The West Coast and I

Ten years ago we moved to the West Coast to live close to the ocean. How close? Friends who have seen photos of my home, will know! The photos in this post were taken 80  meters from where I live by friend and photographer Mary Ann Bosch, who absolutely loves the West Coast too. 

In May last year, I lost my husband and  although I bravely declared that I would remain here forever, I slowly started to identify my new role. So I am making a shift to warm Natal where we have lived before, and where my twin granddaughters are.   I will not make any move in haste. I was never a person to be hurried along, but yes, I am gradually taking leave and getting new plans together. I keep a wide space in my heart for the West Coast and for the lovely memories we have collected.

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Low Tide in Zanzibar

"Kelp Gathering" by Artists of Africa Artist Marie Theron
508mm x 508mm oil on cotton wrapped canvas
$US 489

Continuing my African paintings: Do you know the West Coast where I stay? Low tide, even while being called "low" is still a dangerous phenomenon and the water will throw you onto the rocks, should you dare to enter the sea. I love my noisy home, where nights are never quiet and the large waves can be heard day and night. Of course, travelling can be so refreshing, and we were thrilled with the low, low tide at Zanzibar. You can wade in for miles to sit in the water, find a dhow, chat to locals and scrunch up your eyes because the light is so blindingly bright.

Here we observed the activity of seaweed harvesting by the Masaai women. By driving sticks into the low areas of the sea, traps are formed where the seaweed can easily be collected. Bucketfuls of the green stuff are then taken to the beach to be hung out to dry. Dry seaweed is exported to China where it is boiled into soap and shampoo.

In my painting "Kelp Harvesting", I have tried to show the endless stretch of low tide, and the blinding light that etches out the figures of workers. I did not take enough photos while I was there, but I treasure these few photos and hope you like them too. They really portray the exact mood on that tranquil island.

To view the buying guide to this painting, click HERE

Facts of Flight # 1

It seems nowadays that I cannot get enough of seagulls. I got up this morning at 5 to start planning some canvasses. Who me? Yup! I also went down to the rocks two nights ago to see them returning to their rocks. Seagulls leave in the late afternoon to drink water from a fresh source, such as the dams and rivers a few miles inland. On returning, their movements are at the most gracious as they glide in slowly towards their coming slumber. The guys I photographed in the sunset scene were still keen to dive down into the waves for morsels brought in by the strong tide, a little bedtime snack, I suppose!

The painting is somewhat similar to the one in the post about the dolosse. I love the juxtaposition of man-made boats, homes and dolosse with natural elements like rocks, water, clouds and birds. Painting size is 4oo mm x 4oo mm (15.7 " x 15.7 ") Oil on cotton wraparound canvas.

Cold Water, Cold Sky

Winter arrived so suddenly that I have stopped going to !Khwa Ttu until we have warmer weather again. This is what the ocean is looking like at the moment. Every day of my life I can just go outdoors and stare at it, but from one day to the next, it never looks the same.

I hope you can see the tranquil pool in the foreground where the water meets the beach.

The Restless Ocean - completed

This is the first painting that really gave me heart palpitations. It is both restless and restful! I drag it from room to room in my house. In some areas it looks far too bright, too turquoise, and in a different location it looks serene and calm!

For the last couple of years, I have taken the sea for granted, because every window on two sides of the house have a view. Now, I cannot pass a window without really staring. Since yesterday I have picked up a lot of detail that is NOT in this painting, but will be in the next. For instance: the white foam on the summit of the wave has a shadow of its own, like snow, it is not just white. Also, there is green in the large waves, not my soft peppermint whisper of a colour, but a ferocious darkish green. There is so much to learn!

These photos show the completed painting 1000mm x 750mm. I include some details in the post too, because the seagulls lifting up from the rocky outcrop was such a delightful detail, I had to do it well. There is variation in the colours of the photos too: too much blue sky when I shot them. Our best photos are taken on overcast days.

