Dont take this Personally!!

Don't take this Personally!!, a set on Flickr.

Spring Tide, 1st September Kalk Bay Harbour 2008

Don't take this Personally
But I am Big
You are small.
You are in my way
Will you stand or will you crumble ?

This is going to be
a very busy day

Print options for this image

60x60 cm stretched canvas R750 ZAR

80x80 cm stretched canvas R1150 ZAR

postage cost will vary according to your region

email inquiries to bagend@iafrica.com

The 1st September is traditionally known as the 1st day of spring in the Southern Hemisphere.
The spring of 2008 swept in with a tide of catastrophic proportions, accompanied by a wave of storms that is said to be the worst in the Western Cape region, for over 20 years.

The response to this series has been somewhat overwhelming.
But perhaps more overwhelming has been the experience itself.
So I felt it would be appropriate to write a short story about this series of pictures.

In amongst all of the most wonderful comments there was one that said, "Lucky shot"
At first this comment put me on the defensive. After all, I felt that my own journey as a photographer had also equipped me to take these pictures on the day, without fluffing it.
But it did get me thinking. Yes, in fact that comment is correct.
I count myself very lucky to have witnessed such an epic event.
Within the last few weeks, I have journeyed back in my mind and through these images to those moments.
To think that I had to phone a friend for a lift to get me to the location, because my car had broken down on route.
Everything about the day seemed so surreal. It was like taking pictures for a larger than life movie, but you were also in it.
Of course all the stunts were your own too.

I think more importantly though is the subject of our relationship as human beings with the changing environment around us. In those moments that we stick our heads out of the maize of mediocrity, it would be agreed that the world around us is changing.
Climates are becoming more unpredictable, storms of this nature are becoming more prolific and increasing in size.
Ultimately it will be us against nature. All the trivial politics and dogma in-between, I believe, mean absolutely nothing in the end.

So let's think about the size of that wave looking down on us the next time we buy that mass produced product of little or no use, or sip coffee out of a polystyrene cup or blindly upgrade from that old cell phone, because it's no longer cool.
We are all consumed by our own systems.
Have we stopped to consider whats coming over that wall ?

Wild pyrography

Wild pyrography, a set on Flickr.

Pyrography means "writing with fire" and is the traditional art of using a heated tip or wire to burn or scorch designs onto natural materials such as wood or leather. Burning can be done by means of a modern solid-point tool (similar to a soldering iron) or hot wire tool. I attached some bolts to the base of the tip, which helps in regulating the heat. At the right temperature I am able to sketch onto the leather, the same as I would with a pencil on drawing pad. The only difference being that I never have to sharpen my pencil.

Large format pieces are 80cm x 1.2 meters

Born to be Wild

Born to be Wild , a set on Flickr.

A gallery dedicated to some of my wildlife paintings over the years.
These images are from paintings already sold.
Photo and canvas prints available. Original commissions taken.

African wildlife has been one of my passions for many years.
As such, I have recorded this subject in various mediums; oil, acrylic & watercolour being the most prominent.

When I first started to do large format paintings (about 80cm by 1meter - metric) these were predominantly done in acrylic. I don't really know why I used this medium because it just takes forever on a canvas this size. Perhaps I liked punishing myself ?
Because acrylics dry very quickly, it is possible however to gain fine detail, specifically in the hair of certain animals (there is no blending of colours) My approach was similar to that of photoshop - working one layer of colour over the next. I found these pieces somewhat exhausting.

Oils are currently my favourite medium. I love the ease of blending and manipulating colours. I can't believe that I discovered oils so late in life (my early 30's to be exact) For some reason I was always afraid of it, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense when I am one of those artists that is eager to experiment in different mediums.

I don't really have a specific approach to my work other than I just to do what makes sense to me.