Just got back from a really great month of travel through the central Karoo down to Cape Town … a week in Capetown catching up with children, grand children and grand dogs and then a superb drive over four days via the Southern Cape Overberg, Caledon, Calitzdorp and Colesburg back to Clarens.

The primary mission on that route back was to collect photo reference of canola fields around Caledon for a bespoke commission work of the Overberg landscape incorporating Canola fields. Timing was good … the flowers were in the process of blooming and weather was perfect. Out of a zillion photos shot in two days I’ve come up with this composite concept for the painting and can’t wait to get back in studio and get on with it. I’m thinking this is going to be some serious challenge though, being very unfamiliar yellows and greens as opposed to my normal and customary palette of muted greys and blues. Anyway … a change is as good as a holiday they say so watch this space.

We overnighted in the cutest little cottage in Caledon … Piet My Vrou Cottage on Drayton farm just off the N2 about 8K out of Caledon on the on the Riversdal side. Thanks Rene-Louise for the headsup on where to find the best Canola fields in the neighborhood and thanks too for the waterblommetjies.

 

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Before heading off to Cape Town and Canola Fields I managed to finish and deliver these … available now at Cherie’ De Villiers Gallery in Joburg

“Swartberg Foothills”

One of my shows at Crake gallery back in the late nineties was themed around Klaarstroom in the Eastern Cape. About fifteen paintings on the show and each one an aspect of that village. I fell in love with Klaarstroom way back then, and in particular the Swartberg Mountain backdrop behind Klaarstroom, especially the view on the approach from the Prince Albert side. The background mountains in this painting is that view of those mountains. The saddle in the middle I’m guessing would be the Meringspoort gap. You can’t spend time in Oudshoorn without a drive to Klaarsrtroom via De Rust and Meiringspoort.

“Molteno Pass”

The Molteno Pass is on the R381 through the Nuweveld mountains on the road towards Loxton. Initially tar and then gravel taking you over the Molteno pass and on to Loxton 110km away. Built by engineer and adventurer Thomas Baines circa 1881 this is supposedly one of the oldest mountain passes in the country. If ever you happen to overnight in Beaufort West do yourself a favour … take the R318 Loxton turnoff from the N1, drive about 20 K’s then U turn and back to the N1. It must be during golden hour time of course … thats when the magic happens!

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