I seem to have had quite a 'lucky run' of late. It all started two years ago after I'd bought four large brushes from an annual sale in Jhb. As August is my birthday month, the timing is always good and I'm well justified in spending some cash on a few treats. However, I wasn't so lucky in that the brushes after using only once or twice distorted.
After following up with the local supplier for nearly a year, I finally decided to contact Winsor and Newton directly. I WAS AMAZED at their POLITE and HIGHLY EFFICIENT service.
To my complete surprize, withn two days I received a note to collect a parcel from the post office.
Arriving home and opening up the parcels, I was delighted beyond delight to find two
full packs of brand new brushes ... LUCKY, LUCKY ME !!
"one man's trash is another man's treasure"
By far the MOST luckiest of all finds was when at the start of the year, alongside my gardener Henry, we took a trip out to the garden refuse dump. I hadn't been in months. As we had a few plastic items to dump, Henry directed me to park where typically I would not park.
I sat waiting in the car while he unloaded the boot. I thought how true was the saying "one man's trash is anot
her man's treasure". I looked up and noticed a plastic box, and felt COMPELLED to go n take a look. Never! I thought. I'm hardly the adventurous type and in fact a bit of a "bang-broek" (scardy-cat) ... besides, there's nothing I need.
But the compelling voice/force was such that I tentatively got out the car and ran
across to have a closer peek. NO WAY .... I could hardly believe what I saw. I picked it up - popped it in the car and sped home.
On opening the container, there I found about 60 tubes of high quality paint, W&N ... various series - as well as Maimeiri and Classico! Some were brand new. Later that week I calculated the monetary worth and by gosh ... it's alot !
I'm convinced that the paints had been tossed out by an unknowing family member ... and I get the feeling that this was likely at the death of a loved one ... where the family m
embers could not have known the worth and value of what they were throwing out.
So, here I am using these paints ... some of which are of colours I've not worked with before ... and now am expanding my palette. I do have a kind of melancholy about it too ... and hope that if these did belong to an artist who has since passed on, that they're looking down on me with a smile in seeing how much joy they're bringing to me.
Birthdays are meant to be great ...
I'd been wanting (actually - needing) a bigger easel for the last few years. After a successful exhibit at Fat Tuesday in March I thought okay, this is it ... will splurge out and get me that easel. But our home was in need of quite a few things and so I thought best to leave it for a while, and maybe to hold out till my birthday in August ... I'd ask the family to hold back on the gifts of chocolates and club together for the easel I'd had my eye on.
But August came and I was busy with a whole bunch of things and thought ah well some othertime.
And then I get this call from my Dad in Springs to say he'd come across an easel lying about in a friend's garage and did I want it. He thought it was like the one I already had. I ummed n ahhed a bit n then thought that actually, the group of ladies I'd been facilitati
ng through the Artist's Way, had said they'd be keen for me to teach them the basics of painting so, ja, sure, another easel would be needed.
Two days later it arrived and oh would you believ
e ... it was a hardly-ever-before-used full size easel ... just like I'd wanted ... and the timing of this was that it arrived ... in time for my birthday. Go figure!
A few weeks ago, I had a call from an aquaintance wh knew of an elderly couple who were wanting to sell some art stuff. I didn't need anything but said I'd be happy to take a few photos of it all and pass round to my network.
I photographed it all and made up a list of the prices they wanted; which was a few rands for the easels (e.g. R15 for the desk easel etc etc). With my friends wanting to learn how to paint I thought okay, a few more items to add to my art studio at hardly any cost and was happy to purchase for myself.
As I was leaving, I noticed two wooden artist boxes and asked what they were. "oh, those are only junk" she said. I pulled them out from under the table, and asked how much she'd want for them. "fifteen rands each she said".
I opened them each up and found a full set of watercolour in one, and oils in the other ....
Another lucky find ....
At the same time I also found this brand-spanking-new Winsor and Newton Watercolour Travelling Kit ... I've since used it ... on the beach in Mauritius ... I paid all of twenty south african rands ... !!
