies, tabakpype, vêrkykers en wandelstokke.

Dan was daar ook ’n item waarsonder jy nie ’n Trekker-gesin sou gesien het nie. Die Bybel. Feitlik elke gesin het ’n uitgawe van die groot en swaar ou Nederlandse Bybel besit. Dit was een hulle waardevolste besittings. Dit was ook genoem die Statenbijbel en saans as daar gelees moes word, was daar bloot gepraat van “Die Boek”. “Sannie, bring daar vir ons die boek”, sou die vader van die huis sê en almal sou geweet het waarvan daar gepraat word.

Hierdie Bybel en ander geestelike boeke was veilig in die Voorkis op die Ossewa gebêre en was, afgesien van die aand se godsdiens-beoefening, ook dikwels gedurende die dag gebruik om in die afwesigheid van skole, die kinders daarvolgens op te voed. Die Ou Testament is by voorkeur gelees aangesien die Trekkers hulself met die Israeliete van ouds vereenselwig het.

Jacobus Uys, bykans 70 jaar oud toe hy met ’n groep familielede begin trek het, se seun was die beroemde Piet Uys en die familie was dus bekend aan die Oosgrens gemeenskappe.

Toe hierdie familie deur Grahamstad trek, het die Engelse gemeenskap ’n Statebybel aan die Uys gesin oorhandig. Die inskripsie in die Bybel lui: “Dit heilig boek is gepresenteerd aan den heer Jacobus Uys en zyn vertrokkene landgenoten, door de inwoonders van Graham’s Stad en omtrek, tot een vaarwel gedendteeken van hun Hoogachting en hartelyke leedwezenop hun vertrek. De angstvalligheid welke zylieden betoond hebben om te trachten een Prediker te verkrygen en hunne stiptelyke na zoeking der Heilige Instellingen, zyn duidelyke bewyzen dat in hunne wandelingen om een aander land te soeken, zy zich zullen laten geleiden door de bevelen in dit Heilige Boek begrepen en standvatiglyk aankleven aan dezelfs Heilige Wetten – de strenge besluiten van den skeppe van het heelal – den God van alle natien en volkeren.”

For the full article, please visit: Johann Claassens article 

Comments on this blog

Ok. I am FED UP now. Over the last few weeks and months I have had to delete several comments by spammers trying various ways to link back to websites that I would rather not mention by name as I do not want the words to be picked up by search engines and associated with this blog.

These comments are often in other scripts and other languages. Please stop... it is useless as I will not publish your comments! You are wasting my time and yours.

Go play somewhere else.

If you do not have a legitimate comment to make about the content of this blog, please target people who are interested in the type of crap you are trying to sell.

"African Lion" - oil painting

Oils on canvas (30×40 inches) (sold)

This painting took a long time to complete, mostly because of the large size of the painting. During my visit to South Africa in March 2009, I took photo’s of this majestic male lion who was watching his lionesses stalk our vehicle.

Visually, the male lion is highly distinctive and is easily recognized by its mane. The lion, particularly the face of the male, is one of the most widely recognized animal symbols in human culture.

Lions spend much of their time resting and are inactive for about 20 hours per day.

The lion (Panthera leo) is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg (550 lb) in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger.

The mane of the adult male lion, unique among cats, is one of the most distinctive characteristics of the species. It makes the lion appear larger, providing an excellent intimidation display; this aids the lion during confrontations with other lions and with the species’ chief competitor in Africa, the spotted hyena.

The rule of thumb is the darker and fuller the mane, the healthier the lion. Sexual selection of mates by lionesses favors males with the densest, darkest mane.

The lion is a vulnerable species, having seen a possibly irreversible population decline of thirty to fifty percent over the past two decades in its African range. Lion populations are untenable outside of designated reserves and national parks.

Habitat loss and conflicts with humans are currently the greatest causes of concern. (wiki)

"Connemara Spring, Ireland" - oil painting

Oils on canvas 50×70cm

I decided to do most of the work in this painting with the palette knife using crisp, bright colours. Ireland is spring time is a real delight for the eyes and a visit to Connemara is heavenly.

