May 2007 – Africantapestry

Posted on May 31, 2007July 6, 2008 by Myfrenchkitchen

Freedom in a coin

A handful of old coins, dating from the 1930’s and on.
Although not much worth today, they are rich in history and we can only guess their stories.
I thought it good to buy back my spontaneity with these coins. Lately I could feel myself working very tight, very meticulous and aiming to “do it right”. So when I threw these coins on the table, I bought back my freedom. There are many irregularites in this painting..a too dark inside of the silver canister, funky pieces, the colors are wild and it may look more like candy than money, but take my word for it…coins they are. Rusted within a broad spectrum of colors, I could do nothing less than paint a caleidoscope, for therein lies my freedom.

25 comments:

Dave said…: That is beautiful! I’d never have thought it was possible to make such a lovely, colourful painting of a handful of coins. Wonderful!; May 31, 2007 10:45 PM
Sarah said…: If you had not told me the inside of the tin was too dark I would never have known – in fact I think it balances the kaleidoscope of colurs very well indeed – and it’s good to see something inanimate brought alive by colour like this; May 31, 2007 11:29 PM
Lin said…: GORGEOUS, RONELL!! I LOVE THE PAINTERLY, WASH LOOK TO THIS — COLORS, STYLE — CHARMING!!!; May 31, 2007 11:43 PM
andrea joseph’s sketchblog said…: Everytime I visit I’m aways in awe at the amount of work you’ve produced. And it’s always such great quality. This is GORGEOUS. I’m blown away by your use of colour – especially in this one. Oooh I’m jealous too!; June 1, 2007 1:33 AM
Linda said…: I just love your use of color — how fantastic this painting is! It just jumps at you!; June 1, 2007 2:47 AM
Arty Velarde said…: I like the juicy, wet watercolor look you have. I like what you wrote about the coins too.
Nice work.; June 1, 2007 3:14 AM
Teri C said…: Such a wonderful compostion and use of color. Just perfect!; June 1, 2007 4:07 AM
Bill said…: Beautifully warm and sensuous. It is interesting to think about where those coins have been isn’t it.; June 1, 2007 4:26 AM
Desiree said…: Great job on the coins, I love the colors. I have a bag of coins from China that my mom brought home when she traveled there when I was a kid. I might need to dig those up!; June 1, 2007 7:20 AM
Sandy said…: I really really like the loose style on this and the colors. This was a success in my opinion!!
sandy; June 1, 2007 7:58 AM
Carole said…: Well done on reclaiming your freedom! I love this colourful spontaneous painting.; June 1, 2007 10:49 AM
Claudia said…: …I like it very much! Very good work!- I have the same problem with being too meticulous sometimes. But it is only sometimes, not always, when I paint. Don’t know the reason why, but I’m investigating…:-)); June 1, 2007 1:09 PM
Sandy said…: Oh Ronell these sign with life and vitality – I love the free you!!; June 1, 2007 9:52 PM
Anita said…: WOW! A rainbow in a bottle.
Funnily enough I always think of you as a rainbow of colour so this sketch explains you perfectly to me!; June 2, 2007 1:41 AM
SCquiltaddict said…: eautiful job…but what else would you do?; June 2, 2007 2:42 AM
mARTa said…: I can smell the musty,rusty coins! Beautiful hues..; June 2, 2007 6:15 AM
Serena said…: Congratulations on winning back your freedom….a beautiful and colourful sketch, Ronell! I love it!!; June 2, 2007 12:19 PM
caseytoussaint said…: Hi Ronell – we’re back – I’ll call you soon! You’ve been dong some lovely work while I was away. Has Sandra seen her portrait? I’ve missed our art days – we’ll have to do it this week.; June 2, 2007 4:48 PM
Lynn said…: Wow, who knew coins could be so colorful. I really love this painting, you have achieved a beautiful loosness and spontaneity.; June 2, 2007 9:34 PM
Pequete said…: They undoubtedly look like coins, only so much beautiful than ordinary coins! I love it.; June 4, 2007 3:39 PM
Brenda Y said…: Gorgeous pigments laid down wonderfully loose! I really love the way you just let the paint flow on this, who knew coins could be painted in such as interesting way.; June 5, 2007 5:18 PM
Laureline said…: Oh, I know those periods of tightening up! You’ve found the perfect antidote! Lovely, Ronellesque coins.
I need to make a plan for a rendez-vous with you and Casey in September!; June 6, 2007 6:23 PM
phthaloblu said…: I love your use of color. It’s one way to take a usually mundane subject and spice it up. This is beautiful!; June 6, 2007 11:16 PM
Alison said…: This is beautifully luscious – what a delight.; June 7, 2007 3:20 AM
platitudinal said…: Ronell, I also like the random placement of the coins. They look beautiful in the colors they’ve evolved to. I’m glad that you’re able to retrieve your freedom.

