Qualifications: BAFA [University of Stellenbosch – 1991] & HDE [UNISA]
Majored in oil painting. Completed practical modules in drawing, photography, graphic techniques (etching) and ceramics.
Reside in Boston, Bellville, Cape Town, South Africa.
Father, husband, artist, Visual Arts high school teacher, sports coach, manager, curator and aspiring archer.
Group Exhibitions:
Annual participant in Boston Open Studios (since 2020). First weekend in December.
Drawing the Line -Artb (Elizabeth Miller Vermeulen); The Grand II & The Grand IV – Rust-en-Vrede
30×40 Members Choice; #Paper; curated group exhibitions at Artb
Tiny Treasures; Members Exhibitions; Vuleka entries (annual at Artb)
2017 & 18 Woordfees (Stellenbosch); Liebrecht Gallery (Avril Gardiner); Pniel Museum Gallery (Marinda du Toit); 2 x Finalist in Bouchard Finlayson Tondo art competition (Hermanus Arts Featival); Haas gallery (Chris Koch); Karoo Art Hotel, Tulbach Festival, Kirstenbosch Arts Association.
Solo Exhibitions:
Winter Traffic (2015) – Rust-en-Vrede Gallery, Durbanville
City Lights (2016) – Artscape Foyer
Fleeting Reflections (2020) – Rust-en-Vrede Gallery, Durbanville
Subject matter: The feeling triggered by memory of familiar fleeting moments visible at night from a moving vehicle characteristic to the Cape Town stormy winter season. I am NOT painting street scenes, nor city-scapes. Imitating the naturalistic scene from a photograph is not the idea – a unified, yet dynamic composition, subtle hues and tones combined with abstracted shapes in loose brush marks and palette knife textures contrasting with quiet, smoothly painted surface areas is the goal. I am attempting to capture an atmosphere of movement and vibrant energy created by synthetic light, but with the main focus on the medium and the application style, not the subject.
Inspiration: My surroundings. The Cape of Storms – Cape Town city reflections on a stormy winters night.
Style: Expressive, abstracted, gestural & impressionistic.
Technique: Wide colour palette, excluding black and four “whites”. Impasto approach for busy areas – textured paint application with palette knifes, brushes, cardboard strips and fingers.
Format: Various, mostly large
Mediums: Oils on board/canvas; ink; water colours, ceramics & occasional lino printing.
Biggest challenge: When painting, deciding when to stop! “Over-painting” delivers a sterile product.