deviantART: by:donaldsart

Continuation of the Reflections journal

Part 1 "Poverty & Paradise" [link]
Part 2 "The Face of Africa" [link]

Even though of these pictures are nearly 2 decades old, I feel they still hold their appeal. For one, they serve as a recording of a particular time in Africa's history - but in many ways, nothing much has changed.
While the rest of the world surges forward at an alarming rate - though I'm not sure if you can call it progress * - in many parts of Africa, people are still desperate for their next meal.

(*for a mind blowing visual impact of modern day trends, please follow the link
...and these are just the stats for the US, never mind the rest of the world.

[link]
"11,000 jet trails, the number of commercial flights in the US every eight hours.
426,000 cell phones, the number of cell phones retired in the US every day
106,000 aluminum cans, the number used in the US every thirty seconds.")

Why do so many of these questions remain unanswered ?
Inside us, do we not have the answers ?

As a continent, Africa I would say is the most exploited in the world - a dumping ground for political weapons to fuel ongoing factions & enlarge fat cat wallets. A haven for drug trafficing, blood diamonds & many other kinds of exploitation.

All of this aside, one has to consider some of Africa's own roots. Tribal factions have been part of her history for centuries. The legacy of genocide, dictatorships & general hatred towards ones fellow man still alarms and saddens me. This coupled with corrupt governments - which seems to be in fashion all over the world these days, does not make it any easier for those of us who do believe in love & dignity.

Before any concept of unity can be achieved, we have to consider our roots.
Once that is understood, are we as a people willing to change ?

During the early 1990's I worked for a non profit organisation which was involved in humanitarian aid in Africa. It was here that I was given the wonderful opportunity not only to travel across this mysterious continents borders, but also to learn the art of photography which was primarily used, at the time, to assist in fund raising for this work.
I wish to share a few of the pictures I took along the way, with the hope that they hold some of the essence & heartbeat of this 'Dark Continent'.

http://donaldsart.deviantart.com/journal/15429532/ Fri, 09 Nov 2007 04:42:17 PST

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This is an upgrade of an earlier post with some new developments

Many of my wildlife images have been resubmitted. You now see them much clearer & larger. I have enhanced the images to be as close to the originals as possible. Please enjoy
(sorry about the soft watermark - I guess you can't be too careful)

For an easy reference to my gallery, please now see my Shout Board
[link]

Born to be Wild

This journal entry focuses on my wildlife art. First off, I need to establish that I am not just a wildlife artist, but have interests in many different aspects of 'ART'. (Please refer to my other journals)

Wildlife has been one of my passions for many years.
As such, I have recorded this subject in various mediums; oil, acrylic & watercolour being the most prominent. Many appreciators of wildlife art tend to find disappointment in the available market. Either the proportions are incorrect, the colours don't reflect the African setting, the compositions are unbelievable and so on. Over a long established career in this field I have come to the following conclusion:
Either wildlife should be recorded in abstract composition - which has its own set of interpretation, or when the subject is the main focus of the piece it should be recorded with accuracy and precision. Of course ones personal style defines you as an artist aswell.

Acrylic:

When I first started to do large format paintings (about 80cm by 1meter - metric) these were predominantly done in acrylic. I don't really know why I used this medium because it just takes forever on a canvas this size. Perhaps I like punishing myself ?

Because acrylics dry very quickly, it is possible however to gain fine detail, specifically in the hair of certain animals (there is no blending of colours) My approach was similar to that of photoshop - working one layer of colou... ]]> *donaldsart Staying Tooned http://donaldsart.deviantart.com/journal/14512781/ http://donaldsart.deviantart.com/journal/14512781/ Thu, 06 Sep 2007 06:19:53 PDT

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This journal as you can see focuses on various types of cartoon illustration.
Before we go any further I just need to establish one fact - I am an Artist first & foremost who happens to do some cartooning - NOT the other way around. So if you want to compare my cartoon/illustrations next to some on DA who do nothing else I will admit that I fall short. However, saying this I have some level of pride with what I've achieved in this genre - of course there is much still to learn.

My earliest influences were the likes of 'Donald Duck' (for obvious reasons) & the legendary 'Asterix & Obelix' - stylish, educational, historical + humorous. When I was still at school & part of literature homework was to read a book - I would read Asterix & Obelix, the book review consisted of what I could find in the sleeve.

Here are a few highlights of some of my toons over the years:

http://donaldsart.deviantart.com/journal/13752903/ Mon, 16 Jul 2007 05:24:45 PDT

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I have dedicated this journal to my abstract art.

I was struggling to come up with a descent title. On looking up a definition for 'abstract' in the dictionary I found this - 'not concrete'. Well how's that for an 'abstract' definition ? So I've adopted it.