Posted on May 30, 2007July 6, 2008 by Myfrenchkitchen

Two cars

Two cars…Only for the show.
They serve their purpose well in adding a quirky touch to a corner in the house somewhere…on a pile of antique books, under a cloche, on a dinner table, on a stack of DVD’s..I bought the chevy( right?)when we lived in South Carolina, at a stop next to the highway.
The “coccinelle” is a lovely reminder of my own I once dashed around in.
Watercolor and ink on Arches HP paper

Sandy said…

I adore these cars and the amusing still lifes you created, Bravo; May 30, 2007 6:17 PM
Carole said…: These are both great paintings. I love the quirky things you find to paint, and the colours you choose to use. The little green car is really cute – I’d love one of those!; May 30, 2007 7:18 PM
brian nelson said…: Great job on the cars! Great paintings.; May 30, 2007 8:26 PM
Lin said…: FANTASTIC WORK!!! Love the wee things!; May 30, 2007 8:57 PM
Dave said…: Lovely work! And such interesting subjects.; May 30, 2007 10:14 PM
platitudinal said…: And the doors open too. Wow!
Great illustrations on the theme, Ronell! And, another glimpse to your life or in this case, your house 🙂; May 31, 2007 12:06 AM
Lynn said…: I love both these compositions. They are exquisite!; May 31, 2007 12:07 AM
Lindsay said…: Very cute cars. Love the shading on them.; May 31, 2007 7:56 AM
Robyn said…: Lovely whimsical still lifes, Ronell. There seem to be quite a few women painting cars lately. It must be evolution 🙂; May 31, 2007 10:20 AM
Tonniece said…: So detailed, I love the the colors, the moveing parts, and the fact that you actually own miniature cars, how cool.; May 31, 2007 1:31 PM
juj said…: I’ve never noticed how little pen you use to make your wonderful sketches until I looked at the VW Bug large, and I don’t know why it facinates me so much but it’s amazing and makes me love your paintings even more. Great work on both these sketches. LOVE the colors – especially those spots on the cds.; May 31, 2007 2:28 PM
suzanne said…: Such a smart way to illustrate cars! I love the fact that you like to have quirky touches around your house. Me too!; May 31, 2007 3:22 PM
Teri C said…: Great cars!!! That top one is a ’56 Chevy I think. They both are so neat and what a great subject!; June 1, 2007 4:05 AM
Viv King said…: Hi Ronell – your site is SO COOL- it is so accessible and you can see changes all the time – you must be one hard-working chick!! Thanks for the comment on my “portrait” – it is nice to get some recognition at last after so many years of trying – did you ever have anything to do with the SASA while you were in Stellies – I find them to be quite a “cliquey” bunch!! Keep in touch, hey ou skat!

Posted on May 23, 2007June 27, 2008 by Myfrenchkitchen

Inspirations in color

I am in search of Inspiration. I find it in people. That does it for me. Creative people, people with strong character, the survivors, the gentle, caring ones, the courageous, daring ones…I have them all in my small circle of friends.
Voici two of them. Two wonderful inspirations. Very far away, so I had to rely on photo’s. I don’t mind that much.
I chose to do the following sketch, because I love the way this friend interacts. She is a beautiful woman, an extraordinary talented florist; you can give her a dry stick and she’ll turn it into a magical creation. And she can’t talk without her hands. I love that. When I dropped by her floral shop, she was busy with a romantic bouquet for Valentine’s day and we stood for about 30 minutes chatting, while she held this wonderful creation in the one hand and expressed herself with the other. She wears this delightful “apron” when she works, to protect her clothes. Being around her, is feeling the creative juices flow…it is inspiring.

This was supposed to be only watercolor on HP Arches paper. Then I had to “fix” it by adding pen! It seems I have to fix everything lately.

