Restios and Reeds (Growth series)

Fynbos consists of a multitude of different plant species.  One of these is Restios or more commonly, Biesies and Dekriet. They are all members of the family Restionaceae, which form one of the most important components of the South African fynbos.

The Restio family is definitive of fynbos – they put the ‘fyn’ into fynbos. If there are no restios, it’s not fynbos.

I love the shapes and lines that I can create when painting Restios.  For this painting, I used warm, yellow colours.

This artwork is part of my Growth-series of works:

Growth:
• Growth is the process of growing
• It is progressive development
• increase,
• expansion
• gain
• improvement
• and surge
Growth is what we need in life to become.

It is good for me to spend time in nature. The one thing that stays constant when I walk on Table Mountain is growth. The fynbos seeds fall into the soil, germinate, and grow. Fierce winds blow. Rain comes – or stays away. The hot sun scorches. Fires rage on the mountain slopes. Seeds burst open. Pollen blows in the wind. Roots establish. Flowers bloom extravagantly. And the fynbos grows. The Creator takes care of creation.
I often challenge myself – I re-invent myself to bring to you, my viewers, fresh and new works of art. Also, I challenge myself to move forward and grow.
This is how I grow. This is how fynbos continue to grow on my canvas.