"A man's heart plans his way, but the LORD direct his steps."
Proverbs 16:9
Good day dear friends,
I trust that this letter will find you well. As we are nearing the end of this year, I wanted to share some of the highlights and happenings of this year. It was a full and intense year and it proofed to be a very good exercise for me, to just recall some of the experiences through my year. It made me realise that I had so much to be thankful for.
It has been a super busy year with four exhibitions, commissions, lots of travelling and visiting wonderful places. I have been blessed with making lots of very special memories.
We have been to beautiful Mossel bay, Pilanesberg, Kruger National Park, Ireland, Scotland and England.
We had the privilege to visit our children and granddaughter in a green cool Ireland in October. We joined them on a tour through parts of Scotland covered in fall colours.
I went to England afterwards and visited my mom's sister, the amazing artist Susanne du Toit for a few days. It was so special to just talk about art and which artists inspires her. She has a portrait painting hanging in the National Portrait gallery of London. A painting she did of Jeanette Winterson. It is just something else to see an art work in real life. Check out her work on Instagram @susannedutoit2353.
Susanne taught me some etch work techniques, and I was able to create some etches using my Life Drawing sketches as inspiration while I was there. I am hooked and am exploring the possibilities of doing more etch work in the future. I will keep you updated.
There were three group exhibitions that I took part in and one solo exhibition at a popular venue in Potchefstroom. The Potchefstroom Art Association arranged two group exhibitions through the year which I took part in. The B Gallery in Klerksdorp also had a group exhibition with an amazing event that included a wine tasting evening. It was an exhibition that consisted mainly of abstract works, and the curator, Lizette Havenga, did a splendid job of putting that exhibition together.
One of the commissions that I did this year, was the one that I spoke about in the previous newsletter, and I will be able to share the work with you now. It was a commission celebrating a couple's 25th wedding anniversary and the special memories they shared as a family. It was done on three canvasses that forms a unit when they hang together.
I am open to commissions and you are so welcome to reach out to me with your ideas and special requests.
I decided in the beginning of the year to focus on abstractions for a while and I chose to use the landscape as a starting point. I found it tough at times as I am inspired by so many things. I have started a series and finished a few which I uploaded to the website. So please go and have a look. I am still working on some bigger works, which I hope to get done before the holidays start.
I have kept up with the Life Drawing through the year as I absolutely love the drawing and to work among other artists for a bit.
I was also inspired to make some process videos through the year and will start sharing them at some stage. I am definitely learning so much technical things since I started sharing my art journey. Never too old to learn new things.
I am truly grateful for this year. For what I could learn, could draw and paint, and for what I could celebrate and share with family and friends. It wasn't always just easy to create and to juggle life and priorities. Things didn't always work out the way I planned or envisioned it. But as I get older and hopefully wiser, it gets easier to let go and let God.
I am looking forward to a new year full of creativity, more travelling and finding ways to take my art along on all the journeys. My hope is that my art will bring inspiration and beauty to your life.
"A true artist is not one who is inspired, but one who inspires others." Salvador Dali
So if you haven't subscribed to my newsletter yet, please do? And be sure not to miss any new work or exhibitions or even specials on my website.
Until next time, may you all have a blessed Christmas season and time with family and friends.
Elise
In awe of His Wonder - Mixed media on board
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