This friend is a lovely romantic, in heart and soul and in appearance. She carries a bit of yesteryear with her. With her angelic hair and fair skin and soft features, she posed many problems to paint. This is my fourth go at her and it still not what I’m after and this time pen wont’ fix it. I want nothing less than a soft, flowy watercolor painting. I’ll probably try again and again…Maybe its because I know that she isn’t ALL romantic – she can swim faster than anyone I know, she can climb a rock as fast as the young guys, she can paddle a kayak through some scary rapids and she’s not afraid of any marathon! She exudes a wonderful zest for life, nothing is too hard or too boring for her, she does everything that comes her way…it’s contagious. This is watercolor on Fabriano CP (extra white)

27 comments:

Stacy said…: Ronell, your friends sound lovely and look lovely too! I love how their personalities influenced you as much as their appearance did.; May 23, 2007 6:08 PM
Lin said…: STUNNINGLY GLORIOUS!!!; May 23, 2007 7:06 PM
Bonny said…: You have a wonderful talent, Ronell. Not only do you connect in a special way with people, but you portray them beautifully, too. Love the painting of your florist friend. She almost looks fey like a fairy princess. Gorgeous!; May 23, 2007 7:45 PM
Teri C said…: Beautiful paintings Ronell!! I love your commentary with all your art-they were made for each other.; May 23, 2007 8:17 PM
Dave said…: Well, you certainly fixed it well! Wonderful portraits, and what wonderful friends it sounds like you have.; May 23, 2007 8:39 PM
Anita said…: Oh Ronell I LOVE everything about this entry.; May 23, 2007 9:07 PM
Claudia said…: Ronell, w o n d e r f u l watercolours, especially the first one! It has something magic!; May 23, 2007 10:45 PM
Lindsay said…: What a sweet and beautiful post. A nice tribute to your friends too.; May 23, 2007 11:56 PM
martín said…: Beautiful portraits Ronell. The first one really talks. Your friend does it with her hands and you through your paintings.; May 24, 2007 12:31 AM
SCquiltaddict said…: fun wc…great stuff…gotta get my paint brushes back out! keep it up; May 24, 2007 2:04 AM
Jana Bouc said…: What a fabulous portrait–both in words and paint. I love the second one–it’s so loose and fresh and has a sweetness about it.; May 24, 2007 6:15 AM
Tonniece said…: Love this post Ronell
I’ts so great to have friends, good friends, and being able to capture their essence as you have here is a wonderful gift to them and all of us as well.; May 24, 2007 6:51 AM
Carole said…: I really love how you have composed and painted these to capture their character as well as their features. They are beautiful paintings and charming descriptions of your friends.; May 24, 2007 9:18 AM
suzanne said…: Wow Ronell….these are both breathtaking. Not only in the sense that they are technically outstanding, but also in the fact that you have captured the personalities of your inspirations so well. Not knowing them, I think I could have pretty much described their personalities in exactly the way you did, only by looking at your paintings.Your inspirations are inspirations to me.; May 24, 2007 4:39 PM
Arty Velarde said…: This is nice. I like the watery, “juiciness”!; May 24, 2007 6:47 PM
janey said…: These are very soft and pretty and I like the descriptions that go with them. It makes the paintings come alive even more.; May 25, 2007 1:33 AM
juj said…: Oh Ronell – These are lovely! I especially like the second one, so soft and loose – I love the expression on her face. And the deep red of the necklace is such a nice accent to the whole and balances her glasses perfectly. Your friends both sound wonderful. You must feel very fortunate to have them in your life.; May 25, 2007 3:45 PM
Nancy Van Blaricom said…: I simply love the stories that go along with your watercolors. The watercolors could stand alone with not comments, but you bring such life to them all….; May 26, 2007 3:37 PM
Robyn said…: Both friends are lovely – I love the mood as well in the first watercolour and the second is beautiful in the lightness of your touch.; May 26, 2007 7:07 PM
ksklein said…: I love the top pic. Very romantic. It reminds me of weddings, brides, valentines,…
I would have loved to nsee a little more of her face though.; May 27, 2007 8:58 PM
Emma Pod said…: These are both wonderful paintings of your friends. In the top one I can almost hear her talking…the hand gesture is so nice! Nice work!; May 29, 2007 5:35 AM
Regula Scheifele said…: Both your paintings and your descriptions are loving and beautiful – what a gift you have and how nice for your friends to have you paint them!; May 29, 2007 2:09 PM
Sandy said…: Ronell, these are beautiful and I loved reading how they inspire you..sandy; May 30, 2007 9:48 PM
platitudinal said…: Beautiful paintings of those you hold dear in your heart. 🙂; May 31, 2007 12:04 AM
Serena said…: Beautiful work, Ronell, and a very nice tribute to your friends. 🙂; May 31, 2007 12:30 PM
phthaloblu said…: These are both beautiful paintings, but I know how you feel when you’re trying for a certain result and you can’t get it. But, these are very beautiful. I think lots of us look to the people we know when we need inspiration. That’s how we re-energize. When we are feeling down, we gravitate toward someone who is immensely positive so we can feed off of that positiveness. Does that make sense? Anyway, it sounds like you have some wonderful friends to look to for your inspiration. Full of life and creativity.; June 1, 2007 5:27 PM
austin of sundrip said…: I’ve scrolled through your page here but I keep coming back to the girl with flowers, it catches my eye and won’t let it go. Awesome work, awesome.Austin of Sundrip

