Bakoven Beach Morning View of Lion’s Head - Sold

R6 800

445 USD / 365 EUR

As I arrived at Bakoven Beach an early July morning, I saw the mist extend it’s tendrils up the mountainside and knew I had to capture it quickly before the sun’s heat evaporated it. I was just quick enough…

Clifton 1st Beach View From Above - Sold

4 700 ZAR

310 USD / 225 EUR

Painted overlooking Clifton First Beach in Cape Town on one of those perfect winter sunny days. Being a weekday, and winter, the beach was almost deserted. I loved capturing the different blues and the foam of the waves. It seemed only using a palette knife could get the foamy effect!

Devil's Peak with Trees Silhouetted - Sold

3 000 ZAR

200 USD / 165 EUR

I painted this alongside fellow plein air painters over two evenings. The first evening, the South Easter wind was blowing the clouds vigorously over Devil’s Peak, creating stunning silhouettes of the trees against the white clouds. Amazingly, where we were standing, we felt no wind at all! The next week when we returned, the watsonias were blooming, so I couldn't resist adding some pinks into the foreground.

Lion’s Head Morning Light - Sold

3 700 ZAR

245 USD / 200 EUR

Painted from right outside my front door, I wanted to capture the shadows on the mountain quickly before the sun moved too high in the sky and all the shadows and freshness of the early morning light disappeared. I managed to drink only one of my usual two morning espressos before getting started - no time for two! But worth it. The vibrancy of the colours in the morning was breathtaking.

Dalebrook Tidal Pool Sunny Morning - Sold

4 700 ZAR

310 USD / 255 EUR

I loved capturing the light glistening on the water on this early morning. I was amazed how quickly the shimmering dissipated as the sun rose in the sky. I was glad I painted the light on the water first! (Technically after the sky and mountains, but almost first.)

Eucalyptus trees on Signal Hill

3 000 ZAR

200 USD / 165 EUR

While looking for an inspiring view, I glanced up from my apartment balcony and immediately fell in love with the clouds spilling over the top of Signal Hill, creating light and dark juxtapositions of white cloud against the Eucalyptus (gum) trees lining the ridge. Apparently these trees from Australia were originally planted as fire breaks beginning in 1894, in the hope that they were more fire resistant than the indigenous species of Fynbos. After proving not to be so, the natural vegetation was reintroduced since the 1960s, but these iconic gum trees still remain.

(Reference: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00382167.1996.9629892)

Mouille Point Lighthouse

3 000 ZAR

200 USD / 165 EUR

Mouille Point Lighthouse is an iconic part of the landscape of Sea Point and Mouille Point. I loved standing on the Green, enjoying the bright reds and whites of the man-made landscape against the blues and greens of the natural landscape.

Hout Bay Sunrise - Sold

4 000 ZAR

260 USD / 220 EUR

I painted this at first light near my parents’ house. A view I know very well, but this was the first time I captured it in paint. I loved the stillness of the bay and the reflection of the light morning sky on the water.

Chapmans Peak Mountain Range from Mariner’s Wharf

5 000 ZAR

325 USD / 275 EUR

On a cloudy morning in Hout Bay, I set up along the walkway outside Mariner’s Wharf (a famous fish & chips restaurant). The shadows on the mountain from the passing clouds and the rising sun were changing constantly, so I had to work quickly to capture the part I loved most - the dramatic shadow shapes showing deep crevices in the rocks of the Chapman’s Peak mountain range. The bits of orange and gold along the base of the mountains show the road carved into the mountain, giving Route 1 in California a run for its money…

Bakoven Beach Low Tide

6 500 ZAR

425 USD / 355 EUR

Painted on an unusually warm winter’s day, sitting cross-legged on my towel, looking out to sea as the tide gently rolled in. On another day, when I went back to add a few more touches, my sitting spot was completely covered in water. I loved capturing the variety of colours in the water as it went from deep to very shallow, and I loved exploring the different blues and oranges in the rocks. I also loved the variety in the colours in the rocks - warm oranges and cool blues and greys in the further rocks, nesting grounds for cormorants, giving those rocks an unusually white surface layer…

