'Manfred'

150 x 200mm
Oil on Board
'Manfred'


Sixty one and a pain in the proverbial, but he's my pal and I like him.

"My Father"

150 x 200mm
Oil on Board
"My Father"

Ninety one and still going strong.

"Untitled Red Abstract"

150 x 200mm
Oil on Board
"Red Abstract"

I Realy like the harmony of these colours. Red usually evokes a feeling of warning, panic, etc, but not here for me.
I kind of see a beautiful girl in a silk dress made from a material with this design.
What do you see?
Bob

"Mother"

200 x 200mm
Oil on Board
"Mother"

This is my likeness of my Mother aged 86, from a photo taken last week.

She’s a funny old biddy. She has religiously phoned me once a week from the UK, and just lately now that the phone calls are much cheaper, once or twice a day, to see if my wife is giving me enough to eat. Don’t get me wrong, Lyn, my wife is the one who inherits everything, as she is ma’s favourite daughter. She forgets now. She’ll tell me something two or three times in the same conversation. She always kept herself young, by mixing with young people. She used to golf alot and always liked a good laugh.

I hate to see her looking so old. I hate to see me looking so old.

Young people out there….grab every single second of to-day and wring life out of it. You’ll never see to-day again. Also be careful what comes out of your mouth. Most things do indeed come to pass.

You can’t go far wrong by saying “I love you”, now and again.

Bob

"Field of Poppies"

"Field of Poppies"
200 x200 mm
oil on board

You know I paint because I’m incapable of doing anything else since I was handed an incurable lung desease. But besides really enjoying the discovery of art and all of its facets, I have found that it has taken me on another parrallel discovery.

I joined a forum in America http://www.wetcanvas.com/ . I made many friends and discovered many new ways of approaching art. I started off by painting subjects that I could see. Animals, portraits, etc etc I still enjoy painting these subjects from time to time. But the best, the real challenge, is to paint what you can see in your mind and not with your eyes.

Try and envisage an abstract painting and put it onto canvass. It’s not easy. You may think it’s just slapping paint on canvass. Well I guess it can be sometimes, but I haven’t found it that way yet. I have found it more of a challenge of discovery than painting a merekat.

“Field of Poppies” - No I don’t think I’ve lost it yet, Maybe I have, who knows?

Anyway, the important point being, I think that you should try all things within reason (ie Say No to Drugs), and discover places, things and maybe most important, YOURSELF and how far you can push your mind. Try it, you’ll be suprised!

You may end up pushing your mind out in business and making a real success of your life.

Bob

"White Rhino and Calf"

150 x 200mm Oil on Board
"White Rhino and Calf"

You know I have spent many years painting white rhinos. The animal has very bad eyesite, allowing one to get up realy close with a bucket of white wash and some coloured paints. The rest is history. Whilst they are sleeping is probably the safest, but one tends to get a bit blaze during the process.
I have no photgraphic eveidence. If anyone comes across one of my painted protegees, please take a picture for me and post it on your blog.
Remember, the Rhino is a very dangerous animal. Do not try this at your local zoo or after you've had a few to drink. The consequences could be dire.
Bob

"Colour my Life"

1) "Smell Me"
2) "Pick Me"









3) "Paint Me"

All 150 x 200 mm Oil on Board

Do yourself a favour to-day. Be extra nice to someone that you don’t even know. They may think you’ve completely lost the plot, but both you and I know that you are actually getting nearer to the treasure. May long life, health, happiness and prosperity be yours forever.

Bob

"Gnood Gnus"

150 x 200 mm
Oil on Board
“Gnood Gnus”

I tried to give the impression of dust, noise, excitement and a sense of on the way home at last. It is the annual crossing of the River Mara by hundreds of thousands of Wildebeest. These are the lucky ones that crossed the river without drowning or getting caught by crocodiles.

Did I get there or did I fail miserably?

"Lesser Gods"

150 X 200
Oil on Board
"Lesser Gods"


This painting is the result of depression. A state of mind I try never to sink into. However due to circumstances and the difficulty to breathe and a mild infection due to my low immunity to attacks from outside my body; I thought "What's the use, I'd be better off dead"
Thanks to my wife who took me to the pulminologist, I came home feeling much better and painted this small painting as a gift to humanity.
It has colour and animals, and leads me away from the rigid self imposed style I am used to. It's difficult for me to go the whole hog yet. I think I'll just stick around with this idea for a while.
Cheers
Bob

"In the Padock"

150 x 200 mm
Oil on Board
“In the Padock”

Away from SA and wild animals for a while. Just longing for those mild summer days in good old blighty. Which brings me to the issue of Chinese crap goods that are taking over the world.

