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.

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 few walls and 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.

A Fisherman mending his Net

The only way to fight this weather is to stay thickly dressed and paint some bright pics. So lay on the tubes of Yellow Ocre and Indian Red!Nothing serious. Everybody cannot aspire to be the next Old Grande Dame of SA Art!