ARTLife THE SOUTH AFRICAN
June 2010 For the full online edition go to: www.artlife.co.za SUBSCRIBE: 1 year’s subscription to your door: R 360 - Incl. SA Art Times and Business Art. E-mail: subs@arttimes.co.za
Where Art and Life meet
Work by Barthélémy Toguo, Road for Exile, 2009, Installation is part of the SPACE: Currencies in Contemporary African Art to be seen at the Museum Africa, Newtown, Johannesburg 11 May to 11 July 2010. See more at www.theartistsofafrica.co.za
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SHARON SAMPSON Reflections Recent prints and colour monotypes by Sharon Sampson. Exhibition opens Saturday 26 June - 24 July 2010
The South African Print Gallery 107 Sir Lowry Road, Woodstock, Cape Town. Tel 0214626851. E-mail info@printgallery.co.za See more of Sharon’s and other leading South African artists work at: www.printgallery.co.za
REUEL TERRTIUS BOSCH
airbrushed oils on canvas by Reuel Bosch 1200mm x 1200mm
A master at his medium in all aspects. Fulltime freehand Airbrush Artist, Reuel Bosch, has captured the essence of his medium through self taught techniques and styling.
Reuel has airbrushed on just about anything you can think of; he mastered the technique of airbrushing in an freehand style on vehicles, motorcycles, helmets, walls, boards, bodies, boats, surfboards, canvas, glass, etc.
Born 31 December 1969, in South Africa, Port Elizabeth, Reuel found his purpose at a young age. Prospering in his artistic talents at school and in studying art and design at the Port Elizabeth Technicon; has assisted Reuel in discovering his ability in creative arts.
Reuel mainly features in, oil on canvas artworks, of which the majority are commissions.
His love for airbrushing started in 1990 when purchasing a well used second hand airbrush and experimenting with it. Due to a lack of airbrush experts in South Africa, it was through trial and error that he set of on creating his own style and methods of this medium. Knowing no boundaries he accomplished an unique medium in capturing the soul of his subject. In coming from an artistic family, Reuel found encouragement in his fathers performing and creative arts and his mothers sculpting and visual creativity. Through the encouragement of his brother, Reuel set of on having his first solo exhibition at a local “Art in the park’’ event. In selling all of his work that day he knew this is where his at. He started of on an adventure of showing his work at shows, expos and exhibitions all over South Africa. His work, via art agents, have currently made it’s way into galleries in the UK, Europe and USA.
The subject matter of his art has never deter Reuel from doing a commission or doing any of his personal works, as he enjoys a challenge in making his airbrush ability work. His personal love for the sea and in doing a course on citations at P.E. technikon; saw him starting a series of sea life paintings named, “The dolphin fund series’’, of which profits were donated to organisations in protecting our sea life. Reuel enjoys the bodily form like most of us and depicts it ever so well with grace and elegance in his nude paintings. His extensive wild and marine life paintings has found a liking amongst many art collectors, local and abroad. Today you will find Reuel, his wife and two sons at his Jeffreys Bay studio, surrounded with canvas of his personal works and works in progress and Reuel covered in paint expressing his creative passion. When asked what gives him most joy and fulfilment; “My family and people enjoying my art’’. Currently Reuel is in joint venture with The Mantis Collection within falls Shamwari Game Reserve and Born Free foundation,which is a U.K. based animal welfare organisation, by donating proceeds of organized events.
