Building by hand in Hogsback Eastern Cape South Africa

Here at no 48 Main road Hogsback Eastern Cape I am building a cabin from the trees on the land. It’s part of a long time dream the owner of the land here has to create a school that teaches people handcrafts and trades. I am an artist, a sculptor and a nature lover so I find myself drawn to this project. I rent a patch of woods to camp and have access to harvested rainwater and now in my third month I have begun to put together a cabin in which to cook and sleep and work. It’s a lot of work and it’s been taking it out of me physically. But I am committed to the project and medical assistance side I am going to complete the cabin. It’s a beautiful piece of land and the guy who owns it has got some beautiful dreams for the place. I also do very much enjoy the natural environment to be found in Hogsback Eastern Cape. I haven’t found it easy to get along with all of the people but then I never do. I like people. But I also like the truth. That’s why I find myself committed to the project which is all about living in a truthful way with nature and in nature.

Art and Life

I like my life to reflect my heart and my heart to reflect my life. Strange the dictation software read heart from what I said and not art but I decided to leave it like that. I do like my life to reflect what’s inside my heart. You could say I wear my heart on my sleeve. I guess a part of why I’m running away from the town and building a cabin in the middle of the woods in Hogsback Eastern Cape is that I’m afraid of all of the division and anger that I find has become so commonplace even in the village below this mountain. I want to get back to the days of my early 20s during the 1990s when it seemed that there was some hope of a unified humanity. A feeling of us all being in it together whether we were black or white or gay or straight or weird or normal or clever or dumb. When I went hitchhiking around the country as a youngster with my great big black dog I discovered the joy of serendipity. That happened again for me when I rode a bicycle around South Africa several times. I think it really is true that when you meet people with a positive and engaging and truthful attitude that they tend to respond with the same. So if you want to come and see what it’s like at my cabin and I’ll try and be truthful joyful and engaging.

I’m trying to build more than just a cabin I’m trying to build a just and fair life. Perhaps you’ve seen my sculptures. I love finding beautiful natural shapes inside wood and I plan to do the same with this cabin.