home is where the heart is

“There is my heart, and then there is you, and I’m not sure there is a difference.”

— A.R Asher

I can not stop posting enough about the Overberg. This is truly my favourite place in the world. Home is where the heart is…

With inter-provincial travel for leisure now allowed, make sure to book a spot in any of the amazing guesthouses, guest-farms or luxury accommodation in the Overberg. It is always a good time to visit, but at the end of winter, start of spring, is probably one of the most beautiful. Canola in full bloom, bright green wheat lands, maybe a bit of snow capped mountains and magical animal life.

“I give, give you my heart
Today, tomorrow and forever
You’ll always be my love”

— Elvis Presley

Even a quick visit to the Overberg, can feel like a well deserved holiday. And with it being only an hours drive from Cape Town, it makes for an easy weekend getaway or even just a day trip. So if you don’t have any plans for the coming weekend, make sure to put a trip to the Overberg on your list.

For more nature landscapes or botanical prints, visit my print page on my website. Prints come in a selection of sizes and can be customised and framed upon request.

---

Follow Jeanine Groenewald Photography on Instagram

---

sacred bamboo

SACRED BAMBOO

Nandina Domestica; heavenly bamboo or sacred bamboo as some call it, is a flowering plant originating from eastern Asia. This beautiful ornamental plant is widely grown in gardens because of its attractiveness.

Above: Print titled Nandina 5, is available for purchase via my website.

Although called sacred bamboo, this is in fact not a bamboo, but a semi-evergreen shrub. It’s this deciduous characteristic, that makes it an all year round beauty.

Above left: This work is titled Nandina 9, available via my website.

Above right: This work is titled Nandina 2, available via my website.

Nandina is a durable plant, and can take both full shade and sun, and is tolerant of dryer conditions, which makes it a suitable plant for many gardens. The ever changing colours of the leaves, as well as its bright red berries, makes this shrub something to be admired.

Example of the Nandina 1 print, available via my website.

Above: Nandina leaves turning colour.

Unfortunately its berries are highly toxic for many animals and it is seen as an invasive weed in many countries. So instead of admiring this plant in your garden, rather admire it as a print on your wall. If you are looking for something to brighten up your living room, pop over to my website to purchase yours.

Above left: Droplets of water on the bright red berries of the Nandina Domestica.

Above right: Close-up of bright red berries of the Nandina Domestica.

Above: Example of the Nandina 4 print paired with the Pepper tree print, available via my website.

---

Follow Jeanine Groenewald Photography on Instagram

---

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER

Information is for educational and informational purposes only and may not be construed as medical advice. The information is not intended to replace medical advice or treatment offered by healthcare professionals.

aloe beautiful

ALOE BEAUTIFUL

Moving on from my previous blog where I posted about the great qualities of the eucalyptus tree, here is another plant with great healing properties, and this one is a local, the Aloe Ferox, or as it is better known as the “Cape Aloe”.

Above: Blooming Aloe Ferox. This work is titled Aloe 3 and is available for purchase via my website.

Aloe Ferox is also called the “Bitter Aloe” or the “African Aloe Vera”, not to be confused with the typical Aloe Vera. Aloe Ferox is indigenous to southern Africa and Aloe Vera to the Americas. It also has an orange flower, whereas the Aloe Vera has a yellow flower.

Above left: This work is titled Pink Joy&Aloe, available via my website.

Above right: This work is titled Aloe 1, available via my website.

Aloe gel is said to have moisturising and anti-inflammatory effects, which can assist in the treatment of wounds like sunburn. It is also said that the latex; the sticky yellow residue, can aid in constipation.

An interesting article I read about aloe, was by Heather Dugmore, you can read it here on her website.

“From The ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians were all familiar with the phenomenal medicinal properties of aloe, as were the Khoisan in Southern Africa.”

— Heather Dugmore

Above: Example of the Aloe 3 print.

---

Follow Jeanine Groenewald Photography on Instagram

---

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER

Information is for educational and informational purposes only and may not be construed as medical advice. The information is not intended to replace medical advice or treatment offered by healthcare professionals.

eucalyptus qualities

EUCALYPTUS QUALITIES

EUCALYPTUS trees are highly critiqued by many South Africans because of its threat to our unique indigenous plants and also because of its heavy water consumption. Although it has a bad rap in SA, it still has marvellous qualities.

