Dorothy du Plessis Art Studio

28/09/2026

Marianne was great, so approachable.

28/09/2026

I can Highly Recommend Tim Cockcroft Birding - Guided Birding Tours

Book your tour now, as I still have plenty of dates open. Gift vouchers are also available.
Please visit https://timwcroft.wixsite.com/timcockcroftbirding for more information.

28/09/2026

25/09/2026

Rob Moss 8a Kiewiet Str Bushmans River Mouth
24 - 26 September 10 am - 1 pm
Barefoot Arts Meander
Some people discover their passion later in life. Rob Moss found his as a schoolboy, happiest, from his very first woodworking classes in primary school to the hobbies club at Kingswood College, with a piece of timber in his hands. Farming became his livelihood, but woodworking stayed his true calling. During the drought years he turned that passion into a business, crafting functional pieces that found eager buyers at markets( especially on The Green during the National Arts Festival in Makhanda) These days, Rob is known throughout Kenton-on-Sea and Bushmans River for the quality and craftsmanship of his work. As a member of the Makhanda Woodworkers Guild he’s still learning from fellow craftsmen, and just as happily passing his own knowledge on to the next generation.
He works in solid timber only: oak, kiaat, blackwood, sneezewood and other indigenous woods, and often lets the customer choose which one their piece is made from. At the Meander, you’ll have the rare chance to watch Rob at work on his lathe, turning a simple piece of timber into something beautiful. There’s something quite magical about wood shavings curling away, as each piece reveals its own character. Come and experience traditional craftsmanship in action.

25/09/2026

Claire Ball 11 Vasco da Gama Str Kenton on Sea
24 - 26 September 10 am - 5 pm
27 September 10 am - 1 pm
Before Claire Ball was an artist, she was an architectural technician in Jozi, which explains a lot when you look at her work. The depth, the perspective, the sure hand. Then she married a farmer, swapped the city for the Eastern Cape, and spent decades on farms outside Grahamstown and deep in the Karoo, painting whenever life allowed.
Nine years ago, Claire and her husband came to Kenton "for a year or two" between farms. She never left.
Today her studio is filled with paintings, and something you may not have seen before: eco printing.
No inks, no dyes from a bottle. Claire prints fabric using actual leaves from her garden: roses, blackjacks, onion skins, even pomegranate skins, coaxing their natural colour onto silk and cotton through a days-long process of mordanting, bundling and steaming in an enormous pot. Every scarf, table runner and cushion is a one-off. It cannot be repeated, even if she tried.
Entirely self-taught, Claire learned eco printing through online workshops with masters in Australia and Israel, proof that one's own curiosity doesn't retire.
Claire's studio is one of 21 open studios you can wander into during the Barefoot Arts Meander, 24 –27 September 2026.
Look out for the artist banner, follow the map, and go say hello.
Ask her about the pomegranates;-)
🎨

25/09/2026

Nicola Byers 24 - 26 September 10 am - 5pm 27 Sept 10 am - 1 pm
21 Fowler Street, Kenton-on-Sea
Some of Nicola Byers’ earliest memories are of sitting beside her grandfather while he sketched, quietly absorbing the patience, observation and craftsmanship behind every drawing. As a fourth-generation artist, creativity has always been part of Nicola’s world.
She has been painting for more than 30 years, with her work exhibited for over a decade. Yet for Nicola, art is never about standing still. She is endlessly curious and rarely goes anywhere without her camera or an ideas notebook, collecting snippets of light, colour, texture and conversation that may later find their way into a painting.
Her work often begins with a simple question: “What if?”
Working primarily in oil, acrylic and charcoal, Nicola moves freely between expressive realism and more experimental approaches. Her paintings range from carefully observed portraits and expressive figures to loose florals, still lives and intuitive, abstract explorations.
Colour, light, texture and mark-making continually draw her in. Rather than deciding exactly where a painting will end, Nicola enjoys allowing the work to evolve and seeing where the creative process takes her.
At her Open Studio, visitors will be able to see finished paintings alongside works in progress, offering a glimpse into the ideas, materials and experiments behind the finished pieces.
Come and visit Nicola's studio during the Barefoot Arts Meander. Browse her collection, enjoy a cup of tea and a chat, and discover the stories and curiosity behind the paintings.

25/09/2026

Morning, meanderers! Day 2 is here, and the villages are buzzing.
🗺️ Map check
400 maps are out in the wild, and people are guarding them like family heirlooms. If yours is still missing (or "borrowed" by a relative), download it here and keep it on your phone.
10am: Marianne Thamm, Bushmans Town Hall
Coffee, croissants and a coup. Veteran journalist Marianne Thamm serves up Would You Like Some Coffee With Your Coup?, her satirical romp through SA's political circus, just in time for local elections. Doors open at 9.30. Fuel up first at Mm Coffee, Dilly Deli or The Daily Shop, because you'll need your wits about you. A few tickets left: grab yours here.
9am–3pm: Craft Market, Kenton Town Hall
Open today and Saturday. Bring shopping bags, and possibly a spouse to carry them.
10am–5pm: Open Studios
Artists' doors are open all day. Walk, wander, or hop onto one of the two vehicles, where your feet get a rest and the barefoot spirit stays intact. Look for the branded boards outside each studio.
1.30–2.30pm: Live Music at Silverleaf
Take a break from the meander and soak up the stunning IVA Collective. Entrance is free. Yes, mahala. Wallets can have the afternoon off.
3pm: Melinda Ferguson, The Bell
Melinda talks about Swift, the memoir she wrote in the six weeks after the sudden death of her soulmate, Mat. It's the story of her grief, the swift she rescued, and the UK swift activist who guided her from afar. A tender, powerful hour. Tickets still available: book here.
6pm: My Name Is Lucy Barton, Bushmans Town Hall (SOLD OUT)
Julie-Anne McDowell stars in this acclaimed one-woman show, adapted from Elizabeth Strout's novel, about mothers, memory and owning your story. BYOB and come early. Doors close at 6pm sharp. Arrive at 6.01 and you'll be enjoying the show from the car park, with no view and no w**e.
8pm: Quiz Night with John Maytham, Kenton Bowling Club
John brings his CapeTalk Rapid Fire wit and legendary "magpie memory" to a night of fast, weird and wonderful trivia. Teams of 4, so pick your brainiest friends and settle the arguments later. A few tickets left: grab yours here.