Sugar and Spice, (little girls) painted by South African Impressionist Artist Marie Theron

I had fun doing eight little child paintings, where I tried to capture them in some gentle activity. Of, course, I have stored images over the years, and these darlings are based on photos of my grandchildren when they were young and sometimes the child of a friend. My subjects never pose for my and I like to capture them when they are unaware.

I first painted the canvasses bright blue. This blue colour had an influence on all the colours I used, softening the colours and contributing to the delicate nature of my subject. Due to a much smaller gallery space, I paint in acrylics, which I love. I will show more of my kids next time.

'Every Drop Helps"
100mm x 100mm
6' x 6'
View or Buy

'Girl with a Cat" 2
100mm x 100mm
6' x 6'
Buy or view

"Dreaming by the Stream"
100mm x 100mm
6' x 6'
SOLD

A Special Stitch Cartoon for an Artist

This was such a fun assignment. I usually draw directly onto my canvas, but then I received the list of animals (and a parrot) to be included in this commissioned biographical stitch cartoon, plus the artist's favourite outfits and symbols and colours! I just had to make a few drawings first. The artist is Valencia van Zyl. Her amazing style is something that I cannot even imitate (some have tried, but it lacks her special quality). The outcome of this painting was that both she and I were happy with it in the end.

Here are a few more of my stitch cartoons:

The warm colours, the pets, the cosy dark sofas and curtains, all create a sense of welcome and homeliness. The scenes are "stitched" together, stitches  being a symbol of domesticity. The ladies are faceless to emphasize the body language. There is a feeling of patience and anticipation in the waiting figures.

There is a calendar available with 12 of the best stitch cartoons.