Above: Green eucalyptus leaves rustling in the wind.

Eucalyptus trees are a great forage for honey bees. They provide a reliable pollen source and an abundant flow of nectar. And we all know how important bees are for our own survival.

Above left: This work is titled Eucalyptus leaves 2, available via my website.

Above right: Eucalyptus leaves changing colour.

It also has a lot of healing and medicinal power, which comes from using the oil. The eucalyptus oil is extracted from the leaves and can be used as an antiviral with antibacterial properties, which comes in handy when you have a cold or flu.

Above left: Close-up of eucalyptus bark

Above right: Beautiful colours of the bark

Above: Eucalyptus trees seen from underneath

“The eucalyptus is a holy tree for the Aboriginals. For them it represents the division of underworld, Earth and heaven. At a spiritual level the eucalyptus has a purifying effect. Negative energy disappears in the place where you burn a eucalyptus leaf.”

(cited from thejoyofplants.co.uk/eucalyptus)

Above left: Old bark pieces beneath the trees. This work is titled WLB3 and available via my website.

Above left: This work is titled WLB2 and available via my website.

“Some people, some nations, are permanently in shade. Some people cast a shadow. Lengths of elongated darkness precede them, even in church or when the sun is in, as they say, mopped up by the dirty cloth of the could. A puddle of dark forms around their feet. It’s very pine like. The pine and darkness are one. Eucalypts are unusual in this respect: set pendulously their leaves allow see-through foliage which in turn produces a frail patterned sort of shade, if at all. Clarity, lack of darkness-these might be called ‘eucalyptus qualities’”

— Murray Bail, Eucalyptus

Above: Discarded gumnuts seedpods.

Above: Example of A1 prints in frames. Left is titled WLB2 and right WLB1. Prints available via my website.

Despite it having a bad reputation in this part of the world, it is still one of my favourite trees. I grew up surrounded by Eucalyptus trees; and in my eyes, it will always be part of South Africa and a part of me.

Shop my eucalyptus prints via my website.

---

Follow Jeanine Groenewald Photography on Instagram

---

Medical disclaimer

Information is for educational and informational purposes only and may not be construed as medical advice. The information is not intended to replace medical advice or treatment offered by healthcare professionals.

pink joy

PINK JOY

Crassula ovata, commonly known as jade plant, lucky plant, money plant or pink joy, is a succulent plant with pink or white flowers, native to South Africa.

Above: Jade plant during sunrise. This work is titled Pink Joy 1 and is available for purchase via my website.

These photos were taken on a weekend visit to the Overberg. Again, it never disappoints.

As the sun was rising, it cast a florid orange hue over the jade plant, which made the small pink flowers pop just a little bit more than usual. 

Above left: This work is titled Pink Joy 3, available via my website.

Above right: This work is titled Pink Joy 2, available via my website.

Above: Example of an A1 Pink Joy 3 print, in a black frame. Prints available via my website.

THE JADE PLANT AND FENG SHUI

This beautiful succulent is renowned for attracting good luck in wealth. The most popular Feng Shui plants are evergreen, with round, thick and succulent leaves. A criteria that the Jade plants fits well. It’s vibrant green leaves are symbolic of renewal, wealth and prosperity.

It is suppose to produce a nourishing “chi”, positive energy or vibrations, that will bring prosperity to the owner. They are also very easy to propagate, so go ahead, plant and share them, we can all do with a little more luck and prosperity!

“We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community... Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own.”

— Cesar Chavez

To see my limited selection of Pink Joy prints available for purchase, please visit my website.

Above: Sunrises in the Overberg.

---

Follow Jeanine Groenewald Photography on Instagram

---

a visit to churchhaven

CHURCHHAVEN; a little bit of heaven on earth.

“Tranquility: |trang-kwil-i-tee|
n. the quality or state of being free from distraction; free from disturbance; quiet; calm; stillness; peacefulness. ”

The latest prints available on my website, were taken at Churhhaven.

Churchhaven, which developed as a fishing settlement in the 1800s and 1900s, has retained it’s characteristics of modesty throughout the years.