Connemara (in Irish: Conamara), which derives from Conmhaicne Mara (meaning: descendants of Con Mhac, of the sea), is a district in the west of Ireland consisting of a broad peninsula between Killary Harbour and Kilkieran Bay in the west of County Galway or south west Connacht.

The Ó Cadhla (Kealy) clan were the rulers of Connemara up until the 13th century, when they were displaced by the O Flahertys. The latter had fled into Iar Connacht from Maigh Seola during the English invasion of Connacht in the early 1200s. Like the Ó Cadhla clan, the Mac Conghaile (Conneely) clan was also a branch of the Conmhaicne Mara.

The coast of Connemara consists of a number of peninsulas. The peninsula of Iorras Ainbhtheach (sometimes corrupted to Iorras Aithneach) in the south is the largest and contains the villages of Carna and Kilkieran. The peninsula of Errismore consists of the area west of the village of Ballyconneely. Errisbeg peninsula lies to the south of the village of Roundstone. The Errislannan peninsula lies just south of the town of Clifden. The peninsulas of Aughris, Cleggan and Renvyle are found in the north-west of Connemara. Of the numerous islands off the coast of Connemara, Inishbofin is the largest; other islands include Omey, Inishark, High Island, Friars Island, Feenish and Mweenish.

The main town of Connemara is Clifden. The area around the town is rich with megalithic tombs

"Teddy Bear Artist" - oil painting

Oils on canvas.

I love teddy bears. They remind me of my childhood.

I really enjoyed doing this painting. The little teddy bear was a gift from my art students and I bought the little jug from a quaint shop in Doolin. The jug had other wording so I changed it to ‘Art if for Everyone’... the name of my art courses.

I love this little teddy – it is so cute with a tiny palette, apron and little brushes in it’s pocket.

Invictus was a dream

I really enjoyed the movie, Invictus - reminded me of those heady times when we believed there could be peace. I will lose myself in painting today because I need to escape from reality.

Bad memories and a deep sadness for ALL the victims and their suffering families throughout the years has come back to haunt me.

This is not about one man who lived in the past and had futile and sad illusions, but about ALL the people the world disregards and some even say: You deserve it. No one deserves this.

I think of the slogan on a TV channel... "we are African - not because we are born in Africa but because Africa is born in us". No matter where we are in the world, we know this will always be with us. We also know that we cannot expect anyone to understand.

But, if you have the stomach for it, take a look and remember. Today, I also remember a friend, Pieter Pieterse, a kind and talented man who was brutally taken away from us. Other friends, neighbours and way too close to home. After more than 7 years in Ireland, my memories have started to fade. Thank God.
http://afrikaner-genocide-achives.blogspot.com/

"Coffee Time" - still life painting in oils

Oils on canvas (50×40cm)

I found this quaint old coffee grinder in a shop in Miltown Malbay, County Clare and could not resist doing a still life painting. Cute cups, tea sets and all kinds of lovely items can be found in the shop.

And, of course, being a coffee lover, the subject matter kept me refilling the cup. Not good when you are painting as too much caffeine gives you a shaky hand!!

Passion and Pain

From 'headshops' to the illegal trade in endangered animal products:  the knee-jerk reaction is always to try and hit the supply. 

We should be more concerned about the demand. The suppliers will always be there as along as there is a demand. 

So, maybe it is time to be less sympathetic to those who fuel the suppliers. 

I find it hard to understand why people smoke, sniff or whatever it is they do with their 'bathsalts' or 'plantfood' -  it is their own bodies that suffer the consequences. And of course, when they go nuts, then we the public have to put up with them and find excuses for their behavior. After all, its the 'pc' thing to do in a world where deviant behavior is celebrated.

 It has been some time since I last posted about a subject more dear to my heart. The demand and supply of trading in endangered species. Not because I stopped caring but because I am feeling so helpless and angry that the I just don't know what to say anymore.

Of course my concern is not only about one species. The list of endangered species is too long to mention. For example, according Tigers in Crisis to we are losing the battle to save tigers in the wild.

 

Tigers, elephants, cheetahs, polar bears, pandas, rhinos, gorillas... the list is endless.