The Sentinel, Hout Bay - Sold

5 000 ZAR

325 USD / 275 EUR

Painted looking out from a viewing point on Chapman’s Peak Drive in Hout Bay. I have been enjoying the view of the Sentinel from many vantage points over my life, having the joy of growing up in Hout Bay. The sun’s flickering reflection on the water was moving gently from the beach on the far right of my view towards the middle of the bay as the sun prepared to set behind the mountains. As the sun moved, the light on the far mountains became softer and softer, hiding the variations and crevices in the rocks as the mountains became a soft purple haze.

Chapman’s Peak Mountain

6 000 ZAR

390 USD / 330 EUR

Staring up at the peaks above me, I was struck by the majesty of the rocks and outcroppings, throwing deep shadows across the mountainside as the sun moved higher and higher in the sky. I came back a second day to make sure I’d captured the shadows accurately - they had almost disappeared by the time I finished painting on the first day!

Furry Proteas - Sold

4 000 ZAR

260 USD / 220 EUR

This bouquet of proteas was given as a gift to a friend. Painting together in her studio one afternoon, when looking around for beauty to paint, I was thrilled to capture these beautiful flowers, from a floral kingdom unique to the Western Cape.

Dalebrook Rocks and Beach

4400 ZAR

290 USD / 240 EUR

I painted this with two plein air painting friends nearby. I was absorbed by the variety of colours and transparencies in the water as the tide came in (or was it went out?) in the little rock pools on the shore. I also loved seeing the waves coming into the shore, at times completely submerging the rocks, at other times leaving them bare, revealing the bright green algae.

When I was a child, I came to this part of Cape Town with a group called The Questioner's Club. We were all given an open wooden frame (exactly like one you would stretch a canvas over, now that I think about it), and were invited to place the open frame on any spot on the rocks. We then had to draw all that we saw in that one square - algae, muscles, sea anemones... I'll never forget the experience. How much variety there was in that one small square.

Noordhoek Beach at Sunset - Sold

2 500 ZAR

160 USD / 135 EUR

I painted this sunset standing on a rocky ledge just to the right of a waterfall in the Silvermine nature reserve. My plein air friends and I hiked into the reserve just in time to reach the waterfall, have enough time to capture the special colours of sunset, and hike out again before dark!

Hout Bay Beach One October Morning

5 500 ZAR

355 USD / 300 EUR

Standing on the far end of Hout Bay Beach, near Mariner’s Wharf, I loved the soft play of light and shadow on the mountains in the distance. I was lucky to catch a sailboat as it did a loop in the bay.

Camps Bay Beach Windy Morning

4 000 ZAR

260 USD / 220 EUR

I was inspired to find a place to paint on this sunny Tuesday morning. Driving past Camps Bay Beach, the view of the rocks in the turquoise sea made me stop the car and grab my easel and paints. However, what I didn’t expect was the strong gusts of wind that whipped down from Table Mountain and the Twelve Apostles mountain range behind me, causing me to grab hold of my easel on many occasions, just in time to stop it from being lifted up and away. This was certainly one way to encourage an alla prima painting!

Table Mountain from Signal Hill - Sold

4 700 ZAR

310 USD / 255 EUR

Painting alongside some fellow plein air painting friends on Signal Hill, I studied the area for some time before settling on this view of Table Mountain and the Cable Car station. I loved the light blues and purples on the mountain face, and how the shadows grew increasingly quickly as the sun started to set on the Camps Bay side. Each time I looked up from my painting, the shadows had shifted again!

Cloudy view over Kirstenbosch Gardens - Sold

4 000 ZAR

260 USD / 220 EUR

I arrived at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens (a very special place for me, where I have been coming since an infant) and was looking for a place to paint. A senior member of the Gardens walked by and recommended this view. I realised immediately he was right - this was the view of the day. I found him as I left the park and he said “You got it.” I’ve since seen Bongani many times and he has wonderful advice for my paintings each time! Thank you Bongani!

