A collection of oil paintings mostly of the beautiful and historic Constantia Valley done en plein air. As urbanization encroaches, the landscape of my childhood quickly changes.
This series of landscape oil paintings of the Constantia Valley is very dear to my heart. It was the first ‘mature’ series of paintings I had attempted. During this time, from 2008 onwards, I had been pushing hard to become a serious artist while living in Constantia.
I grew up and went to school in the valley, so the vineyards and mountains were always familar to me. Most of my childhood was spent outdoors. I know the very scents of the different soil types, something I can even smell in the wines of the area.
I rented a cottage studio near the vineyards for 14 years, and worked as a wine steward, restaurant sommelier and cellar tour guide at Groot Constantia, Eagle’s Nest, Buitenverwachting and Constantia Uitsig wine farms.
There were many changes happening in the Constantia Valley all the time. My paintings are like snapshots of a moment in time. Some of trees, views, or even the buildings no longer exist, even a few years later.
The Historic Constantia Valley — A Place of Inspiration and Beauty
On my days off, I wandered through the vineyards, hills and greenbelt of the beautiful Constantia Valley. I wrote music and poetry, and painted many plein air landscapes and studies. I filled pages with sketches and drawings.
It was a time of intense inspiration for me. I felt an ancestral connection to the Cape and to the vineyards (my forefathers were wine-farming Huguenots from the 1680’s).
I worked solely from life in this series. No photos were used. I often returned with my easel or sketchpad to the same location many times in order to complete my artwork. Sometimes, I even painted in my car.
I think working from life in this way made me a much better artist, which benefits my art even to this day.
You may notice, there is at least one bird in every painting. I always included the birds I encountered while painting outdoors. Since childhood, birds have always been very special to me, and the fertile Constantia Valley has more than 80 species!
Click on an image to view larger file size and then click again to see a close up.
Doves in Flight Before the Rain Comes (View of Groot Constantia), oil on canvas, 70 x 90 cm, Damian Osborne, 2012. A view of the vineyards on Groot Constantia looking towards the Manor House (1685) and the mountains over the Constantia Valley. This was a common view I had while walking to work. Cape Turtle doves in their characteristic swift scattering fill the sky. R22 000.
Bridge and Pine Trees (Constantia Green Belt), oil on canvas, 23 x 30 cm, Damian Osborne, 2012. A wooden bridge over a river with pine trees, willows and reeds and a heron hunting in the tall grass. A tranquil river walk I often take near my home. R3000.
Constantia Uitsig Paddocks, oil on canvas, 80 x 130 cm, Damian Osborne, 2013. A view of Constantia Uitsig from Buitenverwachting across the vlei and horse paddocks. There were two amazing and famous restaurants here before new owners bought the farm and closed them. I painted this large painting from a small plein air study I did. The vlei is home to many bird species, including the less common Spurwing Geese. I would usually jump this fence and walk across the paddocks and through the vineyards home. R30 000.
The Paddocks (Plein Air Study), oil on board, 40 x 50 cm, Damian Osborne, 2011. This was a study I did from my car with the board against the steering wheel for a larger painting in the studio. It is a view looking over at the paddocks from Buitenverwachting wine farm. A Cape Wagtail walks along the wooden fence. R3000.
Crows in the Vineyard (View of Klein Constantia), oil on canvas, 52 x 73 cm, Damian Osborne, 2012. Pied Crows playfully swoop over the Constantia Valley above the Klein Constantia vineyards. I painted this on warm Autumn days, trekking a few times up to the top of the hill with my easel while the vineyards changed colour and the wind carried the scent of the sea. R9800.
Dam in the Evening (Groot Constantia), oil on board, 32 x 34 cm, Damian Osborne, 2011. A view of Egyptian Geese on the dam at Groot Constantia Wine Estate with the sky taking on rose hues in the evening light. I painted this sitting on the bank after work one evening when I still worked on this farm. R3500.
