Amsterdam 

You know whats nice? When there's an early morning knock at the door, and it turns out to be a delivery man with a bunch of paints! Less nice when it happens while you're wearing your husband's long johns, and still have bed-head. But does anyone ever knock on the door unexpectedly when I'm having a great hair day? Nope.

Anyhow, I'm testing these paints, and it got me thinking that I should do a little rundown of my favourite shades of my favourite brands. So this is just me announcing that. :D

 Self-Portrait with a Snail 

Picture for me the one thing you enjoy doing above all others. The one distraction, the thing you look forward to during dull work hours, the thing you wish you were doing instead of going to that party you simply couldn't get out of, the one thing you never tire of. Imagine with me, being quite good at that thing. Good enough that you get that sense of accomplishment, of having created. You pour yourself into it, holding nothing back, and in return it gives you a satisfaction above anything else. 

Now - you're going to have to humour me - picture yourself posting an image of this creation, this 'thing' you spent all your waking hours working on, this 'thing' that took 3 weeks to complete, on facebook - brimming with pride all the while. And BEHOLD! 7 likes! One comment telling you that you have talent! You can die happy! 

No? Oh. Right. A little disappointing.

Such is the silly highs and lows of social media.

I needed a photo of myself looking like an artist. The only professional photos of myself that I have are wedding pics, 3 years old, and decidedly weddingy.. that and facebook pics, pics with my face squashed into friends faces, into my husbands cheek, pulling ironic pouts and silly faces, or holding a wine glass in front of half my face. I can do some photoshop, but these photos are above my ability to professionalise!

While moaning about this, and dreaming out loud to friends over the weekend about what a ridiculously over the top photo shoot I'm going to end up having, with a top hat and a live fox around my neck of course, someone mentioned me doing a sketch, and I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of that before! So obvious, faster and easier than photoshop! 

And so on monday, after a monstrous amount of admin, and with the prospect of more admin on tuesday, I sat down and started a scribble. Note - not a drawing. Not anything serious or awe inspiring (ha)  just something that looked sketchy and fast and sort-of like me. I didn't shade, I didn't even hatch, I literally scribbled. And I googled a pretty scarf and drew that on me to make me all sophisticated and grown-up seeming. 

I had so much fun messing about with it, and felt myself relaxing for the first time in weeks. I lost myself for a couple of hours, and that was great. Like massages and Pedi's are to other girls, I imagine.

I uploaded it to facebook, just because I hadn't uploaded anything in a while and I like to remind people about my existence now and then, and WOAH! 57 likes!

Which is nice. I guess, people liked it, and getting likes on your actual face does soothe the self-esteem. But tp get that much attention on something completely not serious, not hard, not really skill-work, that took 4 hours and is tiny, and which I will now that I've photographed it, throw away. And when I upload a painting I get 13 likes on a good day. A painting that I worked on for a month. It actually was my life for a month. 

And there lies the point. We really shouldn't try to find any sort of meaning in likes. I know, its a moot point, but when you upload something you made, it becomes the most important thing in the world for a little while - don't argue unless you've been through that torture! 

I guess people appreciate drawings, because everyone has doodled, everyone tried a sketch at some stage in their lives, whether anyone ever saw it or not, and so people know it's hard. But I spent the evening ranting at my poor innocent husband about it. About how hard painting can be, and about how that isn't even a proper drawing, I USED SCRIBBLES! But it doesn't matter. It's facebook. Where people share inspirational posters of baby animals and remind each other that it's friday on

every 

single

friday.

I am learning not to find my happiness in people. I've been learning this for about 6 years I think, I'm getting better at it, but sometimes I fall, and I base a thought on something off social media. I'll try harder, promise!

Also - the bun in my hair kind of looks like a snail.

Marzé Botha Art Gallery

I was fairly sure that I blogged about this when it happened, I obviously composed it in my mind, and never actually posted anything! 

My work can now be seen in Stellenbosch at Marzé Botha Art Gallery.

I delivered 3 paintings a couple of weeks ago, and have a couple more on their way, and many ideas and plans to be announced! 

So be excited with me, I've been busy busy busy, with all kinds of secretive things, but will update as soon as I'm allowed to :D

Pieces of Parts 

It finally arrived.

I'm drinking a delicious Mocca Java - I really don't do Mugg and Bean normally, but I've changed out my normal groceries mall for a quieter one, and their coffee isle lacks in many ways. But this is doable.

Eating a whole sweet potato cooked in butter and cinnamon YUM - sadly not pictured, too hungry for THAT

Listening to Mr. Mercedes - the super duper new Stephen King

And all the while gloating. To myself. About myself. Apparently that's how I roll now.

I thought I'd spoil the people who actually read the blog when I don't nag about it on facebook, by sharing a different spread - text blurred of course, buy it if you want to read it! Or be patient, I'll probably post the whole thing sometime in the next 2 years :)

It really is something to read about yourself in a magazine. To read 'Kleynscheldt thinks' and 'Kleynscheldt says' is just the strangest thing. But awesome strange. 

Because the thing is: Between high school and somewhere mid becoming-an-adult-age, I would thrive on art magazines such as this one, and pore over them, cutting out the most inspirational paintings and mosaicing my bedroom wall. I spent so much time thinking about the people who created those works, about how amazing it must be to be an artist, how their studios probably looked, what kind of lifestyles those people must have. 

To have those tables turn on me is the weirdest thing.

