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Skilder die son, Skipper
Sunrise over the sea is, even in our jaded time, a spiritual experience. The Greeks thought of it as Apollo, the God of beauty, in his chariot of fiery horses, and the Egyptians as Ra. The point of all these legends is simple. For our souls to be awake as the new day dawns, for our spirit to be aware as beauty launches over the world, brings perfection into our lives. Awake, for morning in the bowl of night Monet loved sunrise. Every morning he set out well before dawn, his stepdaughter following with a wheelbarrow-load of canvases. His method was simplicity. He would work on one canvas for no more than 10 minutes, another for 15. "I have only one strength," he said, "And this is that strength." The sun rises at incredible speed (1000 miles per hour). The changes of light at dawn are subtle, but quick, and if we spend a long time on our painting, we are actually painting a new subject every 10 minutes. Last week as a few of us were working at Kalk Bay Harbour, a grizzled fisherman came up behind me. "Skilder daai son net soos hy so uitkom, Skipper," he says, "If you can get the sun I'll give you twenty rands!" He got onto the boat and they set off into the sea. "Twintig Rand!" he called across the water, "Vang daai son net so!" I haven't seen him since then, but if he is willing to give me twenty Rand, I'll be proud to sell him this little painting. It is not every day that you meet such a lover of art.
Exhibition to ClaremontMy exhibition at Carmel is scheduled to close on Monday, 19th. It is then intended to move to the Carmel Art Gallery in Claremont. I'll update the information with a new mailing.
A close harmony
The thing we most value in our lives is harmony. We seek harmony in society and in nature, and we have the ability to create harmony, in music, literature, and in painting. The very point of rhyme in poetry is to create simple harmonies. Harmony follows laws; or defines them. Even the planets and the galaxies have been referred to as the music of the spheres. Harmony depends on avoiding discord. In painting, we achieve harmony by working in a key colour. So we can have a harmony in blue, or in yellow, or in any other colour. The result is not so much peaceful, as it is powerful, and the closer the harmony, the more powerful the image. Art is the visible expression of consciousness. Everything is linked. What is true in art, is also true in society, in nature, and in music. And our longing for harmony is not purely artistic. We need harmony in every aspect of our lives. But if we do not value it in the arts where we can experience it directly, we can never expect to find it in society. Ugliness is directly responsible for most of the evils of society; the architecture of our cities, the vicious music, the ego-driven art of academia, the cheapness of plastic, and the vulgarity of the tabloid billboards on our roads impact directly on our lives, daily and unceasingly. This ugliness can only be resisted with beauty. Artists embrace beauty, and celebrate it. We can embrace the art of beauty. We just need to trust our instinct and our sense of rightness.
Workshops for 2010When my regular classes come to an end in December, I shall limit myself to the odd workshop in Simon's Town and in Europe. The first such workshop will take place in Greece, 12 days in Navplion and on the island of Hydra, in September 2010. Locally, my Simon's Town workshops will run over 5 days, and I'll announce these once I know when I am likely to be here. Subjects will include: Life drawing; Pastel; Watercolour; Perspective and proportion; and Colour theory.
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In this issueWebsiteWorkshopsFor details on workshops and classes in Cape Town and Europe, click here ArchivePrevious newsletters. If you know of anybody who might enjoy these letters, please forward this one to them. You can forward up to five copies. If you would like to subscribe to this newsletter, simply reply to this email, and I shall add you to my list. |
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