Vaalrivier

Vaalrivier is Afrikaans for the Vaal River. This painting was inspired by the view from O’s Restaurant, right next to the river in Parys, a small town in the Free State. The river there is wide, with rocks and rapids, and big trees grow right down to the water’s edge.

In the painting, the river runs a muddy brown and orange, swirling around the rocks in the middle of the stream. The far bank is lined with a thick row of green trees under a soft blue sky, and a large tree leans in from the right, framing the scene. In the foreground, a few reeds stand out dark against the moving water.

I painted this on one of my sleepless nights, and bringing the river to life on paper was a peaceful way to spend them.