Tontelblaar, wilde fennel en sewejaartjies (Amplify series) 800x800mm

Title: Tontelblaar, wilde fennel en sewejaartjies (Amplify series)
Size: 800 x 800mm
Medium: Oil on stretched canvas
Year: 2024

‘Tontelblaar’ (Tinderleaf) is a fynbos plant that grows beautifully on Table Mountain. The plant has waxy leaves with a wooliness below the leaves. In times past, people used this ‘wool’ to light fires, using a box called a ‘Tonteldoos’ (tinderbox). In the Autumn, the start of our rainy season, the Tinderleaf pushes up these interesting yellow flowers.

In this painting, I combined Tontelblaar with white everlasting flowers and the interesting shapes of wild fennel. 

This artwork is part of my Amplify-series:

Amplify:

I am preparing for my first solo exhibition in three years, coming up in September 2024. I am planning to create new fynbos artworks and to do something completely new to me:  paint the Karoo landscape, where I recently spend a lot of my time. 

I find myself drawn to large scale canvasses, to naturalistic, organic forms as well as drawn to abstraction. I aim to work even more freely and loosely.  I see in the works I am creating, that I am increasing the detail of my subject matter and using finer brush strokes with more detail.   At this stage, I do not want to over think where I am heading, but just lean into the process and trusting the spirit within me to lead my art to goodness and beauty.

As I walk in the fresh air of Table Mountain, I observe the fynbos plants with all my senses.  I look at them intentionally and try to remember not only what I see but also the emotions evoked within me.   Similarly, I look with new eyes at the Karoo landscape and see in my mind’s eye the art that will spring from it.  I aim to capture my personal view in nature, incorporating the shapes, colours, movement of the wind and sting of the sharp winter air.

I need to amplify beauty around me.

I need to exalt the Maker of all things.