Date: 25th July 2013 to 28th July 2013
Ganora Guest Farm, Nieu Bethesda
(between Middelburg and Graaff-Reinet ~ see more about Ganora and Nieu Bethesda below)
Join well-known artist and art teacher Talbot Cox for a happy and expressive weekend workshop aimed at making art a part of your daily existence….explore the many ways of rendering stunning paintings, ideal for quick thumbnails, sketchbooks and fine pieces of art. Take art out of the closet and make it part of your daily world and open your senses to the beauty of the world around you…. Beginners welcome!
Included in the course:
~ Accommodation and meals
~ Guided Fossil and Bushmen Paintings Walks on the farm
~ A guided tour to the world-famous Helen Martin Owl House
~ Lunch under the trees at the Brewery and Cheesemaker
~ Visits to various artist studios including Sculptor Frans Boekkooi, Ceramic Artists Charmaine & Martin Haines, the Bethesda Art Centre, and Galleries.
Comments on Previous Workshops
"This was an absolutely super weekend - I learned so much and had so much fun . I would not change anything."
"All I can say is that it was wonderful and great fun and Talbot certainly is a down to earth super guy and with no fuss and frills he really made us all feel at home and not quite as stupid as we imagined!!! I have not stopped drawing pictures, even though I have been dog tired at night after work, so call that inspiration or whatever!"
Enquiries
Phone Heidi on 082 865 2699 or email her at heidikb@mweb.co.za. Please note that space is limited (12 people only) which ensures hands-on personal attention.
Cost
R3 250 per person sharing (all inclusive except for transport and alcoholic drinks.) A 50% deposit is required on bookings and a 10% cancellation fee applies.
Talbot says: “It is a vast subject...I cannot make people artists in two days but I open the door and show them the magic of pen and wash... for them to experience for themselves! In the process I show them little short cuts etc. I have learnt from experience. Every participant will go home with a sketchbook habit... I have often found my best work has been from a quick and easy pen and wash...
About Talbot: Talbot Cox was a successful banker before embracing art as a profession. He is now an established artist who has had many exhibitions, live demonstrations and workshops. While self-taught, he has worked with celebrated artists locally, internationally and abroad, returning from a sabbatical in the US where he painted with renowned portrait artists. He is a member of the American Portrait Society. Formal art training includes Unisa certified courses in drawing and two-dimensional form. He is a past President of the EC Watercolour Society. Talbot and his wife, Elyse, renovated two historical cottages on the magical cliffs of Schoenmakerskop. Port Elizabeth, overlooking the sea: Seashell cottage where they live and Periwinkle Cottage where he has his gallery and studio.
About Ganora: Ganora is an active sheep farm situated in the foothills of the majestic Snowberg Range forty kilometers north of Graaff-Reinet in the Karoo heartland. The farmstead and guest cottages nestle deep in the slopes of a depression carved into the bedrock by ancient rivers in pre-historic times. The surrounding rock formations and rich fossil beds on the farm bear testimony to the events that contributed to the formation of this vast and beautiful land. The original farmstead and outbuildings, dating back to the mid 1700's has been converted into guest accomodation. The stone packed kraal wall that once surrounded the farmyard todayform part of the guest cottage interiors, allowing visitors the rare pleasure of interacting with the past.
Farm owners, JP and Hester Steynberg (an artist herself ) moved here just over ten years ago, and immediately started discovering the farm’s previous lives from the flinty rock that reveals ancient fossils to the smooth sides of the shelter painted by Bushmen. The result is a private museum featuring all the fossils and Bushman implements found by them and their sons, Louis and Renier. A visit to the museum can be followed by accompanied walks to the fossil bed and to the sites of Bushman paintings and engravings. "In one day, we can give you a lifetime experience starting 240 million years ago" says Hester.
JP has a vast knowledge of the fossil record found in the area. His informative and entertaining talks captivate old and young and JP also works closely with phaleontologists andresearchers from Wits, NMMU and Rhodes.
Even the Anglo-Boer War features in Ganora's past. The farm overlooks the farms horses, wool sheds, geese, goats, cattle and you'll meet Gaaitjies and Gogo the meercats and Helen the owl - being nursed back to health after breaking a wing... as part of their exceptional rehabilitation program.
www.talbotportraits.co.za
www.nieubethesda.info
www.ganora.co.za
