‘LaYears Of Living’ – Day 362/365

‘LaYears Of Living’ – Day 362/365

ORIGINAL COPY POSTED ON INSTAGRAM DURING THE CHALLENGE

Sceneries like this are painted in layers to add depth. While I was adding my final circles around the sun before moving onto the midground trees, I realised the layers of a painting are not unlike the layers of life.⁠
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Each builds onto the next and you can’t go back and redo one no matter how badly you want to. ⁠
Often the fact that you might have needed to go back and make a previous layer brighter, or softer or more vivid only becomes clear once you’ve added the next layer on top.⁠

In both cases, I guess the experience to know how richly to saturate these things while you’re in the midst of painting or living them, comes with time.⁠

But regardless of how you’re choosing to live the layers of your present life, kids or no kids, footloose or fancy, settled or nomadic, take an adage from painting and give your life the grace to fluff it up and make some blunders.⁠
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My personal call is – if it feels right for you in the present – you shouldn’t view it as a wrong call down the line. ⁠
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I’m relieving future me of any and all rights to judge and berate past me. If the background is too saturated and the trees look wonky when I’m 80 years old and sitting on that rocking chair sipping over salted Bloody Marys then ‘oh well’ that’s the painting of my life and I reckon I would be honoured to have a painting, any life painting to gaze back on.⁠
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📸 an absolutely breathtaking inspiration photo by one of my favourite photographers @joehanlyy ⁠

(artist retains all rights to print reproductions of this painting)

Derivative work created with permission from the photographer

‘Treeson Of Self’ – Day 354/365 – SOLD

‘Treeson Of Self’ – Day 354/365 – SOLD

“Plants are more courageous than almost all human beings: an orange tree would rather die than produce lemons, whereas instead of dying the average person would rather be someone they are not.”⁠

― Mokokoma Mokhonoana⁠

(artist retains all rights to print reproductions of this painting)
Inspiration: Photography of Steven Jansen


ORIGINAL COPY POSTED ON INSTAGRAM DURING THE CHALLENGE

“Plants are more courageous than almost all human beings: an orange tree would rather die than produce lemons, whereas instead of dying the average person would rather be someone they are not.”⁠

― Mokokoma Mokhonoana⁠

I thought that was quite a profound viewpoint. What do you think about it?⁠

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📸 this awesome African tree was captured by @geomaniac 😘 ⁠

‘Stirring Up Stillness’ – Day 280/365

‘Stirring Up Stillness’ – Day 280/365

ORIGINAL COPY POSTED ON INSTAGRAM DURING THE CHALLENGE

Even giants, who tread gently cast ripples among the stillest waters.⁠
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If you’re going to take bold steps from your rooted spot, the world around you will react to your shift.⁠

To you, in your immediate surroundings, it might look like disrupting the serene. But from afar, the ripples you cast paint a far more dynamic world around you.⁠
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Keep moving forward, gently, but keep moving.⁠
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📸 some mega beautiful inspiration from @joehanlyy

(artist retains all rights to print reproductions of this painting)
Derivative work created with permission from photographer

Small Mighty Rhino’ – Day 275/365 – SOLD

Small Mighty Rhino’ – Day 275/365 – SOLD

Let’s be small but mighty together.⁠

Sale Price of Original: R1900 – SOLD

Derivative work created with permission from photographer
(artist retains all rights to print reproductions of this painting)


ORIGINAL COPY POSTED ON INSTAGRAM DURING THE CHALLENGE

Anais Anin said, “I will not just be a tourist in a world full of images.”⁠

I don’t want to live in a world where only images of rhinos remain. And I don’t want to be a passenger while these atrocities take place on our watch knowing I could have done more.⁠

Great things really can be done by many small acts coming together.⁠
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Today’s miniNature is in ode to World Rhino Day (which I missed 10 days ago, but such is the nature of this challenge. I’m giving myself grace for stuff like this now.)⁠
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I have some fun plans for prints of this tiny painting next year when the challenge is complete.⁠
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But until then – let’s do something small together.⁠
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I’m donating R100 today. (See stories for proof if you need it)⁠
If every one of you lovely humans following this account joins me – we could contribute R10 000 to this cause. Wouldn’t that be awesome sauce?😍⁠
👉wwf.org.za/donate/⁠
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Let’s be small but mighty together.⁠
#smallbutmightyrhino

📸thank you @danchaknova for the amazing inspiration ⁠

 

PostScript – yes I donated. Not sure who else did. This is no miracle story – but if you don’t put things out there and try stuff – how will you ever know what the world responds to and what it just says ‘meh’ to? I’m still learning…

‘Kenya Handle it’ – Day 242/365

‘Kenya Handle it’ – Day 242/365

ORIGINAL COPY POSTED ON INSTAGRAM DURING THE CHALLENGE

No reason or rhyme today.⁠
Sometimes a girl just feels like painting a bit of Kenya.⁠
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📸inspiration via an @unsplash pic⁠

(artist retains all rights to print reproductions of this painting)
Inspiration: common license