I love rock art because it is so emotionally intimate and intense. Looking at the elephant, perfectly rendered with black manganese or the three slim red figures heading off to hunt with a bag of quivers evokes a strange sense of familiarity. The human figures with the long tapering legs also appear framed in Cape Town’s craft marketplace. The rounded elephant on slim legs reminds me of Thiongo’s work in Kenya. But these paintings, located on over 135 rock faces in the Bushman’s Kloof Wilderness Reserve in the Cederberg Mountains of the Western Cape, belong to the San people, one of mankind’s earliest societies, and some date back 10,0000 years.
This is an extraordinary landscape of deep red sandstone rock formations and a vegetation carpet comprised of more than 755 indigenous plant species that represent three major vegetation types: Fynbos, Forest and Karoo biomes. The Clanwillian ceder tree which occurs in the Cederberg Mountains is endangered and is currently receiving special conservation attention. Fynbos, which occurs in the Western Cape, is a remarkable collection of proteas and grasses that I have come to love. And here, as well as further up the coast in Namaqua, the annual flowering in July and August is one of South Africa’s stunning sights. As far as the eye can see the rocket pincushios, paintbrush lily, Clanwilliam daisy, magenta perlargonium, rooibos and so many other species paint the landscape multicolor against the orange rocky outcrops.
Cape Town is one of the world's great cities. The setting alone is worthy of top billing. And then you have a vibrant culinary scene, a fascinating flora and fauna representative of its microclimate, a diverse population and the logistical advantage that makes it a gateway for visits to the wine lands, to the garden route and north into the bush. In spite of the aforementioned, what makes me vibrate with anticipation in Cape Town is its flourishing art and design scene, its world class museums and galleries, its artisans, many of them passionately committed to ensuring that hand and design skills endure. The person who knows as much about this sector of the Capetonian landscape is Marion Ellis whose company, Cape Insights, designs whole or partial itineraries that feature - among other subject matter - the flourishing arts of the city. Marion's knowledge has both the breadth and depth to take you on a meandering journey across the media - from paintings and ceramics to photography and art installations - and behind the scenes to meet with collectors and artists, teachers and innovators."
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