Dusk in the Chardonnay Vineyard, Constantia Uitsig (plein air), oil on board, 40 x 50 cm, Damian Osborne, 2012. A plein air study of the Chardonnay Vineyard on Constantia Uitsig for a larger painting in the studio. I worked on this farm for a few years, just a 15 minute walk from my house. I loved walking through the vines on a cool evening. A flock of Sacred Ibis fly on their way home in the distance. R5800.
Oak Tree at the Crossroads (Groot Constantia), oil on canvas, 79 x 59 cm, Damian Osborne, 2011. A gnarled old oak tree stands at the crossroads of the vineyards. These vineyards have been extant since 1685 on Groot Constantia estate. I loved this old tree, probably a few hundred years old, and this was one of my favourite walks on the farm near to the dam. I painted the manor house in the background. The green of the nasturtiums is always so lush in winter and I love the winter outlines of the oaks too. A Sunbird flitters in front. This old tree has since been felled. R30 000.
Road through Uitsig Vineyards, oil on canvas paper, 20 x 23 cm, Damian Osborne, 2011. This is the view I had when I worked in the wine shop on Constantia Uitsig from 2008 until 2014. These were the Sauvignon and Semillion vines turning yellow in Autumn. R2000.
Sauvignon Blanc Vineyards in Autumn (Groot Constantia), oil on canvas, 58 x 88 cm, Damian Osborne, 2012. The vineyards at the top of Groot Constantia Estate turning yellow in Autumn and the rye between the vines beginning to sprout. An Olive Thrush hides in beneath the vines. I enjoy walking in these the hills in the evenings. R7800.
Sedge in the Evening, oil on canvas, 46 x 34 cm, Damian Osborne, 2012. A Night Heron flies over a river of sedge in the evening light. I often hear their croaking in the evening and sometimes, on my night walks, I hear nightjars in these trees. R3700.
The Bramble Bushes, oil on canvas, 40 x 81 cm, Damian Osborne, 2012. This vlei (Pagasvlei) runs between my home and the Groot Constantia Vineyards and I often would walk this route when I worked on the farm. Can you spot the pair of Cape Franklin? R8300.
The Dam (Groot Constantia), oil on canvas, 58 x 88 cm, Damian Osborne, 2012. A view of the dam on Groot Constantia, one of the oldest wine estates in the Southern Hemisphere (1685). An African Fish Eagle circles above with the back of Table Mountain in the background. I painted this from a charcoal sketch I did sitting on the bank of the dam. R12000.
The Forest (Vlakkenberg, Constantia), oil on canvas, 58 x 88 cm, Damian Osborne, 2012. A Forest Buzzard flies through the trees in Vlakkenberg Forest in the Constantia Valley near my home. It flew over my head as I was painting there. Big granite boulders and fallen oak trees lie in the cool forest. R7800.
The Gumtrees (View of Klein Constantia), oil on canvas, 60 x 79 cm, Damian Osborne, 2012. Looking at the Klein Constantia Manor House through large Eucalyptus trees while an African Black Sparrowhawk flies across. Napoleon Bonaparte drank the wines made on this farm. I painted this view sitting on a slope. This was before the pine forests on the mountain were destroyed by a massive fire in 2015. R14000.
The Koi Pond, oil on canvas, 100 x 150 cm, Damian Osborne, 2012. I painted this large oil on canvas painting directly from life by setting up my easel in my landlady’s garden. I like the serenity and security of the secluded garden and the pleasant light and birdsong beneath the trees. R9800.
The Swallows (Nova Constantia), oil on canvas, 31 x 41 cm, Damian Osborne, 2013. The Nova Constantia Manor House set among trees and vineyards while swallows swoop in the warm spring-time air. I always love the arrival of swallows in Spring. R3500.
Merlot Block Levelled (Groot Constantia), oil on board, 45 x 58 cm, Damian Osborne, 2011. A vineyard block that has been cut down. The vine stumps remain in neat rows while three Hadeda Ibises fly across the winter evening sky. I took the rare opportunity to paint the stumps of these 15 year old merlot vines on Groot Constantia before they replanted the vineyard. I love peaceful evening walks in nature. R7900.
Please let me know if you’re interested in any of the paintings.