Posted on May 21, 2007July 6, 2008 by Myfrenchkitchen

A necklace and a statue

A painting of a piece of jewelry as suggested by MArta.

Done in watercolor on white Fabriano CP.
30.5 cm x 45.5 cm

20 comments:

Deborah said…: I love the contrast between these two subjects and your background is fabulous! Great work.; May 21, 2007 5:46 PM
Bonny said…: This statue is pretty cool! Great colours! I like his expression, too.
The necklace is really fabulous!; May 21, 2007 7:43 PM
Robyn said…: All of the above and that stone background is really so simple but so effective. Can you tell more about the necklace – it looks ceramic.; May 21, 2007 8:18 PM
🙂 Silvia said…: Ceramic? Oops… to me it appears to be a golden bracelet.
It’s a fantastic contrast however, as well in color as in material/surface (stone, metal, terracotta).
What color was the CP you painted on?; May 21, 2007 8:59 PM
Lin said…: SUPER JOB, Ronell!!! GREAT looking necklace too!; May 22, 2007 12:35 AM
Lindsay said…: I love the colors and the textures.; May 22, 2007 4:38 AM
mARTa said…: oh gosh, I better get going on my painting! I love the wild feel of yours! Hope to have mine done by the weekend!; May 22, 2007 5:19 AM
Brenda Y said…: Fantastic textural contrasts!!! How in the world did you capture the differences in the different materials? It’s really amazing – my guess is the necklace is a metal, the statue is clay and the background is stone. Am I close?; May 22, 2007 5:57 AM
clare said…: this is great ronell. your ‘odd’paintings are ver good, I like the way you do watercolours.; May 22, 2007 7:51 AM
Africantapestry said…: Thanks for noticing the contrasts..it is what I was after…the necklace is ceramics and brass, the statue is of clay and I set up the still life against some rocks in the back of of our caves.
Ronell; May 22, 2007 8:07 AM
Tonniece said…: Good morning Ronell
As always a great piece. What a cute statue, and lovely necklace.; May 22, 2007 12:56 PM
platitudinal said…: Clay, ceramic, brass, and stone. Ronell, you painted four different materials, each with its own characteristics and textures. This shows remarkable skill. Bravo! 🙂; May 22, 2007 1:40 PM
Teri C said…: What a fascinating layout for these articles. Your caves??? Love all the different textures and colors.; May 22, 2007 7:23 PM
Carole said…: He’s an interesting little chap. I like the colours and textures. Have you used some sort of resist e.g. wax on the left? But then that would be giving away your secrets!; May 22, 2007 10:41 PM
Africantapestry said…: I haven’t given enough comment on this post..sorry for that!My mind is a bit fractered lately…
Yes, Carole, I first layed one wash, let it dry and then rubbed a candle all over(should’ve done a better job, I went TOO random, so the texture on the stone doesn’t actually make sense) and then I added a darker wash.
ronell; May 22, 2007 10:50 PM
Ben said…: ah said the blind man..now i see…glad you elucidated!!! verrryyy interesting; May 23, 2007 2:39 AM
bec said…: what do you mean by caves? real caves, like big holes in rock? must be an interesting place you live! and thanks for filling me in on the wax resist…. very interesting!; May 23, 2007 3:46 AM
phthaloblu said…: Nice contrast between the two subjects. Great job!; May 29, 2007 4:22 PM
laserone said…: Oh I just LOVE this! It’s very funky and unique… I love funky and unique. 🙂; May 30, 2007 6:04 AM
Serena said…: I love the contrasts on this one, Ronell! Very nice indeed ~

