Pieter A. Pienaar

It is Saturday morning, 6:05, 18 July 2026, and I have a task to do. The nomadic observer, and that is myself I am referring to, has to write his last Shop in my Suitcase-post, which will focus on the art of arranging and painting a still life as he sees it. It seems that the still life as a theme faded from popular view or it is no longer part of the art buyers’ preferred list, as you will understand later from the “misery” I encountered. The very first still life I made in

“Every time I wander into the old city, I cannot stop taking photographs because there is something wonderful in the air there. One feels one becomes part of an ancient world where life was simple and where people mattered, because life seems somehow ‘paused’ in this milieu. It is as if a story book element opens up and people feel playful and inspired”. My coffee table book: Journey with Jeddah. “Jeddah allowed me many opportunities to hone my dormant art skills such as wat

Here I am, the nomad observer, looking at another chapter of my art career, namely, my abstract collection. This post will seem a little “dotty”, just like some of the abstract works. I want to keep it light and as brief as possible, which is rather difficult for my teacher's brain, I must confess. Forgive me if you think I become too “airy fairy” as I skip along the abstract avenues in my mind – which may indeed resemble the true nature of this genre? A pattern I made usin

One never knows why God does what He does, but it is always a privilege to trust Him. It is encouraging to know that all things work together for our good, if we, as the “firstfruits”, remain rooted in Christ. The initial naïve sketches contained in this book were originally done more than 25 years ago as a series for Biblical stationery. My Biblical colouring book. I have been an art teacher for more than two decades now and the advancement in more approachable and freer com

I have just looked at the Facebook responses regarding the introductory post I made, and an Australian friend suggested that I could describe myself as a nomadic observer, and I liked it. So, here I am, the nomadic observer, at my computer again, trying to create a large “mental sculpture” of my suitcase experiences, by looking at the five distinct “destinations” in my oeuvre in the hope that clarity will appear. A sgraffito work I made depicting a Kalahari sunset in the earl

I am a nomadic artist. This realization dawned recently when I had to compile a document for an exhibition – which I cancelled two days ago due to space concerns. I wanted to label myself as an outsider or isolated artist, but a friend and colleague told me that nomad was the word I was looking for. To reach the point where I started seeing myself as a nomadic artist took a little bit of time, I have to admit. During the last 14 years of my life, I was frantically busy – like

"Societies never know it, but the war of an artist with his society is a lover's war, and he does, at his best, what lovers do, which is to reveal the beloved to himself and, with that revelation, to make freedom real." (James Baldwin) 'n Patroon gevorm deur my olieverf skildery, getiteld, "Ruimte". Is jy ook ‘n kunstenaar? Dan sal jy dalk van my frustrasies of bekommernisse kan verstaan wat ek nou hier gaan aanspreek, of aan die groot klok wil hang. Sit jou denkgordel aan, h

Toe ek jonk was, was ek glad nie geïnteresseerd in tee of koffie nie. Ek kon nie verstaan hoekom die groot mense en die ouer mense gedurig moet ketel kook en die melk-en-suiker-ding ook doen nie. Ek was seker 42 jaar oud toe ek eintlik werklik vir die eerste maal hande geskud het met ‘n koppie koffie en die positiwiteit van kafeïen kon ervaar. Ek het in Pretoria skoolgehou en een van die ouers het ‘n koffiemasjien – daardie soort wat jy deesdae by die petrolpompkafees kry wat

“Oom ‘n partytjie begin met twee mense”, dit is die wyse woorde van die jong Postmasburgse sanger, Jac Coetzee, wat op WhatsApp so drie dae gelede met my gesels. Om eerlik te wees, ek het nie gedink dat ek weer van Jac sou hoor nie, want presidente Donnie en Nettie het mos die Straat van “Verwoes” gaan blokkeer en nou is almal sonder petrol en die pryse klim net soos ‘n bloeddrukmeter. Almal se reisplanne is nou in 'n ander wentelbaan - dit was my effe "verwoeste" perspektief

TSoT = The Story of Trees Today, as I was looking at matters relating to my topic, I learned new idioms or expressions. If you are toffee-nosed, it means that you are a bit upper classy. Feel free to go dine among the toffee-nosed snobs. I'm going to the pub, can be found in the link that follows. Toffee - Idioms by The Free Dictionary The other side of this toffee “slang” is that you are actually lacking ability. For example, she can’t sing for toffee, and he cannot reme

TSoT = The Story of Trees Sweet Vanilla nicely framed. It is a work done on paper with pen, watercolour and acrylic inks. Vanilla is a scent we associate with our mothers and grandmothers and a homely kitchen. There usually was a small bottle of vanilla essence that changed the mood of the baking process. Once the eggs and the sugar were creamed, a teaspoon of the essence was added to the mix, and the experience was elevated immediately. Unfortunately for the children, the e

A reflection by Pieter Pienaar The sun sets after a busy day. View from the eye. If one is honest with oneself, the knowledge that one’s own understanding is limited will register somewhere on an internal mental screen. Fortunately, there is always reality that will land in your hands, like limestone rocks, supplementing insight limitations with hard experience. Sorry for this heavy introduction. Maybe I should just start at the beginning, but I’ll try to keep it concise, oth

So 'n paar gedagtes deur Pieter Pienaar. As ‘n mens eerlik met hom of haarself is, sal die wete dat eie begrip beperk is, iewers op ‘n interne kopskerm registreer. Gelukkig is daar die harde werklikheid wat soos welkome kalklippe in die hande kom lê, en die insigbeperkings aanvul deur harde ervaring en ondervinding. Jammer vir hierdie gewigte intrapslag. Miskien moet ek net eers begin by die begin, maar ek gaan dit diggeweef probeer hou, want anders word dit ‘n kortverhaal. D

TSoT = The Story of Trees What do you call someone who films spices? 'A cinnamon-tographer!' ( Cinnamon Jokes - 45 Hilarious Cinnamon Jokes ) Cinnamon sugar in a homely setting. As a South African (perhaps it is true for everyone in the world), the smell of cinnamon is synonymous with milk tart, pancakes and other rainy-day edibles or winter comforts. The aroma of cinnamon invites you in like a good friend. A few centuries ago, cinnamon was the cause of strife and trade wars

TSoT = The Story of Trees A friend of mine often tells me that she feels like a sloth, because she did not do what she had set out to do. Today I feel that word may apply to me. However, I do not want to print a t-shirt with it on it, but the truth of the matter is that it has been more than a year ago that I wrote a blog post. In the meantime, I have been paying the website fees (in vain?) and when I look at all the fingers of the facts pointing directly at me, for too long,

TSoT = The Story of Trees The phrase strawberries and cream calls to mind wonderful moments and it could make us yearn for a respite...

TSoT = The Story of Trees Popcorn tree: Butter Let me butter you up to like this artwork or to read this piece. We usually know when...

TSoT = The Story of Trees Hot chocolate At the moment, February 2025, South Africans are experiencing extreme highs in summer...

TSoT = The Story of Trees "Popcorn work" on paper: Caramel I am ashamed of my own “ineptitude”, because my blog did not thrive the way...

TSoT = The Story of Trees A few months had disappeared since my last blog and I actually considered stopping my blog series about trees....