The definition also goes on with 'not ideal/theoretical'
I know there will be some of you that do not appreciate abstract art for various reasons. I ask you to bear with me. There are many different aspects to my art & this journal has become a perfect soundboard for them. (there are also those that watch my journal that are not on DA)

My favourite definition for 'abstract' is 'withdrawn in thought'. That is exactly how I understand it. If you gaze on an abstract piece & your mind does not begin to wonder, then it has not achieved its purpose. You could also not be looking hard enough. The more you get lost in a piece, the greater the work of art.

Of course you might be of the opinion that abstract art is absolute bollocks. I'm afraid I do not intend spending my time trying to convince you. At the end of the day, we are all entitled to freedom of opinion. Of course, as in any category, you will find the KAK (a slang word in this country I would say is a more affectionate use of the word - shit)

Without any further ado I proudly present some abstract pieces from my gallery

I was delighted to receive a DD recently for Crystal.
Many thanks zeruch [link] (check out his awesome gallery)

Now you might be asking yourself what is the relevance of posting something that I did when I was 17. To which I would say - age is irrelevant.
What is important to me is that my gallery consist not only of my current work, but also those pieces which represent, at times very pivotal times in my life & my expression.

This piece for instance was the very first commission that I ever did. This was before the days of technology, so to record your work was somewhat difficult. A snap photo had to suffice. For some weird reason I was reluctant in those days to part with any art piece I had created. A high school teacher at the time, who also became a dear friend, encouraged me to let go a little. Annie, I will always remain indebted.
I had also just finished high school and was about to embark on a holiday trip with my mates - only problem was I had no way of paying for it. The money from this piece paid for my trip.

All these years later it has been featured as a DD. Now, that's special.

Some more abstracts from my gallery:

http://donaldsart.deviantart.com/journal/11782101/ Mon, 12 Feb 2007 05:38:04 PST

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Continuation of Reflections journal "Poverty & Paradise" [link]
The Face of Africa:

Pride & Prejudice
Timid & Bold
Toil & Honour

Eyes of Dignity
Inquisition & Intrigue
A Ray of Resonance
The Scar of Life

The Whispering Snake
Dutifully Devout
The Tale of Endurance

Enchanted Memories
Like Sunday Afternoon

I intend to share more chapters from this era in upcoming journals.Feedback on these would be most appreciated

COPYRIGHT NOTICE Â©
Respectfully DO NOT use anything from my gallery for blogs, websites, myspace, face book, banners, designs, posters, cd's, books etc WITHOUT my written approval. My work is NOT stock
If you see my work being used, please e-mail me - bagend@iafrica.com
Please respect copyrights.

]]> *donaldsart Reflections (part one) Vilanculos http://donaldsart.deviantart.com/journal/11444051/ http://donaldsart.deviantart.com/journal/11444051/ Mon, 15 Jan 2007 07:05:18 PST

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Vilanculos - Poverty & Paradise

It is with great joy that I am finally able to share these images with a much broader audience after many years of them gathering dust in an art portfolio bag. During the early part of the 1990's I worked for a non profit organisation which was involved in humanitarian work in Africa. It was here that I was given the wonderful opportunity not only to travel across this mysterious continents borders, but also to learn the art of photography which was primarily used, at the time, to assist in fund raising for this work.
I will not be showing images of refugees or dying children. As riveting as some of these images are, I don't feel compelled to do so. Those pictures I hope, have truly served their purpose already. Rather I wish to share pictures that have credit I feel, for their artistic value.

I have decided to share these images now (nearly two decades later) for several reasons:

1. What good is a song if it is never sung. You need to experience the beauty and splendor of Africa and her people to truly believe it. On these travels I obviously took a few of my own pictures, the scope of which was at times limited in that I could not always afford the film (for my own shots that is) These were the days before digital cameras and technology. I still remember doing the darkroom work on the Black & White pics. These days everything seems to be digital. Well I guess I just want to share them beyond my family and friends.

2. The whole experience which spanned over a period of four years had a profound effect on me as a person, therefore influencing much of my work years later. I think this was the first creative process I undertook where what I produced had a deeper meaning somehow.
3. I'm sure you will find the journey interesting.

Please note: Much of the film to these photographs I no longer posses. I have scanned in each and every one of these photos, removed dust & scratches - this has taken hours, and at times enhanced the colour. It would give me great joy if you spent some time going through them. At a closer glance you might notice some noise (before pixels came the grain of the film) or the pictures might seem a little faded. I have enhanced them as best I can, but have in no way altered the images themselves.

Part 1: 'Vilanculos' - Paradise & Poverty

My first chapter is centered around a coastal town on the Mozambican coast called Vilanculos. This was one of the first places I visited from this country, with my initial impression being 'a place in Paradise'. Pristine white beaches, littered with palm trees, great weather with the ideal sea water temperature and never ending sunsets. However a trend seemed to eventually follow every beautiful place I encountered - wherever you find paradise, you will also find poverty.

You must also understand the era that I found myself here. Mozambique was a colony of Portugal until 1975, when an 11 year war of independence ended with the establishment of an independent, Marxist government. A 17 year civil... ]]> *donaldsart