New Art 2023: Back to the Garden

I’d love to share some of my new and tantalizing art from the first half of this year with you today.

This year saw me hitting the ground running with a mini exhibition to paint for at the Karoo Art Hotel in Barrydale (I’m happy to report I sold all 18 mini’s – you can see the collage of paintings below). The theme was anything “Karoo.” If you’d like to know more about what the Karoo is (it’s the part of South Africa I live in), click HERE.

I also added some fresh paintings to my Saatchi Art gallery (also below).

I have some of the paintings above available as prints and products (click on the picture or HERE to visit the store).

Inspiration — The Birds and the Bees!

I looked to Karoo life for my inspiration for my new art. And, of course, my love for gold brings out the magpie in me. Coupling these two passions together, I’ve taken to painting the critters from my garden and the indigenous flowers we have here in South Africa, the protea.

I’ve got a little fella that hangs out in our bamboo reeds in the garden — he’s a bumblebee that we’ve called Mr. Busby. You can see him in the painting below 🙂 All the artworks below are still available, at this time, and are also available as fine art prints and canvas prints — just click on the pictures to take you to my gallery.

We have the most magnificent sunbirds in our garden, they sing the sweetest songs and display incredible colours, predominantly a shimmering emerald green and red chest. You can see then, what inspired my painting below.

The last painting I would like to share with you today is the “Dream Weavers.” These gorgeous bright yellow Cape Weavers are a real treat to watch. They fall from the branches like yellow leaves when we feed them out back in the mornings and evenings. We feel very blessed to have them as regular visitors to our garden.

Thanks for looking! Which painting do you like best? Leave your comments below 🙂

Please also visit my online store should you like to see how these paintings look on products — CLICK HERE.

Never-Before-Seen Photographs of How I Paint my Patterned Poppies

Secrets of the Trade

In the fabulously expressive and creative world of art, I am probably best known for my gold spiral-patterned backgrounds that are usually laced with flowers in the foreground — which, in more cases than not, happen to be poppies (just because I am so very fond of them).

Here is the finished result of a painting called ‘Red Poppies’

(The original is SOLD but you can get prints at SAATCHI — click on picture to take you to the gallery and to read a description of what urged me to paint this 😉

I managed to photograph the process, so come be a fly on my studio wall.

This is the first time I have ever done this and am now going to show you my best kept secret — drum-roll please…

I hope you enjoy seeing the project unfold:

1.  It starts off rather dull and messy, laying a black foundation…

2.  When the foundation layer of black has dried, I chalk out the poppy layout…

3.  Then I start adding the gold motif with an acrylic liner (a squeeze tube with gold acrylic paint inside).  As you can see below, I have to sign the painting before it is actually finished so I can work around the signature with the pattern…

Because this one is so large, I have to lay it on its side to get to the various different parts otherwise my arm will drop off with the effort…

4.  With the background finished, I can now start to add the colour to my poppies…

5.  I keep on adding layers of colour until I get that rich lustre I am after…

6.  Last, but not least, I add the gold stamen work to finish off the painting…

The painting is finished (and so is the artist…lol)!

You can purchase prints of the above by CLICKING HERE or on the pictures below — I’ve got framed prints, canvas prints, greeting cards, pillows and tote bags with this design on:

 red poppy cushion  red poppy print framedred poppy tote bagNow it’s time to check out the photographic painting process of ‘Iceland Poppy Mix’ 😀

Click on the picture below:

Iceland Poppies by Cherie Roe Dirksen

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Rock Art Series Painting no. 3 — Jeff Buckley ‘Raw’

How To Branch Out — Painting Scenes With Trees

Reusable Art for a Dollar!

How to Paint a Quick and Easy Stain-Glass Effect

A Look Behind the Scenes — Painting an Abstract Landscape

Find out why I paint what I paint in my new Art Portfolio book (now available at all leading bookstores worldwide):

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Commission a Painting

Cherie Roe Dirksen Art  

Why I love to paint flowers…

When I paint a flower I feel an overwhelming bliss – an excitement to capture the beauty and magic of what I see and feel when I am in their glorious presence.

I am never happier than when I have a house full of flowers and the scent hangs on the air. Or when I am in my garden just being present with the smell of lavenders on the breeze.

They are my main source of inspiration because I still cannot fully fathom their exquisite beauty. Eckhart Tolle put it in a nutshell when he said that we could look upon flowers as the enlightenment of plants. I could look upon flowers all day and still be mesmerized. They are a true gift to us and to gaze upon their delicate wonder is to look at the unfolding of pure potential.

Here is an example of one of my floral paintings called ‘Red Poppies – Finding Beauty in Chaos’ from my new portfolio book – the original is still available and can be found in my art brochure 2011, which can be downloaded for free (see sidebar or click here to download):

To read more about what inspires me, please visit  or click on the book below – you can view a full preview of the book (preview button is at the bottom of the book icon on Lulu.com).

Art Portfolio - Cherie Roe DirksenSubscribe here to receive my monthly newsletter and free gift or click ‘sign me up’ in the side-panel to receive blog updates as they are released.