bloemfontein

ORGANICTALES   WHERE IT BEGAN

“There are a thousand ways
to kneel and kiss the ground;
there are a thousand ways
to go home again.”
~ Rumi

I remember like it was yesterday.  Waking up before dawn; the farm, nestled in a valley still asleep.  I would sneak out with a slice of bread and a bridle to fetch my pony, Ginger.
In the cold morning air we would be off on a brisk trot down the valley and finally up the hill where the sun was waving its good morning rays to the waking farm.

I grew up a creative. A love for visual beauty and harmonious sounds always filled my world with joy.  When I wasn’t out exploring the farm or adventuring with my farmer of a father, I would draw my adventures and compose songs thereof while my mind never took a rest from creating images of beauty in my mind.
My mother, a teacher of life, strongly encouraged my artistic nature.  Patiently enduring false violin strokes and monotonous piano scales.  She taught me to appreciate and love Beethoven, Chopin and Mozart.  She always made sure the art cupboard was fully stocked with different paints, pencils and art supplies, for this child of her who had no end when it came to the creative world.

My love for my ponies and my love for drawing finally intertwined and I spent hours upon  hours creating pencil sketches of magnificent equine creatures featured in magazines.  But, as a headstrong individual I soon grew tired of drawing other people’s photographs of other people’s horses. I wanted to create original sketches of ordinary ponies never before featured in glossy magazines. I wanted my own pony to be my muse.
I excitedly took the family point-an-shoot film camera and started snapping away at my ponies;  Convinced that I was creating the same magnificent work that I’ve seen in the magazines.  I remember my mom being upset when she discovered I snapped up an entire roll of film and when it came time to develop it, she made me pay for every single photo that was part of my “art.”  School fees, some would say.  Can you imagine how utterly disappointed I was when I saw my “art”?  I couldn’t draw from those photographs!!  So I took up another roll of film and so it continued in to the digital era.
I soon discovered that I haven’t drawn a single sketch in months, but instead I was determined and excited about creating art with a lens instead – my love for photography was born and blossoming quickly.
As life had it,  one of my arab mares were up for sale and with the money I bought my first entry level professional DSLR camera and enrolled in a photography course.  My world exploded as I started to learn more and more about this fantastic new way of creating art.  I learned to grab a moment of life and forever keep it perfectly unique as it was at that moment.  I started looking at the world in different angles, noticing shadows and light and colours.

My world transformed from an adventurous farm girl with a love for drawing and riding ponies, in to a creative adventurer who now sees life as a place with endless possibilities.

Below are some of my first DSLR images from when my love for photography was still young and fresh.  These images have never been published and this will be the first time that many of them are made public.

A few months back, a friend of mine traveled up to the Free State with me where my old pony, Ginger is living out his last days in peace and harmony.  A good old 24 years of age, he is being kept company by the very last foal born on the farm, Farah Anisa, a 7 year old Arab with a heart of gold and affection.  I will forever be grateful for these images I have with my two equine companions. The bond I share with them cannot truly be captured in images alone, but here is a mere glimpse thereof:

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