Sunday 27 July 2008

ANOTHER DIP INTO MY SOUTH AFRICA SKETCHBOOK

This time I thought I'd post some of the scenery on our 3,000 mile trip. They are somewhat out of order though as the first one of Gariep Dam is on the Freestate and Eastern Cape border on our way back to Richard and Jenny's home on the south coast. The colours were so beautiful and soft as we came over the hill and this enormous dam came into our view.

The next double spread in my sketchbook is of our visit to the Kimberly Diamond mine. They still have the engines and gantry and a full village has been erected nearby including the restored buildings showing the times when the mine was hand dug in 1870s onwards. I got the view over the hole as they have erected a large extension off the tourist hall you can walk along - and it seems to sway!!!!

No 3 today is of my (I feel rather successful) sketch of Table Mountain. We had been up the cable car that morning and Richard drove us out of the city and round to the beach to look back across the water.

5 comments:

Robert A Vollrath said...

I like the train engines. Such personality to the sketches.

Anonymous said...

It is a joy to see your travel sketchbooks - but especially #3. I love the mere suggestion of buildings and the colors of the mountain are spectacular!

Joan Sandford-Cook said...

Shirley - when you look at the image blown up the buildings are just little pen marks/scribbles!!! but I too was pleased with the colours in the mountain.
Robert - not surprised little boys like the little old fashioned engines!!

E-J said...

Your Table Mountain sketch is just beautiful, Joan. This is my dad's country of origin ... I would love to see it with my own eyes ... but seeing it through yours is immensely satisfying.

Cathy Gatland said...

Your sketches of these familiar scenes are just lovely, Joan - you have captured more of South Africa on paper than I have in all my years of living here! (I hope to remedy that in due course now that I've 'discovered' sketching and children have grown) If you're ever back here and passing through Johannesburg, let me know and we could sketch together for an hour or two!