Posted on May 18, 2007July 6, 2008 by Myfrenchkitchen

Bon voyage to Casey!

Bon voyage to Casey.! May she have fun in Hong Kong, may they be kept safe and may she come back with great sketches!

Lin said…: DITTO DITTO DITTO!! GREAT BOWL, TOO!; May 18, 2007 5:17 PM
Teri C said…: Wonderful tribute to Casey. What a good friend you are. Great bowl!!; May 18, 2007 7:16 PM
platitudinal said…: Love the bowl and the chopsticks to illustrate the trip to the Orient.; May 18, 2007 9:13 PM
bec said…: Oooh Hong Kong… I’ve never been there. It will be interesting to see Casey’s sketches. I like the colors and subject of your painting !; May 19, 2007 3:32 AM
caseytoussaint said…: Wow – thanks Ronell! I’m not sure I’ll be able to reach this standard, but I’ll do my best.; May 19, 2007 10:17 AM
Robyn said…: Such a pretty bowl! Reminds me how much I miss Chinese food. I lived in HK for a couple of years so really envy Casey.; May 19, 2007 2:26 PM
Claudia said…: The sketch looks so real!!Well done!; May 19, 2007 8:13 PM
mARTa said…: love chinese food! I have a bowl similar to your although I prefer to eat out! Love your wc sketch! I must try hot press paper!; May 20, 2007 4:17 AM
Brenda Y said…: What a clever idea to paint a chinese bowl and chopsticks!! I LOVE it!!! And oh yes, we will look forward to seeing what Casey brings back.; May 20, 2007 5:50 AM
Anna said…: Beautiful colors!; May 22, 2007 11:28 PM
Ben said…: what a sweet thing to do…and its lovely…; May 23, 2007 2:36 AM
Fanta said…: What a wonderful job. The perfect colur combination , perfectly balanced. It’s such a warm painting.
And yes, I also hope Casey will surprise us with lots of stuff. I bet she is sketching right now as I type. I really can’t wait!; May 23, 2007 9:44 PM
wagonized said…: Holy crap. I love how you handled the colors.; May 24, 2007 3:17 AM
laserone said…: omg i JUST love this. The colors are GORGEOUS. I have an almost identical bowl, but without the design on the bottom. Wow, this is really nice. 🙂; May 30, 2007 6:08 AM
Serena said…: Fabulous work, Ronell! I gave an oriental bowl and chopstick set to my daughter last year…same colours too. LOVE this!; May 31, 2007 12:28 PM
andrea joseph’s sketchblog said…: Absolutely STUNNING.

Posted on May 17, 2007July 6, 2008 by Myfrenchkitchen

Some odd sketches

Today is an odd day. The weather is odd. I feel odd. I had two odd migraine attacks in a week, normally I’ll have two in a year. In an odd way I don’t feel like doing any art. So I just chose some odd subjects. I did these all in my moleskine, which felt odd after a long time of not using it. And I used odd colors. Ultramarine blue, burnt sienna, raw umber and payne’s grey. For no specific reason, my eyes just fell on them. In order to do some of these subjects, I had to twist my body oddly to see them, since I refused to get out of my “comfort zone”…

Ten to twelve…it’s an odd clock, it can’t be trusted.

An old pitcher with an old, hand crocheted “doily” from my mom’s kitchen, frequently used to keep out the odd insect.

An old candy bowl, now used to hold old porcelain pieces I pick up everywhere. Many of them were dug up when we established our garden. It’s a habit I learnt from a good friend in SA many years ago and we both still do. I miss her on this odd day. There is always a piece of old porcelain lying around on the ground, telling a story of times long past.

Ostrich eggs, straight from the farm. Odd bird, the ostrich; quick and vicious despite its calm looks.

