Mud and Dreams
Greater Good – Being a Blessing
Some years ago a friend and I embarked on a relief trip into rural Zimbabwe to distribute 1,5 tons of desperately needed food. Our journey from Port Elizabeth started in the early hours of the morning. 1,5 Tons of food was collected at a depot in Pretoria and we set off for Bulawayo, via Beit Bridge(not my favourite stop, as I’m sure it isn’t for many). Our contact who co-ordinated the distribution of food into the rural region was a pastor and his wife (Dumi and Salome – precious couple doing amazing work). Dumi has been working with churches in Bulawayo and the greater Zimbabwe for years, so knew where the greatest need was for this particular consignment of food.
Sleep has always been an activity that does not come readily to me. My desire to bring relief to people in rural Zimbabwe was horrifically assaulted every evening by my travel companion who was able to fondly embrace sleep so easily, and quickly. Yet the cacophony of sound that emanated from his facial region would frightened away any T-Rex, caused the stars to diminish in brightness, and sounded like 100 chain saws cutting down half the Amazon jungle in every breath.
The Mud
Being in possession of the relevant driver’s license I did most of the driving. Our journey into rural Zimbabwe would take us about 150kms along some interesting roads, including concrete strips and seriously muddy roads (it had been raining heavily before our arrival).
One particular section of road sticks(pardon the pun) in my mind – the road was dirt, when it hadn’t been raining, but thick deep mud by the time we reached it. Every vehicle that had got there before us had churned up the mud, and Dumi duly instructed me to take the route closer to the hedgerow next to the churned up expanse, that still looked un-assaulted.
Needless to say we all literally had that sinking feeling, as the vehicle with its 1,5 tons of food settled well and truly into the mud.
Hedgerows make useful sticks/leaves and branches to force under spinning wheels in order to get some traction – no luck. It eventually took a troop of children and any adult we could muster to push us sideways and forward to get out of the mud.
It seemed as if the very land was taking a hold and clawing at any form of relief that might come its way, desperate to be liberated, just like its people needed to be set free.
Relief
Eventually liberated from the clutches of the mud we made it to 2 villages to distribute the 1,5 tons of food.
Dumi and the leaders in the villages ensured that our 1,5 tons of food stretched as far as it could go. Grateful hands lifted bags of maize, flour, peanut butter, salt and various other food items – relief was in the hands of the most needy, yet the devastation of years of imperial colonialism and the existing so called liberators, claimed its victims as we turned our backs for home.
Yet for a while, until relief came again, and/or the land could be liberated to once again become the bread basket of the region, some provision had been made. The networking of communities and links with other churches and caring organisations that Dumi and Salome, and many others like them, do in those areas does bring hope, both physically and spiritually – the gospel preached can only be the full – gospel if it includes actions such as providing food for the hungry.
The photograph
The Painting – 1 in 919
The photo has inspired me on various occasions to do charcoal renderings – one is with some missionary friends of ours in the US.
Having only recently started painting full time (I studied fine arts in the late 70’s) (click this link to go to My Story About) I started doing some portraiture, primarily because of the discipline it requires and the challenges it poses. I had also started researching some of the old masters, including Rembrandt.
I pulled out my p
hoto again and “Out of the Heart of Darkness” was born – see detail of the painting to the left. The painting is a full figure portrait rendering the figure and capturing as much of the event and the darkness and hope that it embodies.
National Portrait Award Competition 2021
I have always followed the biennial National Portrait Award Competition and often dreamt of what it must be like to have one of your works chosen for the exhibition.
Photographing the completed work, Out of the Heart of Darkness, was particularly challenging due to the dark rendering. I submitted 3 paintings digitally together with the other 916 entries by various incredibly competent portrait artists in South Africa.
I clearly remember getting a call from the Rust-en-Vrede gallery late one afternoon letting me know I’d made it into the second round of only 250 works being adjudicated. And then a couple of weeks later getting another call telling me that I’d made it into the Top 100 – THE DREAM COME TRUE!
THE PORTRAIT 100
Out of the Heart of Darkness (click this link to view the full painting and more detail about the work Out of the Heart Of Darkness ) now forms part of the Portrait 100 (Portrait Award /2021) Exhibition at the Rupert Museum in Stellenbosch. The exhibition runs from 4 September 2021 – 28 November 2021.
Portrait 100 is a carefully curated collection of some of the best contemporary portraiture South Africa has to offer.” Quote by Rupert Museum.
Out of the Heart of Darkness is 1 of 919 portraits entered into the biennial National Portrait Award Competition. 2021 is the 5th year the competition has been run. The exhibition was adjudicated by a panel consisting of Lucia Burger (Art critic and collector), Robyn Cedras-Tobin (Director of the Rupert Museum) and Stefan Hundt (Curator of the Sanlam Art Collection).
The top 100 of the 919 entries are exhibited – 60 at the Rupert Museum in Stellenbosch and 40 at the Rust-en-Vrede Gallery in Durbanville.
Competition was really tough – the standard of work (I am told) has increased considerably this year.
How humbling to know that a work of caring could result in the realisation of a dream – for me this is beauty of a truly different nature.
But for the grace of God go I.