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.
Please let me know if you’re interested in any of the paintings.