Table Mountain – Bringer of Joy

Top 50 Finalist for the AGAC 2024 competition:

I looked at the old master painting produced in 1865, and I thought…Table Mountain is special; it has always been special. Now it is recognized as one of the 7 wonders of the world! I love bold colours and I wanted to see Table Mountain through my lens on canvas.

While adding the highlights on the artwork I thought about how Table Mountain is this – MAJESTIC proud monument of South Africa. Even on animated world maps, Table Mountain is a symbol used for South Africa. Like the people in South Africa, Table Mountain is part of this country, and the country is part of us. I decided to run outside at night and grab some of the clay soil, which I ground with a rock on my palette. I could embed some of the essence of South Africa in my artwork and it mixed wonderfully with my oil paint.

I have to add something that makes Table Mountain even more special (special meter off the chart ding, ding, ding!). The mountain forms part of the Cape Floristic Region World Heritage Site. It is just Fynbos where you look and some of the species are endemic – Found nowhere else in the world!

Table Mountain and the surrounding fynbos inspired me. The rarity of its beauty. It is truly a bringer of joy. It must be protected.