And that's what excites me. The thought that a painting I agonised over and still love and hate simultaneously could be the thing that inspires a life to change. Some awkward kid might be trying to imagine what 'Kleynscheldt's life is like (that kid should REALLY have followed the link to the blog)

So there's that. And maybe it's oldskool, but it really is different to have proof that people think your work is worth while, worth printing, worth writing about, worth pasting on a wall, than it is to be a featured artist on a website. 

My heart is singing. I'm proud of myself, and just so happy to have made friends and family proud.

It's been a good week to be 'Kleynscheldt'.

Even though my cat couldn't care.

Sugar for my Honey

Sugar for my Honey
80 x 50 cm
Acrylic on Canvas

I haven't much to say today. 

This painting took way too long, but I reeaaally like how it came out. 

I'm drinking a Medium Roast  - quite milky and sweet today

Listening to Forrest Mage by Robin Hobb - but I'm not terribly into it

Eating some soup again. Obviously :)

And I'm off to paint some marbles.

 

OH! Almost forgot! Guess what came in the mail today? 

But I'll freak out about it in tomorrow's blog post, today I'm basking on my own!

Unexpected Thursdays 

Jeez. Aren't Thursdays strange? I started out the day thinking it's Friday today. It's not great to start your day with disappointment.

My Hockney-ed Shelfie

Actually rewind. We started out the day in candle-light, since our lights trip the power now - I think the shower waterproofing just doesn't, well, it doesn't waterproof, and our bedroom light switch (behind the shower) seems to be rusting severely, so there's a pretty strong theory. Only sometimes the stove hobs trip the electricity as well. And the last time the electrician was here, nothing weird happened, and he clearly thought I was just being a woman, or something terrible like that. He also didn't understand my sense of humour (I made a joke with him, he didn't get it and I actually had to explain what I meant..), also he asked me if I was English, because my Afrikaans is so bad. I'm Afrikaans. 
But he's short, so there.

So I restarted my day. Made some coffee, thought I'd browse for a while and then get my paint on. And then I spilled my whole mug of coffee over the desk, completely submerging my phone, and breaking the computer keyboard.
So I restarted my day. Made some new coffee, found a spare keyboard, got the pc to switch on again, discovered my phone still works, and had some homemade soup, to comfort my soul. And covered the wet keyboard in rice. That should do it!

And took a shelfie, because why the heck not, this Thursday already broke all the rules.

In my mug: Woollies Mocha Java - a definite favourite.

In my tummy: My homemade veggie soup - YUM! I just fill up my biggest pot once a week, and freeze portions for lunch, since I've become gluten intolerant I've run out of ideas of what to eat :/

On audio: A fantastically random compilation of music, since I'm all out of audio books for now. (and I'm still on a high from the previous book's incredible ending! Whoa! Dragons! Pirates! Liveships! Too much excitement :D )

On the easel: Still the wrappers, much refined, although I notice that it looks almost exactly like it did on last weeks blog pic - rather frustrating since I've been working on it daily! Let's just blame the bad photography for that. Estimating that I'll finish next week. 

Delivering my Madiba II tomorrow, so that's exciting, hope I manage to keep it dry, it's been raining er (damnit. can't think of a rainy idiom.) it's been raining frogs' beards? I googled it:
http://mentalfloss.com/article/12931/16-international-idioms-describe-heavy-rain
Couple of good ones there, not at all sure in what context to use them though.

And I still haven't received my magazines, but I also haven't checked the post-box in 3 days because of the stormy weather, so I have absolutely no idea if I have cause to be upset! But this being a Thursday, I wouldn't expect any lovely collection notes today.

Progress II

Off to paint. After I've warmed up my hands and coffee. Have a better Thursday than I did! 

Nelson Mandela 

Hugh's Madiba Commission

Pencil on 160 gsm untextured paper
525 x 380 mm

My lovely husband Rouan organised this one; he works with Hugh, and from what I heard, Hugh saw my previous drawing of Madiba over Rouan's shoulder at work, and simply had to have one of his own.
It took some back and forth-ing to decide on a photo, and I was delighted when this one came up as an option, as it was one of the options with the previous Madiba drawing client, and while I preferred this photo, he decided on another one. Needless to say I was fairly happy with this choice!

This one was super challenging because there were no shiny eyes to accentuate, so the face only started to feel accurate to me when his mouth was done. As you can imagine, its nerve-wrecking to work on a drawing for so long, with no idea whether it's going to work, save faith in your own abilities, and a little luck perhaps.

I tend to start with the eyes, and work downwards toward the mouth. but in the interest of not smudging everything, I turn the paper as I progress, that my hand always has blank paper to rest on. 

I know I should acquire one of those giant earbud things to rest my hand on, but we just haven't gotten around to that! (you'll probably be first to know, when I do!)

Around here it became seriously tricky again. Hugh didn't want the bottom of the drawing realistic, he wanted it to sort of fade into skethiness. You can see at this stage I was fading out the hands somewhat, but in the photograph, the jacket and other details behind the hands are very dark, so I had to try and figure out what was there in the first place, and then try to fade it out, without it being too light. 
I didn't want the negative space in the bottom drawing your eyes away from his face, so I kept darkening the sketchy bits, and detailing them more, until it seemed more or less balanced. I had planned it to end up much less realistic, but am very happy with the result!

 These detail areas specifically would have been more or less black if I was going for realism.

*This is Urban dictionary's definition of 

Sketchy. 1) someone or something that just isnt right. 2) the feeling you get the morning after using a lot of drugs, most commonly associated with extacy.

I was thinking more along the lines of the Free dictionary's definition:

Resembling a sketch; giving only major points or parts. 2. a. Lacking in substance or completeness; incomplete.