reuel@reuel.co.za www.reuel.co.za
ROELOF STEPHEN ROSSOUW I was born in 1957, and grew up in Benoni, near Johannesburg. A painter of figures, city and landscapes, street scenes, boats and harbours, architecture, parks and gardens. I work in oil, collage, acrylic and mixed medium. In recent year I have concentrated on oil alone. I have travelled widely and have visited Europe, The British Isles, Middle East, USA, Singapore, Australia, Canada, Zanzibar and The Caribbean (painting vacations in Italy, France, Ukraine and USA). I paint for four galleries in the Cape Province and I also work privately often accepting commission work. PROFILE 1979-1981 Studied at the Johannesburg School of Art gaining a National Diploma in Art and Design 1982-1990 Employed by the Medical University of Southern Africa as graphic artist and medical illustrator 1992 Started painting seriously on a daily basis 2001 Moved to Robertson, Western Cape Province Kerkstraat, Montagu, collection of Mr and Mrs Jacques le Roux
EXHIBITIONS 1988-2010 A total of 34 solo exhibitions at top galleries in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Cheltenham UK and Montreal, Canada 1999 Three-man exhibition at the Gatehouse Gallery, Glasgow 1991-2007 Numerous group exhibitions in South Africa, London, Cheltenham, Glasgow, Jersey, Galway, Armagh (N. Ireland), San Francisco and Miami REPRESENTED The Sage Group; Anglo-Vaal; Mount Grace Hotel, Magaliesburg; The Woodburn Mann Art Collection; Rupert International; The Pretoria Art Museum; Clint Eastwood and many private collections in South Africa and throughout the world AWARDS First prize - Front Cover Competition for Eric Bolsmann’s book on Pretoria
roelofrossouw@lando.co.za tel: 023 626 3970 cell: 082 554 8061
Fishermen, Hout Bay
Children out at Play, Venice
La Grande Provence, Franschhoek
Fun at the river
October afternoon, Waterfront
The Royal Hotel, Sydney
Magic at Mana Pools - Zimbabwe
Power and Majesty
R.D. MCKENZIE (BOB) Born 8th Jan 1947 and started painting in oils at the age of 13. I became hugely inspired by regular exposure to L.B. Elliott, a marvellous painter in the ilk of W.G. Wiles. He in turn had been inspired by W.G. and Errol Boyley and so a meshing of impressionists and loose realists formed the platform of my early work. I would classify myself as an impressionist/ realist. However the greatest influence I believe was from Dino Parravano, the great Italian artist who lived in South Africa and now lives in the U.S.A. I was fortunate to spend some time with him and his most lasting advice was never to become known as one who paints the sea, or only paints wildlife etc. “Paint anything and everything. You’ll enjoy some subjects more than others but you’ll learn most when you’re out of your comfort zone.’’ I tend to find myself selecting subjects based more on the quality of light than the subject itself. I have always enjoyed the way that Adriaan Bosoff makes something of an otherwise unlikely subject by also making use of light. When travelling my camera is always at hand. I only use my own photographs and although they are important, they only give me a structural reference. Nothing can replace the personal experience of having been there. At the risk of sounding over the top, I need to “smell the dust’’ as it were, to be able to contribute that extra dimension that will hopefully be the soul of the work, separating it from a purely mechanical reproduction of someone else’s experience. It’s also a beautiful excuse to take yourself off to exquisite places and in reality my trips to Central Africa and Zimbabwe etc have yielded work that would never otherwise been contemplated. Inspiration comes from my last painting. If that happened to be a “beacon’’ work, then I can’t wait to get back to the easel, if on the other hand it was a bit ordinary, I need to get back to try to recapture the freshness that was lacking.
Guardian Angels
Heads and Tails
Early Morning Bite
Royal Mile, Uganda
Nice to know that there is no final destination in painting, only the journey. I run 4 day workshops from my studio in Queenstown, but also travel to other centres where bigger groups make it more practical for me to go to them. I have held one man exhibitions at the Crake Gallery in Johannesburg, the Lindburg Art Foundation in Cape Town,the Hartebeespoort Dam and numerous centres in the Eastern Cape and Wild Coast. The 2nd to 5th June will be my 4th consecutive exhibition at the Nashua Art in the Park in Pietermaritzburg and an exciting “one man’’ is booked at the Belling Gallery in Port Elizabeth in April 2011. Commissions make up much of my work. macstudio@isat.co.za
www.macstudio.co.za
Nguni Autumn
Whistling Ducks
MUSEUM AFRI
Artists: Abdul Razaq Awo Barthelemy Toguo; Berni Se David Koloane; Dominique Z Muriuki; Kudzanai Chiurai; Ma Mntambo; Peterson Kamw
Glen Green by Thandi Sliepen Unassuming. It’s the first impression that you get when meeting Glen Green. You can even imagine at a party of jostling ego’s, that you might not notice him at all. Unassuming to the point of dissolving entirely is a quality that has allowed Glen to capture the images that he has. This attribute is especially noticeable in his portraiture, where it is most palpable. In the eyes of his subjects we see unguarded trust, faith almost, that in the presence of this photographer there is room to be yourself, an opportunity to communicate your truest self. That and probably the experience of having Glen’s wooden, hand made, medium format camera pointing at you! In an age where art is often a loud manifestation of self -indulgence it is refreshing to behold Glen’s images. Glen say’s of his introduction to black and white photography: “While studying to be a commercial photographer, I was first introduced to the medium of black and white. While others moved on to more colourful things I seemed to stay behind entranced by the simplicity of monochrome. I duly discovered
Turkana woman, Lake Turkana, Kenya
Priest giving blessings, Lalibela, Ethiopia
photographers like Salgado and Koudelka and knew even then what I wanted to do. Though I have moved on, those decisions still hold true.” Asked to elaborate on his choice of exclusively shooting in black and white, Glen replied “I can’t do both, I see in black and white, it suits what I see.” Glen is involved in the entire process of his image production, whether it be a classic silver gelatin, or archival pigment print. Glen still shoots on film, because of the feel of the grain and because it fits his traditional, purist style.
