Sunday 15 February 2009

EASTERN OPEN


I have now finished my second piece from my travels for the Eastern Open and my is it different from the image I posted a few days ago!!! I've removed the images of the cave drawings I saw in the Cederberg Mountains as I felt they made the composition a bit messy. Instead, I concentrated on the vastness of the areas we drove through on long straight roads. So I had to have an idea for the bottom centre in place of some of the cave figure drawings, so I came up with a different type of Proteus I had found in Kirstenboch Botanical Gardens near Cape Town.
I developed Table Mountain in the back (ie the top) and decided on only one Artisian Well.
I think it makes a good pair with the Amsterdam Tulips.

12 comments:

caseytoussaint said...

What a gorgeous, intricate colorful painting!

RH Carpenter said...

I could analyze this painting for a long time but my first impressions were - gorgeous use of color and texture in the brushstrokes. I feel the proteus flower is almost masculine, it is so strong and powerful and the combination of the female figure sets it off and balances it well. Beautiful!!! And I guess this is what I meant when I said you paint traditionally, but also not traditionally but exceptionally :)

Junie and J said...

This looks really nice. I like the texture. The colors are very beautiful.

Teri said...

Absolutely stunning!! The colors are so gorgeous and your attention to detail is amazing.

Sandy Maudlin said...

Whoa. You caught my attention when I saw this on your post. What a fascinating and complex painting, but so refreshing. What a great show it will make with your paintings shining in it. WOnderful!

Angela said...

Oh this is just fantastic! I like it so much!

Can't wait to see what you do next!

Joan Sandford-Cook said...

Thankyou everyone for your response to this finished piece. I just hope you are right and the Eastern Open judges (from an American Museum, Tate Liverpool, Norfolk Festival and a Features Art Editor) think the same and I get my pair from my travels accepted.

Vicki Greene said...

Joan I gave you blog an award. You can see it at http://vickigreene.blogspot.com/

Margaret Ann said...

This is drop dead gorgeous Joannie... I can only imagine it's vibrancy in person...Lots of stong powerful images blending together so well!

Robert A Vollrath said...

Wow! You really blew me away with this painting.

Joan Sandford-Cook said...

Your comments are so encouraging. It seems I must do more like this - in other words go back to my old style I have neglected for too long.

Anita said...

Just fabulous! Love the proteus. I went to Cape Town and Stellenbosch when I was 9 (when we left Kenya) and was struck at 9 by the incredible beauty.