The craft of Xhosa beading is steadily being eroded and forgotten.

I believe in silly rituals which will make wishes come true. I’m a sucker for picking up a dandelion and blowing the seeds off from its globe or making a wish on a falling star. For the St Mary’s Day Care Centre children a solid concrete sculpture called 'Dreamer' reminds them what their wishes are.

Dr Trudy Meehan aroused an idea in my mind about preparations to art practice - art as meditation. This is not your typical Buddhist lotus position where you breathe heavily forgetting about all thoughts. This meditation confronts the feelings head on.

Roxbury cinemas in Grahamstown is one of the country’s few independently owned movie houses. One thing which made it different to other movie houses was large scale charcoal drawings in the foyer with scenes from iconic films. These included King Kong, The exorcist, Terminator 2 and The Godfather. Sadly, renovations to the cinema has meant the artworks had to be sold.

Party people going to the Big Green VIP Party at Grotto Mojito tonight will be given tickets of, er, matchboxes.  Ed Hazell the host of the party lists why he chose them:

Take a look into a pottery class infested with 5-year-olds in the slideshow below, their mission was to make a Volkswagen beetle out of a piece of clay. Then read up on what Jane James, a down to earth woman who wears sandals and long skirts with suns on it, has to say about being an artist and a healer.

His shoes don’t have laces and the soles are loose. His black jacket is speckled with shavings from sand papering masonite board. Wiry grey and black hairs sprout from his cheeks while his hair is dreadlocked from unkemptness. He smells like he needs a bath. 45-year-old Mbuyiselo Bosman holds a ruffle of creased white papers, one side has a printed side and the other has pencil sketches of houses, people and still-lives.    

The Art Bytes blog focuses on fine art in Grahamstown. This ranges from exhibition reviews, development art projects and interviews with local artists.