O

ur urban open spaces, like Mel-

ville Koppies, have a wealth of
ingredients to inspire artists.
Take Melville Koppies in the centre of
the sprawling city of Johannesburg, for
example. There are majestic rock formations,
multi-hued grasses, twisted tree trunks,
veld flowers, elusive birds, northern vistas
rolling away across treed suburbia to the
mauve Magaliesberg Mountains, scudding
clouds in a blue Highveld sky and the boxy
buildings of the CBD to the south.
Award-winning botanical artist, Barbara
Pike, spent many hours sitting on the
Koppies sketching and painting the flora
of Melville Koppies. This artwork was used
to illustrate Annabelle Lucass Wild Flowers
of the Witwatersrand published by Purnell
in 1971. Students from the neighbouring
universities (University of the Witwatersrand
and the University of Johannesburg) often
use the Koppies for projects. Art students
find a comfortable spot with an appropriate
scene and become totally absorbed. They
are a pleasure to photograph because
they are oblivious of the photographer.
The cover of this issue features Zanele
Mashinini, a second year Visual Art student
from the University of Johannesburg, who
was such a subject. Architecture students
draw inspiration as they design a theoretical
building to complement or blend in with the
environment. Photographers are challen-
ged by nearly everything they come across
which could be as focused as dew on spider
webs, the spider itself or the fine net-
veining of a leaf against the light. The soft
light in the morning or evening brings out
the rich colours of the veld.
In June 2012 we hosted an Artists Morning
for the public on Melville Koppies. Winter is
a good month to see form because, as Roy
Campbell wrote in his poem Autumn,
I love to see, when leaves depart,
The clear anatomy arrive,
Winter, the paragon of art,
That kills all forms of life and feeling
Save what is pure and will survive.
Artists sketched, painted or photographed
whatever caught their fancy in a designated
area. It was intriguing to see what they
chose, and it opened my eyes to new
cameos of special beauty. The morning was
relaxing and inspiring for both artists and
organisers. It was a sustainable enriching
occasion which will be offered again, in
other seasons, to present new challenges to
artists who love the veld.
Drawing inspiration
by Wendy Carstens, Melville Koppies
ABOVE RIGHT: Drawing inspiration. University of Johannesburg Visual Arts student, Zanele Mashinini, sketching landscapes at
Melville Koppies for a project set for second year students by senior lecturer, David Paton. The students also have to study the
impact of land use on and around the Koppies as part of the project.
BELOW: Artist John Philip on Melville Koppies. Photos: Wendy Carstens.
ABOVE: King of the Castle. Gio and Luna Rech surveying the urban forest from Lions Rock. Photo: Wendy Carstens.
VELD&FLORA | DECEMBER 2012 156