Camps Bay Tidal Pool Rocks - Morning

4 200 ZAR

275 USD / 230 EUR

Standing just to the left of the tidal pool in Camps Bay, I was captivated by the reflections of the rocks on the water, and by the variety of shapes, colours and patterns of the rocks. I also loved the bright green bits of algae and seaweed contrasting with the warm oranges and pinks on the rocks.

Table Mountain with the South Easter Blowing - Sold

4 500 ZAR

290 USD / 240 EUR

On my way to Clifton 4th Beach, I turned and saw the excitement of the “table cloth” blowing over the edge of Table Mountain. A scene so familiar, having grown up in Cape Town and going to school near this view, I quickly changed my mind and painted the mountain instead of the beach. I was fascinated by how quickly the clouds moved in and then dissipated, leaving the rocky outcrops visible most of the time I was painting.

Clifton 2nd Beach Rocks

5 500 ZAR

355 USD / 300 EUR

Apparently this was a very unique view I captured, as told to me by a Clifton 2nd Beach local. The rocks are usually covered with white, fine sand, but due to the winter storms this year, the sand was washed away and all these rocks were exposed. I love that I captured a view that may not reveal itself again for some time.

Chapman’s Peak From the Lookout Point - Sold

6 500 ZAR

425 USD / 355 EUR

I came to capture the iconic view from the lookout point on Chapman’s Peak Drive stretching out over Hout Bay. However, to my surprise, the view I found most captivating was of the mountainside on my right, watching the shadows elongate in the golden light as the sun set. As I finished painting for the day, everything became bathed in a powerful pink-orange glow before the sun dipped below the horizon. All the colours on my painting, as well as the mountainside, transformed before my eyes, causing me to blink more than once to see if it was real.

Kirstenbosch Gardens Dappled Light - Sold

4 500 ZAR

290 USD / 245 EUR

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens feels like my own garden, as I’ve been running and playing on its vast lawns carpeting the side of the back of Table Mountain since I was a toddler (I have photos to prove it). Every time I enter the gardens, I feel a huge sense of calm and serenity as the wisdom and knowing of the ancient trees permeate the air. I loved painting the dappled light on the banks of a pond in the lower gardens, but I did get quite chilly standing in the shade. I moved my easel a few times to inch closer to the sunlight.

Road up to Wildekrans - Sold

4 500 ZAR

290 USD / 245 EUR

I painted this view on a visit to the Wildekrans Country Lodge (peeking through the bushes in the middle distance). The lodge is next door to the hotel my great grandfather used to run - Houw Hoek Inn! In addition to the dappled light on the driveway, I loved the effect of the bright white clouds moving rapidly across the blue sky, creating beautiful patterns on the hills.

Wildekrans Farmhouse with Bluegum trees - Sold

4 000 ZAR

260 USD / 220 EUR

These two farmhouses are part of the Wildekrans Country Lodge, a guesthouse my friend and I have visited multiple times to paint in their gardens and nature reserve. It is an hour outside of Cape Town, and right next door to the Houw Hoek Inn, an inn my great grandfather used to run!

Pincushions - Wildekrans, Botrivier

3 500 ZAR

225 USD / 190 EUR

The lush gardens at Wildekrans Country Lodge offers many inspiring views, but these pincushions stood out on a very cloudy day (it rained shortly after this was painted!). The bright oranges and yellows really “popped” in the overcast weather.

Hout Bay Fiery Sunset - Sold

3 500 ZAR

225 USD / 190 EUR

I had been trying to find a view to paint all day, and realised towards the end of the day, with the cloud cover in the sky, the sunset might just be spectacular. I set up my easel on my parent’s porch and was rewarded with the fiery, fast-changing evening sky. The pink imprimatura was incredibly helpful!

Bakoven Beach Moody Morning - Sold

4 500 ZAR

290 USD / 245 EUR

I stood on a rock overlooking Bakoven Beach on a weekday morning, with no one else around. There was a calm and peacefulness, with the sky filled with clouds and the water a cool grey. My favourite part of the morning was seeing the clouds take different shapes as they disappeared onto the horizon.