So, I will repeat an earlier article I wrote about the subject of ivory trade: 

I need to get this off my chest. I have been upset and angry for some time now and perhaps I just need to write this down and hope that it will help alleviate these feelings. So, please forgive me while I vent and rant about a subject that clouds my mind with passion and pain.

It is no big secret that I absolutely love animals. Doing a wildlife painting, no matter how long it takes, is my way of trying to show that passion. I am smouldering about what is happening in our world where we so easily decide the fate of other species - for no other reason than politics and greed.

Elephants! Magnificent, majestic, powerful and absolutely vulnerable once again. I am not going to list pages of facts about elephants, their family ties, communication, etc. Instead, I will list links at the end of the post about what is happening to these animals and what we humans do so easily to satisfy our greed.

Before I place the links, please take a look at these photographs. 






Beautiful, eh? Useful and ingenious ways to improve the quality of our lives. Ivory.
How can we live without these stunning examples of skill and beauty?

How much does it cost to possess such beauty?

Who are the people who desire these objects of art and beauty?

I wonder if they think of the cost when they run their fingers along the smooth surface and admire the skill and genius of the carver.

Somehow, I don't think the cost is of any concern to them.

It cannot be that they are ignorant of the cost. They just don't care, do they? And, if they don't care about the cost, what is next on their list of items they must have? Demand and supply.

While certain members of the Useless Nimcompoops rub their hands in anticipation of great riches, us poor peasants must appreciate that at least we will still have photographs and paintings to remind us of beautiful beasts that shared this world with us.

We can run our fingers along the smooth surface of the photograph or feel the texture on a painting and wonder at the beauty and glory of elephants, rhino, tigers, cheetahs and an endless list of species we once had.

Unless we make our voices heard.

China Fuels East African Elephant Poaching

 Stop China from Trading Ivory

Wildlife Direct

Elephant Information

Elephant Voices

How the ivory trade funds bloodshed

Warlords turn to ivory trade to fund slaughter of humans

Return of the ivory trade

"Still Life - Fruit" - Oil Painting

Oils on canvas 40 x 50 cm (sold)

"Eye of the Leopard" - Oil Painting

Oil on gessoboard (10×8 inches)

I love painting eyes and really enjoyed painting this gorgeous leopard’s eye.

The leopard (Panthera pardus) has relatively short legs and a long body with a large skull. It is similar in appearance to the jaguar, although it is of smaller and slighter build.

Its fur is marked with similar rosettes to those of the jaguar, though the leopard’s rosettes are smaller and more densely packed, and the leopard’s rosettes do not usually have central spots as the jaguar’s do.

The species’ success in the wild owes in part to its opportunistic hunting behavior, its adaptability to habitats, its ability to run at speeds approaching 58 kilometres per hour (36 mph), its unequaled ability to climb trees even when carrying a heavy carcass, and its notorious ability for stealth.

Leopards may sometimes be confused with two other large spotted cats, the cheetah and the jaguar. However, the patterns of spots in each are different: the cheetah has simple spots, evenly spread; the jaguar has small spots inside the polygonal rosettes; while the leopard normally has rounder, smaller rosettes than those of the jaguar.

The leopard is larger and much more muscular than the cheetah, but slightly smaller and more lightly built than the jaguar. The leopard’s rosettes are circular in East Africa but tend to be squarer in southern Africa.

The leopard is known for its ability in climbing, and it has been observed resting on tree branches during the day, dragging its kills up trees and hanging them there, and descending from trees headfirst. (wiki)

Art is for Everyone exhibition

On Thursday, 18th February, we had our second "Art is for Everyone" exhibition at the Kilrush Library, County Clare, Ireland.

There were 83 oil paintings by 25 artists of County Clare and they were all incredibly beautiful. The paintings were done on courses during 2009 and some of them were the first paintings ever done by my wonderful students!!!

We raised a substantial amount (980euro) for the Kilrush Lifeboat Station by raffle and had six great prizes. Congratulations to everyone who won a prize and our thanks to everyone who supported our exhibition and the raffle. The Kilrush Lifeboat Station is an incredible organisation and responsible for saving many, many lives!

