Peter Howells

I’ve been back for a couple months from an unbelievable trip to South Africa.

I spent four weeks in Cape Town, taking an art workshop with my mentors and seeing the local historical and cultural sites, including memorable and emotional trips to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, as well as the Townships and informal settlements surrounding Cape Town, where many of the battles over apartheid were fought and where extreme deprivation remains.

On the other hand (and almost absurdly), I stayed in a very comfortable and beautiful inn with 8 others artists in nearby Kalk Bay and took in the wondrous natural beauty of Cape Town and the Cape of Good Hope, including a sunset view of the comet McNaught that made an appearance while I was there. I also took my art in new and exciting directions while I was there, exploring issues of identity and location–issues that South Africa elicits with the incredible dichotomy of poverty and privilege, which is particularly evident in Cape Town.

At the end of my trip, I flew to Johannesburg with friends and took a four-day trip to Kruger National Park where I went on safari–another sublime and moving experience.

I took over 1000 photos but was able to whittle it down considerably, the highlights of which I have posted on my Flickr account. There are about 14 albums, including one that includes pictures of the art I made and some spectacular views of Greenland from my plane trip home.

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