ButterflyHands

Autumn leaves and winter trees

ButterflyHands — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:29:48 +0000

We are right in the middle of winter, but I only finished my leaves painting this week-end.

oil paints on canvas panel board (50 x 40 cm)

… then you remember how beautiful it was

but the winter trees are beautiful too… they just ask for pen sketches.

2012

ButterflyHands — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 17:13:06 +0000

May 2012 be a wonderful year to you all…

A wonderful christmas to everyone.

ButterflyHands — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 08:39:50 +0000

Kameeldoringboom

ButterflyHands — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:31:27 +0000

Camel Thorn…

My plan was to do something to combine Koegas and Paris (If its possible?… and just for fun, anyway… : ) And for those who don’t know, its the name of my other blog. And if it still doesn’t make sense then… its ok, just enjoy the empty tree… or maybe go read my other blog. : ) Koegas To Paris. You probably still won’t understand, because I’m sure you have never heard about Koegas. And that is also not strange as this little town was very small and does not exist any more.

But then I liked my tree and was too scared to spoil it. In the next picture the Eiffel towers were added on a copy of the original sketch. Just to see if it looks like I had fun…

hmmm… maybe, or maybe not…

Into the woods

ButterflyHands — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 13:47:21 +0000

Its not officially the end of autumn here in France, but the pretty leaves are now all lying on the ground. Still pretty… they create a new picture making a carpet between the tree trunks.

the last leaves…

I am playing with crafts now and this sketch was turned into the front cover of a notebook I made. Handbound with coptic binding.

It is available here on my Etsy Shop.

Autumn in black ink

ButterflyHands — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 21:24:41 +0000

Here in France, autumn is just beautiful. At first I was searching for yellow and orange spots, now that is all you see. Autumn colours with a bit of green in between.
To say these are autumn sketches won’t make much sense. : ) Surely you need the colours! But they are… maybe I must do a painting as well.

the colours…

House sketches

ButterflyHands — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 16:26:42 +0000

We visited the picturesque village Collonges-la-Rouge last weekend. The village is listed as one of France’s most beautiful villages. When you walk around there you can see why… the entire village is build with red sandstone.
I didn’t sit and paint there in the village as many other painters were doing. These sketches I made from photographs at home.

the red walls…

Collonges-la-Rouge…

watercolour and pen in sketchbook

Blogs, friends and Paris

ButterflyHands — Fri, 27 May 2011 21:03:13 +0000

In the next three weeks our lives are going to change a bit. Maybe more than a bit… Danie was transfered to France, so our family will move to Paris middle of June.

We will leave friends and family behind, but now with internet our lives are so different from years ago. I can take all my blogfriends with me. If I don’t tell you, you won’t even know that I am not in Cape Town anymore. Only the scenes in my sketches might change…

Some blogfriends will be closer now. Isn’t America closer to France than Cape Town? : ) Then Leslie won’t be so far anymore. Wouldn’t it be lovely to meet her one day. Stephen is now just around the corner, but from June he will be very far away. I won’t be able to attend his exhibitions anymore…
There is Sonya who lives in France. To visit Ronelle, a friend from Stellenbosch days, it will now only be a short drive to her in the Loire Valley. That is very nice.
Maybe I can attend one of Barry‘s art holidays in Europe. That will be special.
My sister Marelise and my friend Juriaan just started their blogs. They will be far, but I can still see their art and photographs.
It could be interesting to meet the chef Richard, just close by in England… and all the characters in his videos.
There is also the new artist Nuno just nextdoor in Spain and many more who come to visit here at Butterflyhands…

Well, as the world is so much smaller now, maybe nothing will change…

Paris

in Jardin de Luxembourg

…for now its Au Revoir till my next post from Paris…

A painting for Wayne and Juliet

ButterflyHands — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 20:01:23 +0000

I made this painting a month or two ago. I didn’t post it then, because it was Juliet’s special message to Wayne. But I think it will be ok to share it with you now.

They are two lovely people from our church. If you have been to our church once, you will know Wayne, because he will be the one greeting you at the door with a special hug.
They went through a difficult time beginning of this year. (No need to feel sad, because God has provided for them and everything is well again…) Juliet described this picture to me and asked me to paint it for Wayne.

I have only painted little girls, so it was difficult for me to paint a man, but here it is. It has special meaning to them and it was more special for me to give it to them.

Wayne’s Picture…

Old charcoal sketches

ButterflyHands — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 13:50:42 +0000

I was sorting some shelves yesterday and found these charcoal sketches. They all come from my art classes at Bellville art center a few years ago. You had to finish a certain amount of pencil sketches (mostly shells) and then you moved on to charcoal.