laughter in the train park

the old locomotive at the Belvedere/Keurboom park

I have started inviting people to come out and paint with me on one Saturday afternoon per month.  The idea is to constitute another sort of forum for people to relatte to each other around a shared love of painting and drawing.  I make a FaceBook "event" and had a very interesting group of people committing to come along...alas, I am also learning that those who actually follow up on a committment made on facebook are few!

So, I have painted the Ghost House by myself (although one friend got lost); and I painted Lions at Rhodes Memorial by myself... Yesterday, though, my friend Matthew Graham turned up and drew charcoal locomotives, and shared his drawing materials with sundry children:)

I decided to paint the Train in the train park near to us, and it was a great event.  An ENglish family on holiday were getting some last African sunshine before heading home to the cold.  And many children hovered around.


But I guess my best experience was the two toothless homeless women who roared with laughter and delight that I was drawing a recognisable picture of the old locomotive.  They laughed and laughed and laughed, and showered me with compliments until I felt quite shy:)  The happiness seemed to be way beyond the effort I had put in.  Which goes to show that you sometimes get more than you expect...or something

Oh, and the English couple bought the painting for R500 - which will tide us over a thin middle of the month after Christmas and New Year expenses.  God certainly supplies all our needs according to his riches in Glory!