Tuesday, October 9, 2012

THE ART ROUTE UPDATE



The Art Route Update (this time in photos)

Another successful art route weekend wizzed by once again. The wind howled but it didn’t stop the faithful art lovers from visiting us in our homes and studios. Thanks Elize for all the wonderful photos!!!

NIKKI MILES

Visitors!

Ngunis and skulls in my tiny lounge

 JOSHUA MILES

Josh in fine form
The press
The process
The people

NEIL JONKER

Niel's Stoep
Visitors
Neil shared his space with Weyers du Toit

PHILIP JOHN

Philip ' The Proffesor ' John
Philip's dung sculptures
The magical veiw from Philip's studio

AMANDA JEPHSON


The beautiful couryard outside Amanda's studio
Where it all happens
Amanda's stunning collection of bones

LIZZIE VAN DER BERG


Lizzie with her fish prints
Visitors
Oh so cosy!

KALI VAN DER MERWE

Kali's photos beautifully displayed
Where you feel so at home
Visitors


......NOW FOR SOME REFRESHMENTS AND A BITE TO EAT....

MARIETJIES PUB AND GRILL



Pit stop! Marietjie served a delicious waterblommetjie breedie over the weekend.

True BBos hospitality

DIE WERF WINES AND LAINY'S YUMMY TREATS

Yummy!
Stanley and Liany serving the hungry.


TIME TO RELAX!

Angela and Josh hosted our after party which was as always an absolute delight!

You'll always find us in the kitchen at parties!!!




Monday, August 27, 2012

CHICKEN COOP WEEKEND


One of the first things I did when I moved to BBos was to invest in some chickens. I had no idea how attached one becomes to your chooks.
They have been roaming around the village, crossing the street to visit the cafĂ© across the road and generally treat the village as their own personal back yard.  Recently they started making unsolicited forays into a neighbour’s property. This would not have been a problem, had he been a friendly kind of neighbour as most people here have wandering chickens ….but he is not the type of person who you want knocking on your door to complain. Think ‘Deliverance’. Duelling banjo’s play as he strolls across the road! So; this has been the epic chicken coop building weekend and I’m happy to report that I my chickens are happily ensconced in their new home. 


First you need a plan
Add man power and fuel with coffee
The finishing touches
Add chickens
...... and VOILA!!
 

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

BBOS SPRING ART ROUTE


It's been a long winter of fireside chats and delicious slow cooked Dover oven meals with good friends. Thursday fish and chips at Marietjies Pub and Grill has become the norm. Everybody is there and who wouldn't be..... R25 for a mountain of food and nobody does snoek like Marietjie. Some people just bring their own plates and get take aways... but nobody misses out. It's a school night so we get there early and still get kids to bed at a reasonable hour, but it's a super social evening, a real family night out in BBos. Rugby at Marietjies every Saturday has also become an institution. It's a day where all the village kids get to connect. They charge around outside, big kids keep an eye on the younger ones and we hardly see them except when they come in for something cold to drink or are called in to eat.

The bus arrives to collect kids for school in the pitch dark under a starry sky. Good filter coffee keeps me going until the dawn breaks and a cold morning walk wakes up the senses. There was a stretch over the school holidays where wild horses couldn't drag me out into the cold for a walk. Especially after a very muddy, slip sliding walk up a farm road ended with me up to my waist in a very cold farm dam. (Tip: Don't let your dog swim in a clay dam while you hold onto the leach!!) Angela had to rescue me once she had gained control of her hysterical laughter. It took me a while to put on my walking shoes again.

Illustrations are almost done for the kid’s fun fact book, First Fact Finder that I've been working on for months for Metz Press. It's going to be one awesome book. Then it's time to throw all my energy into the next art route, which is around the corner, September 22nd and 23rd. Diarise the date! The country side is going to be gorgeous after the wet winter. I can already see signs of spring in my garden. I've been keeping an eye on the creative goings on in the studios of the BBos artists...... there is some fantastic work to be seen. We sent our posters off to the printers today so here's a sneak peek. Roll on Spring Art Route!

REDUCTION WOODBLOCK PRINT BY JOSHUA MILES
 http://www.baardskeerdersbosartroute.com
Follow this link to the Baardskeerdersbos Art Route website
Route map available to download


OFF THE GRID ACCOMMODATION

http://www.baardskeerdersbos.co.za/
Dezzie's House. Beautiful self catering cottage on Tierfontein farm, sleeps 6. Off the grid, awesome value and so, so special! Only 5 min from BBos village.

http://www.platbos.co.za/the_forest_camp.html
Platbos Forest Camp. Offering private, tented accommodation, this forest venue sleeps up to 6 guests.

Monday, July 23, 2012

CHICKENS

Asana's baby chicks are not such babies anymore. They have turned into the most beautiful bantams. They still love to sit on her shoulder.

new chicks
3 months later

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

NEW WORK

I am always on the look out for sculls, especially ones lying on dusty shelves in junk shops. Trophies: The pride of the hunter, eventually discarded. I buy them and hang them in the garden, on the stoep, in the house. They are beautiful. I cover them with images, giving them a new life of colour and beauty. Dressed in a new skin, I know that their bare boned beauty is under the surface. As I work, cutting, pasting, fitting, certain images resonate with me and spark new ideas. 

Inspiration on my stoep! Bare boned beauty with dove.
Waterbok
Waterbok detail
sketchbook drawing 1
sketchbook drawing 2
 

Friday, June 1, 2012

B.BOS MORNING


No street lights!

This is the main road in BBos at 7am. The school bus left 15 minutes ago and I’m having a coffee on the front stoep. Great veiw, huh! The cafĂ© across the road has just opened and cheerful good mornings are exchanged. Roosters herald the dawn and farmers are already on their way to check the cattle and sheep for new arrivals born during the night.
The sunrise is magnificent! This is a village with no street lights, for now……………….  

BBos sunrise
 
Evening walk