Baobab, Malawi
He has travelled widely and you will find images from many countries, but his inspiration is overwhelmingly from Africa. “In my travels around Africa I try to depict the beauty of my continent and it’s people, those images are presented in the only way I know, timeless black and white. www.glengreen.co.za Represented in SA by: • Knysna Fine Art • Kalk Bay Modern • Raw Vision, Cape Town • Addy Hoyle, Clarens
Scapegoat, Clarens, SA
Mursi woman, Omo valley, Ethiopia, 2
Mursi woman, Omo valley, Ethiopia
Great Mosque, Djenne, Mali
Hats off! 25 Years of Linocuts from The Caversham Press 5 JUNE - 30 AUGUST 2010 Opening 11h30 Sat 5 June | Guest speaker Malcom Christian ABOUT THE EXHIBITION AT TOKARA WINERY STELLENBOSCH Hats off! is the ďŹ rst in a series of three exhibitions to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Caversham Press, Educational Trust and Centre for Artists and Writers. The second opens at Standard Bank Gallery in Johannesburg in October 2010, followed by another at Boston University, USA in February 2011. Hats off! focuses entirely on the simplest of print mediums, linocut, and includes works produced by young aspiring and notable South African artists.
Fee Halsted Berning Elza Botha Zanele Buthelezi Peter Clarke Hlengiwe Dlamini
WORKS BY Siphiwe Mthiyane Bongumusa Hlongwa Sibusiso Mvelase Moleleki Frank Ledimo Carol Ndebele Zanele Magwaza Gabisile Nkosi Phindile Manyoni Witty Nyide Colbert Mashile
Bronwen Findlay Sbongile N. Hadebe Philippa Hobbs Robert Hodgins William Kentridge
Wonderboy Nxumalo Vulindlela Nyoni Walter Oltmann Peter Schutz Penny Siopis
Vuzi Zwane Andrew Verster Jeremy Wafer Vuminkosi Zulu
William Kentridge Robert Hodgins
Andrew Verster
Jeremy Wafer Colbert Mashile
EXHIBITION Viewing: Tues - Sat 9h00 - after dinner | Sun 9h00 - 15h00 | Mon 9h00 - 17h00 Julia Meintjes Fine Art | 011 788 0820 | art@tokara.com LOCATION Tokara Winery Crest of the Helshoogte Pass on the R310 between Stellenbosch and Franschhoek
Witty Nyide
Bongumusa Hlongwa
TASTING TOKARA WINE AND OLIVE SHED OILS Mon - Fri 9h00 - 17h00 | Sat and Sun 10h00 - 15h00 TOKARA RESTAURANT Tues - Sat lunch and dinner reservations | 021 808 5959 TOKARA DELICATESSEN Tues - Sun 9h00 - 17h00 | 021 808 5951
KAREN AHLSCHLÄGER “This world/universe that we live in is a creation. We live in a universal field of creativity.” Alex Grey I feel a deep connection to this land, Africa it’s spirit, vibrant cultures and colours; to the plants, birds and animals, and to the surrounding mountains and landscape where I live. Beauty is the shape and form of animal skulls, the scales on a tortoise shell, feathers, seed pods and sea shells. Perfection is the shedded skin of a snake, honeycomb textured, paper-thin, delicate, transparent. Intrigue is the ugly, discarded, the overlooked, the hidden. Humour is watching the antics of the abundant, surrounding bird-life and yes, chickens have personalities too!
