The Story of a Special Shop - Koi @ Jungle

Twenty years ago, in August 1998, I bought the retail Aquarium shop based at Jungle Nursery in Sherwood, Durban. After working from home for a few years, the family Koi dealership had a new home. Together with my son Warren, and his wife Angela, we ran the business from these retail premises. Now we could separate home from the shop and employ more staff. 

When I bought the shop I had a five year plan. I would run the shop with Warren for five years, gradually working fewer days and spending more time on my painting. This did not go entirely to plan as, for various personal reasons, I remained at the shop for a total of twelve years. Finally, in December 2010, when I emigrated to Australia, Warren and Angela bought my share of the business. 

I knew I was leaving the business in excellent hands. Warren and Angela make a great team. They have extensive knowledge of Koi, filtration and everything needed for care for a Koi pond. Its fascinating watching Warren handle large Koi - I think he is something of a "Koi Whisperer." 

The thatched Balinese style building at the nursery was quaint, but rather small so over the years an extension was added providing some space for an office and storage. It wasn’t ideal. As a tenant, one’s future relies on the goodwill of the landlord. We experienced more than a few anxious times. The ponds were inherited from the previous owner, were poorly designed and leaked like crazy. To overcome the lack of pond space, Warren built a number of quarantine ponds at his home. 

Some months ago, Warren and Angela purchased a small house across the road from the original shop. Now twenty years later, after months of hard work, Koi @Jungle’s new shop at 829 King Cetshwayo Highway is now open for business.

Needless to say I am so very proud of Warren and Angela. I wish them every success in the new shop.

The  entrance to the new shop with a magnificent mural painted by muralist Jono Hornby. 

At a recent Koi Show this Koi supplied by Koi @ Jungle, was chosen Best Showa .

All new ponds, with state of the art filtration, have been built at the new premises. A magnificent large display pond for big Koi takes pride of place. 

It even has a cleverly designed glass ‘jump’ barrier installed. Anyone who keeps Koi will know that occasionally they do crazy things like leaping out of the pond often with disastrous results. There’s been great attention to detail to ensure the best conditions for the fish.

Tap water filtration system installed today which will supply water to the automatic pond refill systems. This will remove all chlorine and impurities from the municipal water.

The main pond drum filtration 

Nundah Village Art Show at Honda Northside Nundah

The Nundah Village Art Show opens this Saturday. It will be held at Honda Northside, 1329 Sandgate Road, Nundah. The exhibition is accompanied by the annual Nundah Village Street Festival. This show includes a wide range of high quality artwork from local artists and I’m delighted to be exhibiting four paintings. All paintings are for sale.

There are two landscapes,and both are nostalgic in that they recapture my love for the Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa, rekindled by my visit in December.

Afternoon Light, Drakensberg - oil on canvas 900 mm x 900 mm

Escarpment Shadows - oil on panel 610 mm x 455 mm

Still Life with Lilies is something of a departure from my usual style, being more detailed and representational. In the end I’m very happy with the result. 

Still Life with Lilies - oil on canvas 505 mm x 505 mm

The Reader is a mixed media work, including collage, charcoal as well as watercolour. When doing Sktchy portraits I experiment a lot with different media, finding it a good way to loosen up and try new tools. I like this portrait with a matt and frame - it looks complete and takes on a new gravitas. 

The Reader - mixed media on paper 435 mm x 335 mm

A new painting

During the winter holidays, while house sitting at my daughter’s home, I bought some white lilies, my favourite flowers. I did a few sketches and a quick watercolour, but I wanted to be able to use them as reference material in the future. I set up the flowers in a number of locations, to try different arrangements. My favourite place was the dresser in the main bedroom with the antique mirror and reflections of patterned wallpaper. Some pears in a bright green bowl in keeping with the foliage and a crystal candle holder completed the still life. 

The painting became a lot more detailed than was originally intended but I enjoyed the process immensely. At some stage, I would like to tackle a similar subject but in a much looser more abstract style. It will be interesting to see the two approaches side by side.

Still Life with Lilies - oil on canvas 605 mm x 605 mm