Have you bought anything made in China recently. My wife bought an alarm crock. Of course the instluctions were written in pidgeon Chinglish. I think that the last instruction should be ..Take hammer in left hand and crock in right hand. Bling left hand down on crock and thlow away. China will eventually have all the money in the world. Don’t spend money on Plingle of Scotland. It’s a falacy. There are no Chenese running around the Glens of Scotland, they are all running around Shanghai.

Anyway, thank goodness that they don’t go big on oil paints and brushes. Thay would have no problem breeding a million sable minks to slaughter for brushes. And then all the hairs would fall out.

Bob

"Chui"

150 x 200
Oil on Board
"Chui"

Ever since I had chicken pox, I hate spots. I ended up with a whole lot of extra ones after I finished this painting.
When I was a kid in England, you'd see the occassional lady walking arround with a leopard skin coat. They always looked very sexy. Although I must admit when I saw them I didn't know what sexy meant.
Most African farmers would still like the trade in Leopard skins to continue. I lived in Nairobi for a time, and always remember the people who lived outside of the town complaining that a leopard had just killed the prize dog. You didn't leave your dog outside if you wanted to see it in the morning.
They're still beautiful animals. Deadly silent night time killers.
The "Pink" variety on the other hand make very good comedic actors.
Kiswahili name - Chui.
I know it's a poor attempt, so it would be interesting to tell me how I could improve it.
Thanks Bob

"Flash Dance"

150 x 200 mm
Oil on Board
"Flash Dance"

This amazingly sleek, surgical killer catches about one in five of its prey. Mostly small rodents and animals.

In Swahili they call the animal “Duma”. We Swahili speekers, (I can order a cup of coffee and count from one to ten), know most of the animals’ names.

Anyone know what the Zulu equivalent is? One should imagine that in Xhosa the name would probably be much the same as its English equivalent. ie Cheetah

Anyway, enough of this banter, back to work.

"Dance Classique"

150 x 200 mm
Oil on Board
"Dance Classique"

The painting is heading towards where I should like to be. Loose, etherial and deffinitely not a photo/painting rendition.
Why, because I like it that way. Also, I don't think I have the talent or time to be perfect. No ways I'm going to spend 200hrs on a painting. I guess that's why I'll never earn 10000 dollars for my work. Swings and roundabouts. What you put in you generally get out.
Anyway, am I getting slightly better, or am I generally losing the plot.


C & C welcome.
(all CONTRBUTIONS -10c's dimes,nickels and small CHANGE )
Bob

"Summer Borders"

This is my very first Abstract painting. It took exactly 20 minutes and has no underlying meaning or induendos what so ever. My brain at the moment is an empty canvas.
Please tell me how I can take step 2 to better and brighter abstract art.
I love colour, life, laughter, wine, my wife, my dog, and being able to walk to the end of the garden. (I'm hooked up to oxygen 24/7).
Harsh criticism will be acceptable, gentle criticism will be embraced.
I do not like the word "Nice." I find it offence.
So, have your way with me, I'm an abstract Virgin.
(Think I'll call myself Mad-Ona).

150 x 200 mm
Oil on Board
"Summer Borders"

"Sid the Rocker"

150 x 200 mm
Oil on Board
“Sid the Rocker”

My wife and I were invited away for the weekend to our friends timeshare. Sid spent most of the time that he wasn’t braaiing practising his chords. He decided about two years ago that because he didn’t have the time to learn the guitar when he was a teenager, he’d learn it now at the age of sixty something. All power to him. I started painting about six months ago.

I wonder how long it takes to be a brain surgeon, not long if the specialists in this country are anything to go by. Maybe I can take a six month mail order course from the University of Havana.

I think I’ll stick to painting, and eagerly await Sid’s first album.

Cheers
Bob

"Hippo Opera"

200 x200 mm
Oil on Board
"Hippo 1"


Alt title,
"Horatio Hippotameus, being unused to this end of the river stepped on a rough stone."

"The Hippo had been given one last chance to reach the high note on 'Idols'."

"Mum, Where's me dinner?"