Lonely, lonely

As the crow flies, I am only 8 kilometers from Bokbaai. Not by road though! All the soil around here is pure loose damp sand, thus the road becomes a challenge of driving on both left wheels, then sort of jump over the ridge and drive on both right wheels, all at high speed. Did I mention the rain?

When the road comes to an end you start walking over a small hill before getting the first glimpse of the house, over 300 years old and vacant. I hope I can express in my painting the total forlorn-ness of this first impression of a once majestic homestead. It lies a few meters above a little bay, which on this particular day was as grey as the sky, as grey as the open sea, as grey as the mountain and the crushed mussel shells with which the yard is paved. The three enormous almost black Norfolk pines standing sentinel, could not be placed better to strenghen the feeling of desolation.

This is only the small side of a very long house and my next painting will show more and relate some of the history connected to the house.

An Yzerfontein Landmark

We are in Yzerfontein and have been admiring this well-known restaurant and guest house called Kaijaiki, which means 'small dwelling'. It was designed and built by the owners only twelve years ago. This is an example of how a sensitive design shows respect for the past and for the West Coast region. It helps us not to lose the old-world charm in a world where the older styles are discarded at too fast a pace. A building like this links with the vernacular to form a gentle passage between the old and the new.

People who has visited this blogsite will notice a new painting, as I have decided to show less roof area and get much closer. Here is that wonderful dark colour for wood called 'heritage green'. If you visit the historic buildings of the Cape the colour can be seen everywhere around windows and on wooden doors.

Once through the entrance you will experience the golden glow inside with it's lovingly collected cottage antiques that spell out that tried and tested saying: West Coast hospitality. Inside the dining area a real log fire takes you away from the stress of the city. Feast your eyes on objects from long ago, which even include Grandmother's sewing machine and her framed handmade bloomers.

And then, of course, you will meet your hosts, probably make friends for life, be offered the menu and an evening of relaxation can begin!

Yzerfontein Vignette

From the highway, you go down to Yzerfontein waterfront, down, down, past the lime kilns (registered National Monuments), past the small CBD and the large 70's era houses. And there it is: one of the most beautiful stretches of water on the coast! The beach meanders on and on for many kilometers in both directions. Should you decide to walk this coastline from the harbour in the direction of Cape Town, you will see millions of birds, beaches with rocks for anglers, waves for surfers and a feast for the eyes for all. In the ocean you will notice the pretty guano encrusted little mound, aptly called Meeurots (Gull Rock), where seagulls and cormorants dry their wings after fishing. There is also a very close view of Dassen-eiland where penguins live and breed.

In this view we look back at the town. Man-made breakwater rocks are added to the large natural rocks to build a safe landing passage for returning fishing boats. Alert gulls on their cluster of rocks keep an eye on the returning yield and form a frame for the scene behind them, a composition that helped me to overcome the awkward square form of the canvas.

Bird's Eye View of Cottages

The best things in life are free, they say, and looking at seagulls are absolutely the best! We who live by the sea can only see the animals up North at great cost. Looking for the Big Five, the Little Five and the Ugly Five can cost a fortune.

But lets see what we have here: these gracious white birds, day after day! I love them when the ants are out and they circle the house to catch them in midflight. I love them when heavy waves beat tiny sea creatures unconscious, and they do their daring dives into the turmoil to find the food. But the nicest time is the day after New Year, the traditional picnic day for the local people. Then these scavengers glide in lazily and low, they come from everywhere, in no haste and enjoying the scenery from up above. On that day you can lie on your back pointing the camera skywards and take hundreds of photographs. I have painted this picture as a gift some years ago. In it I show the proper 'bird's eye view' of the cottages.

Cottages by the Sea

In the Cape vernacular architecture, form always followed function. Seaviews, etc were of no importance. Tiny doors and windows meant that the interiors were protected against the elements. When a basic house became too small, a flat-roofed structure was simply added to the existing building. And of course, the community was very supportive and there were no high walls and few fences dividing properties.

Today I really wanted to paint blob people: a few details, movement, light and shadow. The picture should be viewed from a distance to fill in the necessary - viewing it on a wall is perfect.