Just a lamp, nothing odd about it.

25 comments:

Dave said…: You set yourself an interesting challenge! I think my favourite is the lamp, though they’re all good.; May 17, 2007 6:25 PM
mARTa said…: ah Ronelle, oddly beautiful…all of them! I suffer from migraines as well…about 4 to 8 a month…I understand the odd.; May 17, 2007 6:53 PM
Robyn said…: Odd is nice – very Alice in Wonderland. I like this odd palette. Lovely sketches, the milk jug cover with the beads took me back to my grandmother. She had crochet with beads over everything, even dangling lamp shades. To me it was like Aladdin’s Cave.; May 17, 2007 6:57 PM
Lin said…: Ronell — I LOVE your limited palette use – it looks great!! And even feeling odd-your work is still divine!!!; May 17, 2007 7:50 PM
Tonniece said…: Migraine, and not in a mood to do any art………and still here are five great sketches. Although they are all super I like the eggs and the lamp.; May 17, 2007 7:55 PM
Teri C said…: You even manage to have great stuff when having an odd day! Maybe odd is good. Hope those migraines go somewhere else.; May 17, 2007 7:56 PM
Nancy Van Blaricom said…: Great work all of them, but I’m sold on “ten to twelve”. I love the composition and the colors… and the line… Great work.; May 17, 2007 8:40 PM
Jeanette said…: Wow! So beautiful…I will definitely come back! Soon!; May 17, 2007 9:21 PM
Sandy said…: Oh how I love your loose, light touch – Just Great , all of them!; May 17, 2007 9:56 PM
Stacy said…: I really like your “odd” sketches and how the palette ties them all together in a set. My favorite is the lamp, something in the way the paint flowed. Odd explaination, I know. Your description of how each item was odd was much better. 🙂; May 17, 2007 11:20 PM
shirley said…: These are lovely – so many wonderful reflections.; May 18, 2007 12:53 AM
Lindsay said…: Odd how I just happened to drop by! I, for one am really glad you shared your odd day. These are poinent (sp) and sweet.; May 18, 2007 6:14 AM
Brenda Y said…: They may be odd to you, but to me they are exquisite!! You have such a wonderfully loose and fluid style and the limited palette is fantastic (something I’ve been working on lately too!) I love the idea of collecting odd pieces of porcelain and putting them in a jar. I do hope you get over your odd feeling and your migraines.; May 18, 2007 7:21 AM
caseytoussaint said…: Ronell, these are wonderful – I really love the clock and candlesticks, and as Brenda says, the limited palette works beautifully. I hope you feel better, I’ve been worried about you….; May 18, 2007 10:21 AM
Rebel Alliance said…: nice drawings… congratulations!; May 18, 2007 3:26 PM
platitudinal said…: These sketches are lovely. They truly capture the beauty of every day. There’s peace and serenity in them. I hope those elements color your days, and less odd days frequent your doorstep.; May 18, 2007 9:12 PM
Carole said…: I do love the way you turn your everyday life into these quirky writings and beautiful moody sketches. I like that colour palette and the slightly out of focus look about the sketches.I hope you are feeling better.; May 19, 2007 11:00 PM
martha said…: These are fantastic! I can only aspire to such looseness and juicy color.; May 20, 2007 8:36 PM
ksklein said…: actually all the odd stuff turned out to be really good.; May 21, 2007 1:29 PM
Emma Pod said…: These are all beautiful odd things! You did an especially nice job on the glass objects. I hope you are feeling better!; May 21, 2007 7:49 PM
Africantapestry said…: thanks for commenting, I appreciate it!
ronell; May 22, 2007 8:08 AM
Laureline said…: Wonderful collection of oddments! It’s really fun to see your mind working, the way you string together your sketch vignettes!; May 22, 2007 9:23 PM
Fanta said…: The eggs are just wonderful. But so are the glass containers. How on Earth can you make them look so lively, shiny, airy and beautiful???? You have a real talent there.; May 23, 2007 9:48 PM
Jana Bouc said…: What a feast for the eyes! I like the candlesticks and eggs the best.; May 24, 2007 6:16 AM
austin said…: I’m drawn to burnt sienna and clocks so this painting is one I would love to posses. The colour combo is very calming so I use these as often as possible in my home. I find them soothing. Your “odd sketches” are moving.