Over the last few days, I have been trying to create a little 'video' of photographs taken during the 2009 and 2010 "Art is for Everyone" exhibitions and posted it to Youtube. So, this is just a little sample of photographs of the exhibitions and you can see some of the wonderful paintings in the background.

My thanks to all my friends and to everyone who braved a chilly evening. We had approximately 100 to 110 guests at the opening night! Our sponsors provided delicious wines, cheeses and other refreshments and we really appreciate their support. (They do not want to be mentioned by name but at the end of the video, credit is given to everyone who is too shy to be mentioned!

So, I hope you enjoy my first attempt to use Youtube!!

"Fanore Beach - County Clare" - oil painting

Oils on canvas 50x70cm. 

A beautiful beach and a beautiful day in Ireland! Fanore (Fán Óir, "the golden slope", in Irish) is a small village in County Clare on the west coast of Ireland.  

Lying on the road between Ballyvaughan and Doolin, Fanore is renowned for its extensive sandy beach.  

The village is very popular with walkers, surfers, tourists and is particularly interesting to botanists, owing to its location on the edge of the Burren – renowned for its unique flora and fauna. 

It has a pub, a post office/shop, and a restaurant, as well as a surfing school near the beach. Fanore has appeared many times on Irish television: in particular, the Father Ted series often featured scenes filmed in Fanore and its surrounding villages. (wiki)

"Art if for Everyone" - exhibition

"Art is for Everyone"

Exhibition of Oil Paintings by County Clare Artists

18th February to 12th March 2010

Kilrush Library

Opening night: 18th February at 8pm

All Welcome!

This is will the second exhibition of oil paintings by my students and I am so proud of each and every one! There will be approximately 82 paintings done on course during 2009. This year we will also have beautiful portraits which were produced during a special portrait course in August last year. The very FIRST portraits in oils attempted by my students and really brilliant.

There will also be a variety of landscapes and seascapes as well as beautiful still life paintings.

If you are visiting county Clare, Kilrush, please go the the library to take a look! You will be amazed!

There are also wonderful prizes to be won by raffle - the proceeds will go to the Kilrush Lifeboat Station. The drawing of the raffle prizes will take place on the opening night.

This year I will be teaching a variety of different techniques and we will also be doing courses on 'animal landscapes' so next year's exhibition will have lots of paintings depicting animals as well as the usual still life and landscapes. 

"O'Sullivans, Kilrush" - oil painting

Oils on canvas

One of the quaint, old family stores in Kilrush. Hardly anything has changed over the years and this shop is absolutely fascinating – a step back into time in Ireland.

The shopkeeper, Donal O’Sullivan kindly posed for me when I told him I would love to paint his shop. I rearranged some items for artistic purposes but the painting is very close to what this fascinating old shop looks like. A definite place to visit should you ever come to Kilrush!!

This painting was quite a challenge and I could probably still work on it for many more months perfecting every little detail – but I decided that I don’t want to go down the ‘photo realism’ path as that is just not my style.

Even if I do use a photograph as reference, I leave most of the last sections and finishing touches to my imagination. To me, a painting must still look like a painting so I decided that this one is done….

maybe :)

To see a larger image... click here

And...

Why I have been such a bad blogger...

Truth is, I have been a bit ill… and very worried too. I don’t exactly know how to say this as I did not want to explain but I decided perhaps I need to tell you why I have been away for so long…

Well… besides being busy with teaching and painting – which helped to keep me sane, I was diagnosed with malignant melanoma in July last year and had to have several operations, etc, back and forth to hospital and needless to say, quite worried.

When you are suddenly confronted with the big ‘C’, you realise how short life can be. I am so thankful for my wonderful family and friends and through them all I was able to keep a positive attitude and the future is hopeful.

I was lucky in many ways… I have wonderful doctors and the medical staff are brilliant. It always takes some time to ‘get into the system’ but because of my caring GP, I got the diagnosis and operations necessary. Now, I can only hope and pray that this horrible, deadly cancer will not return.

I love the sun… most of my life was spent loving the sun and being outdoors. But the sun can be deadly and I can only ask that anyone who has ever ‘loved the sun’ PLEASE take care!! No tan is worth dying for!

To my friends who knew and supported me through this time… I can only say ‘thank you’... you will never know just how much it means to me.