Tranquility, quality, modest, beauty, is just a few words to describe Churhhaven. It is without a doubt, a sanctuary for the soul. So if you are tired of the hustle and bustle of modern day life, give Churchhaven a visit.

Visit my website to have a look at my limited selection of high quality gicleé prints available for purchase.

Prints come in a selection of different sizes and are framed in either black, white or oak stained frames.

---

Follow Jeanine Groenewald Photography on Instagram

---

end of autumn

What is your favourite season?

I’ve always been more of a winter than a summer person…. or actually more of an in-between seasons person, like autumn and spring.

Being a visual person, the colours of autumn make me so happy and the same goes for spring. Unfortunately all seasons come to an end, and we have to move forward into winter, away from all the colours. Since it can’t be autumn all year long, I have added some autumn leaves to my print collection, so that you can have a look at autumn’s beautiful colours whenever you want.

“We must accept the end of something in order to begin to build something new.”

— Unknown

Visit my website to have a look at my limited selection high quality gicleé prints.

---

Follow Jeanine Groenewald Photography on Instagram

---

pairing pieces

If you are anything like me, decorating your home with art pieces can be frustrating. So many things to choose from. So many different sizes, shapes, colours, frames… where to begin? How do I mix and match pieces?

I’ve tried to take some of the hard work out of the equation for you, by pairing some of my prints that I think work well together. Pairing pieces work well if you have a big empty wall to fill or if you want to put two prints above a bed.

Have a look at my pairing pieces below and contact me via my website if you would like to order yours!

- shadow 4 & shadow 3

- dawn 3 & dawn 1

- sunset 3, sunset 1 & sunset 2

- abstract 2 & abstract 1

- vík 3 & vík 2

Visit my website for prices and to have a look at the rest of my limited selection high quality gicleé prints.

Prints come in different sizes and are framed in either black, white or oak stained frames.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

---

Follow Jeanine Groenewald Photography on Instagram

---

vík

Iceland might not be on everyone’s traveling list, but it should be. It has so much to offer. From majestic landscapes, amazing waterfalls, glaciers and volcanoes; and of course, a chance to see the Northern lights.

These images were taken at Reynisfjara, a world-famous black-sand beach on the South Coast of Iceland, close to Vík.

Our time there was limited, but I wish I could have had more time photographing these beautiful beaches.

“In Iceland, you can see the contours of the mountains wherever you go, and the swell of the hills, and always beyond that the horizon. And there’s this strange thing: you’re never sort of hidden; you always feel exposed in that landscape. But it makes it very beautiful as well.”

— Hannah Kent

Visit my website to have a look at my limited selection of high quality gicleé prints available for purchase.

Prints come in different sizes and are framed in either black, white or oak stained frames.

---

Follow Jeanine Groenewald Photography on Instagram

---

the magic of the overberg

“The landscape you grow up in speaks to you in a way that nowhere else does.”

— Molly Parker

The Overberg is one of my favourite places to photograph. I have such a deep connection to this area in our beautiful country and I know that everyone who grew up here, still feel and will always feel, their roots deeply connected to this magical place. It doesn’t matter where I find myself in the world, my heart will always return to the Overberg.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Endless amounts of beauty and a variety of landscapes, changing with every season, makes the Overberg the perfect subject for anyone who appreciate the beauty that nature has to offer. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

“You are the road of love and at the end of it is my home”

— Rumi

Visit my website to have a look at my limited selection of high quality gicleé prints available for purchase.

Prints come in a selection of different sizes and are framed in either black, white or oak stained frames.

---

Follow Jeanine Groenewald Photography on Instagram

---

landscape prints

“Creativity takes courage”

— Henri Matisse

Have a look at my limited selection, high quality gicleé prints, available for purchase.

Whether you want to update your house with fresh and new decor, or add a pop of colour on an empty wall, prints do magic for the aesthetic appeal of your home.

Prints are available in different sizes and are either printed on archival quality photographic paper, for a longer lasting art piece, or high quality photographic paper for a more affordable print.

Pop over to my print portfolio to have a look, or get in touch if you have any questions or requests!

“The earth is art, the photographer is only a witness.”

— Yann Arthus-Bertrand

---

Follow Jeanine Groenewald Photography on Instagram

---