Dog Park

Here is Cathy's painting of the Dog Park at the dam.

 

Cathy wrote that she thought of Ivy when she was painting these images. Ivy is my greyhound.   Ivy would really have had fun with the water and the other dogs.  I love seeing the dogs having so much fun in the water.  Below is the back side of the postcard with the words removed so you can see that Cathy has captured the stance of a dog owner waiting for her pet.

  Unfortunately this is one of the postcards that got lost.  Cathy sent me the image so I could share with you.

Sacred Ibis conquers previously-impossible South Africa-Canada route!

 

 

Turns out only postcards sent from Canada to South Africa are doomed. This splendid bird, and the Johannesburg park over which he reigns, made it the other way with no problems at all. Here’s a link to a map showing some of the other delightful sketches Cathy has done in this same park.

The other side is beautifully painted and in perfect condition as well, so have a look at the totally-readable and wonderfully welcome message from Cathy. Isn't it terrific!

Jacaranda blossom viewing at Johannesburg

Thank you Cathy for this nice card with Jacaranda trees in full bloom at the beginning of November. The Jacaranda tree was imported from South America about 100 years ago to South Africa. The pink spot in the background are Bougainvillea bloming at the same time.

The flowers of the Jacaranda tree fall constantly like rain, Cathy says on the card, and gardeners have a hard time to clean their pavements. The whole spectacle seems to last only for a short period of time until everything is green again. I feel very lucky that it was my turn to get a November postcard documenting the bloom of Jacaranda trees at Johannesburg.

By the way: Johannesburg is said to be the city with the largest man made forest with six million trees in public parcs and on private property. It is worth while to google a bit about Johannesburg and Jacaranda trees!

Garden Gates

What a beautiful surprise was waiting for me today! Cathy's gorgeous postcard of the entrance gates into her Botanic Gardens. It is a lovely contrast to a similiar sketch that I did last summer. I love the richest of this painting and that it really draws me in... would love one day to be able to enter these gardens

On the back is a gorgeous painting of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow flowers which I am told are in bloom in our backyard garden too (obviously I am not the gardener in the household!)

Thank you Cathy

Kayaking..... All The Way From Johannesburg!

Words can't express how delighted I was to get home from work and find this card safely delivered!  Cathy in Johannesburg posted it on 31st March and 28 days later it finally arrived in London.  I would have been so upset, had it been lost in the post never to re materialize.  It's particularly special to me, not only because it's so beautifully painted and depicts a part of Cathy's life, but also because it has kayaks!  Kayaking on the River Thames in London is my sport and so i feel and instant familiarity with this scene, not least because the figure on the left has a red vest. That's my club colours- Richmond Canoe Club.  So very apt! 

The view is of Emmarentia Dam, it's where Cathy goes walking and sketching. I can't help wondering who the kayakers are and if they know any of my club friends here. Kayaking is a big sport in South African and many young South Africans come to our club if they have come to London to work for a while.

Whilst spring is bursting out here and everything is bright new green, it almost seems strange to see Cathy's view where beautiful autumn foliage is now very obvious. It still looks warm and lush though, despite autumn beginning to arrive there. 

The reverse is as lovely as the front with it's carefully painted golden honeysuckle cascading down the side.  I love the stamps too! 

Lucky, lucky me!  Thank you so much Cathy!

Emmarentia Gardens, Johannesburg

A beautiful card from Cathy all the way from South Africa, and I can almost feel the warmth of that African sun over here in Switzerland! She's perfectly captured the deep, warm colours and intense shadows of late summer and that little bench under the biloba trees looks so enticing!

I have to show the back too because as well as the colourful South African stamps and the stamp Cathy designed for Postcard from my Walk, there is an exquisite little watercolour of a flower growing in her garden. Thank you so much Cathy for this amazing card!

Cathy Gatland's Painted Postcard from South Africa

Pride of India Trees line his neighborhood street
Watercolor on paper by Cathy Gatland

Here is the wonderful painting that Cathy Gatland has painted just for me and sent it all the way from Johannesburg, South Africa.  Cathy covered the card with an overlay and wrote all sorts of notes so I could better understand where she Sketchercises.  Then she popped it all into an envelope so that it would get to me unharmed.  Cathy and I have known each other of a few years now and become dear friends. I found her blog and fell in love with her work, wit and wisdom.  She is a very special lady.

Front with overlay and a portion of the back.

Here is a the back of the card covered with pictures of the front with its overlay on and just lifting.

Aren't these flowers to die for and beautifully painted?

Introducing Cathy Gatland

I'm lucky enough to live near beautiful botanical gardens in Johannesburg, and have been walking around here for the last 15 years, off and on. I've discovered that the more I walk, the better I feel in body, mind and spirit. Sometimes the spirit is willing, but the mind and body want to stay plonked in front of the computer, so Sketchercise has been a great motivator to get off my blogging chair and outside, later to share, encourage and discuss what we've been up to.

I've been sketching regularly since starting my blog over three years ago, before that only occasionally, perhaps on holiday or in my garden. I regarded drawing mostly as work, which it was for many years as a renderer and part-time illustrator, until I came across the wonderful world of art blogs and people who sketched for fun.

Though I do have a small portable sketching kit, when I am walking regularly, I like to have a good workout, so don't always break my rhythm to stop and sketch.

But it's a joy to take note of my surroundings, the birds, trees and changing seasons, and either stroll or drive back later with my sketching things, pick up something along the way to sketch at home, or cool down later in my studio and sketch the birds (and my ever present faithful old pooch) outside my window.

I am excited to be part of this postcard exchange, and to send and receive real live little artworks from my sketching buddies, who have become such an important part of my daily life, all over the world.