Male Figures by Michael Leonard

"Born in Bangladore, India, in 1933 Michael Leonard studied graphic design and illustration at St. Martin's School of art in London from 1954 to 1957, after which he worked as an illustrator. Leonard first exhibited as a painter in 1972 and has subsequently and numerous one-person exhibitions, in London at Fischer Fine Art and Thomas Gibson Fine Art and in New York at Forum Gallery. He his work has also been included in various selected group exhibitions in the United States, Europe and Canada." Simply beautiful!

Changing Room, 2005

Adventures in Nyalaland 1

Guess what I got up to during the long weekend... The Nyalaland Hiking Trail takes you through one of the most beautiful and unspoilt wilderness areas of South Africa. The camp is situated on the bank of the Madzaringwe stream north of Punda Maria, near the Luvuvhu River and the magnificent Lanner Gorge.

Torso by Wim Griffith

Wim Griffith works in a variety of mediums, including sculpture, painting, and murals. Visit his website to get the full picture and buy some of his awesome work!

Witness the Cuteness

These meerkat puppies were born close to the place I work. Could not resist sharing them...

Andrew Verster

Catch Andrew Verster's exhibition "Past/Present" at the Standard Bank Art Gallery in Johannesburg if you can. It runs until 23 May and covers the past 14 years of his work. The title of the exhibition refers to how our past affects our present. Verster celebrates South Africa's democracy as a major personal milestone - as the first works were made during this transition in 1994.

The exhibition is a multi-disciplinary show of paintings, drawings, stage sets, costume designs and wax panels that aims to reveal Verster's diverse approach and innovation.

Almost Shirtless

Pencil drawing on A4 paper. They may seem obvious, but here are a few things learned during this drawing.


The type of paper has a huge influence on the amount of detail you can achieve. Had to tear this one out of the sketchpad - the surface underneath the drawing also dictates how much of the graphite "sticks" to the paper. As the drawing evolves, I often use fixative to stop it getting messy and this also affects any work over the bottom layers.

Love to hear from you - so send me your comments...

Transporter by Taner Ceylan

Hyperrealist Taner Ceylan was born in Germany in 1967. He lives and works in Istanbul, Turkey.

Transporter - 140 x 200 cm, Oil on Canvas, 2008

Yes please...

Meet Paul Bester, a 20-year-old South African rugby player turned model, now living in the US.

Dickies Drawings

Check out the very talented artist at Dickies Drawings. I love his style!

Mark Beard and Company

Mark Beard was born in 1956 in Salt Lake city, and now lives in New York. Over the past 20 years he has created several alter egos each with their own unique style and personality.

Read all about this artist at the John Stevenson Gallery

Local talent... First Project

Managed to see the very impressive adrenaline-fueled band - 1st Project in action last week.

"1st Project is an industrial percussion act with a unique South African element and a pulse of pure primal energy! Combining elements of rock, traditional African rhythms, house and Latin, 1st Project has created a completely original style of music that is guaranteed to touch and entertain audiences of all ages, no matter what their tastes."

George in the Pool

Pencil drawing of one of my Facebook friends.

Hot Hot Hot

Some local hotties from the South African production of High School Musical at the Montecasino Teatro. We caught the show last week in Johannesburg and really enjoyed it - great performances, high energy dancing and just so much fun!

The principal roles are filled by a unique mix of well-known stage and television performers together with South Africa's freshest new faces whose exceptional talent combined with loads of enthusiasm and determination are making their mark in the entertainment industry.

Male Art by Moxy Hart

"Words are so restrictive, mere utterances, black on white. Feeling is the language of the soul and it’s in big, bold, bright, fantastic Technicolor. This is how I see. This is my world" – Moxy Hart


In 1975 Moxy was born in a small town in Gauteng into a family of non-artists. As the odd one out, he would often escape into the world of his imagination and art. He got his first paying job as an artist at the age of 6 when a primary school teacher commissioned him to draw flashcards. He duly announced to his folks that it was time to leave school and become an artist!

Upon his parents insistence he attended an academic high school with no art subjects – so he could get a "real" job. After a few miserable years and nearly failing, he was sent to Art School where he excelled.

There an uninformed lecturer told him the best job one could find as an artist would be window dressing and suddenly he was disenchanted with the world of art. He left small town ideas and opportunities behind and headed for the big city to study fashion design instead. Moxy worked in the fashion industry for three years, but realized that it was a world he did not fit into.

A career in shopping centre decor followed which led to event decor design, the perfect platform for him to utilize his multiple artistic skills. He started his own event design company and the company name became synonymous with extraordinary event design. The painting of massive event backdrops triggered in him a desire to work on canvas.

The sensation of painting on canvas awakened his original passion for fine art. When Moxy decided to sell the company and paint full time, happiness had arrived.

Since relocating to Cape Town four and a half years ago Moxy has been concentrating on depicting the male form and masculine beauty. With works sold right across the globe to private clients and collectors, and fast gaining a reputation as a world class fine artist.

See more of this talented South African artist at http://www.moxyhart.com/

Life Study

Must confess... I really enjoy these images by photographer Anthony Gayton.

Lights by Claudio Bindella

I love this painting "Lights" by Claudio Bindella - 2008

A Christmas Angel for You

At last... I completed the colored version of Scruffy Angel. The final image is 1280 by 960... big enough to use as a desktop. Let me know what you think.

Stargazing

For one evening only, we were treated to the conjunction of a cresent Moon with Venus and Jupiter on the first day of December. The very bright "evening star" to the left of the moon is the planet Venus. The other bright "star" below to the right of the moon is Jupiter.

Hmmm... Janez

We forgive Janez Vermeiren for always taking off his shirt everywhere he goes.

Comment Moderation

Sorry all... Comment moderation has been turned back on. There has been too many automated spam comments on the blog lately. Please do not let this discourage you from leaving your comments... I love hearing from you!