Although great looking animals, it is not true that Hippos make good family pets. The expense of keeping them far outways the cost of relining the pool to allow for a constant flow of weed and detriment from up stream of your home.
Their sleeping habits are far from normally acceptable standards. Prior to sleep they go from room to room stamping on open fires to ensure that they are completely doused.
Prefering to cuddle to the friends, they do however provide desperately needed warmth during the cold winter season. Hippos should be toweled off prior to allowing them to get onto the bed.
Domestic hippos should be ado[pted from the youngest possible age.
The auther prefers sugar hippos to sugar mice. They tend to last longer, especially the pink parts.
Cheers folks.

"The Widebeest Fight Back"

150 x 200
Oil on Board
"Mara Crossing II"

Well they're not really fighting back, but you wouldn't have looked at it unless I changed the title, would you?

A/t Titles:
"Walter Wildebeest takes his family to the beach".

"Last one in's a Gnu!"

"The Wildebeest family decided to fight back and stomp all over the crocodiles".

Light wasn't so good to photograph in, the sun's setting here when you lot in the Southern States are eating your crunches for breakfast. Hope that the Huricane doesn't catch any of you all.

As for my European compatriots; time for a sundowner.
Adios, adeu, tot siens, sayenora, buenos notchas, gutten nacht, god dag
and may the sleep fairy bring you all pleasant dreams!
Cheers
Bob

"Across the Mara"

150 x 200 Oil on Board “Across the Mara”

For those who don’t know or can’t afford “Getaway” magazine, the Mara river runs through the migration route of the Wildebeest / Zebra on their trips to and from grazing.

They are forced to cross the river which just happens to be full of, no, not overflowing effluent, spilled aircraft fuel or household rubbish, but those magnificent natural pool cleaners; crocodiles. It is a natural lottery, run much better than South Africas National lottery, in that it works with deadly efficiency.

I wouldn’t like to have to make the crossing if I was a zebra. Come to that, I don;t think that I would like to make the crossing if I wasn’t a Zebra. Still it’s one of those things that will continue to happen every year. From what I understand, they will shortly have to put up grandstands to allow the hundreds of annual visitors to be able to see better.

Maybe they should make the visitors cross with the animals. Could make for some good photo opportunities.

Cheers

Bob

"Wildebeest"

400x600 Oil on Board
"Wildebeest"

I finished this painting to-day of some wildebeest in the late afternoon sun. You know when you look into the sun and everything looks the same colour, well that was where I was trying to go.

Guess what:I failed. Maybe not. I don't know. I still like the picture. I just wish that I was more skilled. I wanted to put another five or six animals in the background. Either I didn't have the patience or the skill or I'm a rotten artist. I don't know, but I kind of like it anyway. So there.

The white is the flash from my camera.

A peom for Mon amie Canadiane,

The water hole is not far from here. This is more like the Kalahari. You can see the sand dunes in the background. It gets quite hot. Theres a village down the road a mile or so (300 ks) called Hot as Hell You'll find it on the map close to the Botswana border.

“Old Tree at the Water Hole”

I’m sitting here on this old tree,
The sun is sinking in the west.
Doves come in to wet their wings,
In the water hole down below.

Zebras squeeling , wildebeest fight,
Black Backed Jackal look left and right.
Dust reflects the golden rays,
The last rays of the day.

I’m sitting here on this old tree,
The sun is almost down.
Amimals bending at their knees
Quenching a long days thirst.

Lion are coming over dune,
Hyenas running, they’ll drink soon,
Crocs are looking with dead eyes
Their feast will come when something dies.

I’m sitting here on this old tree
The sun has disappeared.
They all see things that makes them run,
The powerful rule the night.

Sounds and smells keep them alive and safe to see the sun
To them it’s life or death, to us it’s just good fun.
The smell of blood, the taste of dust, of hair, of bone, of bile,
It’s more than that. To sit down here ,to sit down here and smile.

Cheers
Bob

"Death in the Afternoon"

150 x 200
Oil on Board
"Death in the Afternoon"





What do you think?
I find that I am becoming more and more of an illustrator and less and less an artist.
You know what I mean, unless there's a highlight in the eye, unless the proportion is technically correct etc etc.
I spent a total of ten minutes painting , in thick lush paint, thick strokes and lots of colour, painting the kill of a beast by a lion.
I wanted to express the pace, the power, the horror.
Did I suceed, or did I fail missabrably?
Should I look a little bit further under the bed, or just pull the covers down?
What do you say?
Should wildlife art be purely illustrative or should it also contain an element of artists licence?
Your Call.