Two weekends ago I had one of those weekends that really reminded me why I love living and working in Cape Town, overlooking traffic and housing costs of course!
One of the things I really enjoy about my work is joining the Friday afternoon activities with the students we host in Cape Town. It’s always a chance to catch up with them, hear how their time here is going, and the bonus is that we often end up in some pretty rad places, like Steenberg Farm. That afternoon we went wine tasting at Steenberg Farm. Steenberg has a beautiful tasting room but also an incredible history. The farm was founded in the 1600s by Catherina, who must have been an incredibly driven and tough lady!
Saturday was a chilled day, with sunny weather! I wandered through Kenilworth with Fynn in search of interesting buildings to paint. It’s an art finding a place with a view that’s pretty safe from traffic. We settled on the Presbyterian Church on Main Road and Auburn House School. I’m enjoying just walking out of the gate and about painting my own neighbourhood, actually stopping to notice the places I usually just pass by.
On Sunday the kids were keen to ride their bikes, so we headed to the fields outside the Virgin Active in Constantia. It’s a safe spot for them to practice, with a spectacular view up the Constantia Valley. While they rode, I set up and painted the Claremont Cricket Club clubhouse (yes, technically a different suburb!). The clubhouse restaurant is a bit of a hidden gem with affordable food and unbeatable views. I was happy with the painting, but did end up using white ink. Watercolour is amazing, but not very forgiving!
Then this past weekend we changed things up and tackled some of the greenbelts in Constantia. It’s always a great outing. Spring is definitely here, we got a bit sun-kissed doing this one!
Back at home, I also worked from a photo of St Mary the Virgin in Albert Road, Woodstock. I’ll admit it wasn’t plein air this time, but the juxtaposition of the Church and Albert Road really stood out to me.