Music is the choir of river frogs, hoot of the owls, chorus of bird-song, chirping of crickets, hum of the bumble-bees, rain on my tin roof, the gurgle of a stream, waves breaking on the shore, wind blowing through the trees, crackling of a fire. Joy is the dance of the sunbirds, walking in the moonlight sunrise and sunset. These are food for my creative soul. Inspiration is abundant! There is a duality in my work which features conceptual book cover artwork for the academic market and children’s book illustration. My approach to creating the images has to match the intended target audience. The conceptual covers requires me to capture the “essence” of the book in a single image, while the other involves getting “inside” the characters, and a of series of artworks allowing the story to unfold. The former tending to be darker in content, style and approach; whereas the latter, simple shapes in a lighter colour pallet.
History of Sub-Saharan Africa – written by Robert O. Collins & James M. Burns, published by Cambridge University Press SA (2007)
Guerrilla Veterans in Post-War Zimbabwe – written by Norma Kriger, published by Cambridge University Press SA (2003)
Jeweler’s to the Palace – written by Margret Pearce, published by National Geographic and Ibis for Kids Australia (2006)
African Politics in Comparative Perspective – written by Goran Hyden, published by Cambridge University Press SA (2006)
CLAUDIA GURWITZ
‘Coral Tree Sky’: The Hout Bay Manor Collection The first question everyone asks me is always “Why Plants?” When I returned to painting after a seven year absence, I jumped from one subject matter to the next, giving everything a bash. My intellect would get in the way as I struggled to find something that inspired me enough to want to paint more. Plants weren’t the obvious answer. While I have always appreciated the beauty of the natural environment, I would describe myself more as a lazy gardener, doing the bare minimum to keep my plants alive. But for some reason, pinecones have always held a fascination for me. And this is where my journey into the powerful world of plants began. ‘Cactus #2’; Old Mutual Collection
‘Spiny Forest’; Nandos UK Collection
A few years ago I picked up a pinecone from the side of the road and took it along to my, then, weekly painting group. As I examined this item and attempted to translate its form onto my canvas, I discovered much unexpected texture, colour and subtlety within its prism-like structure; beauty in what is often over-looked, and under-appreciated. From this turning point, my urge to explore plant forms was ignited. There was suddenly so much I needed to paint, and so much inspiration around me. My 15 years of experience in the holistic therapy field has finely tuned my intuitive processes and sensitised me to the underlying essence of the subject matter I depict. This results in creations that tap into the holistic, subtle energetics of my subjects, rather than in photo-realism.
‘Conical Chaos’: Fynbos Country Estate Collection
Photography assists with this process in that it has offered me a glimpse into the most intimately secret world inside plants; that which the naked eye doesn’t register. I am often overwhelmed by what my camera’s macro setting picks up, and what I first thought to be a throw-away photograph, is revealed to be a dynamic moment in a plant’s life. I veer towards indigenous plant life and the strength and potency that it holds; relating powerfully to its energetic structures. My artworks are bold and often large as I cannot possibly depict these vital, awe inspiring structures in small, less significant terms. But rather than being botanically-motivated, I am motivated by form, texture, colour and vitality. I find fulfilment in these aspects of plants. My artwork titles are simple and often descriptive rather than attempting to be botanically correct; e.g. “Spiny Cluster”.
‘Spiny Cluster #2’: Private Collection
I live my life according to my intuition, my truth. Rather than striving to make a statement through my work, I am following a pull. And I will continue to respond to and celebrate this pull, for as long as plants continue to surprise me. Does that answer the question? To view my portfolio, visit www.claudiaswall.com ‘Green Aloe’: The Bay Hotel Collection
‘Date Palm’: Qasar al Sarab Hotel Collection, Abu Dhabi
or contact me on info@claudiaswall.com
George Diederick During (1917 - 1991) The Fork Oil on Board 740 x 820mm
Ebony’s 2010 Winter Exhibition which opens on the 15th May in Franschhoek showcases some rare and important works. Of significance, there are seven paintings from the Heath family following their combined retrospective at the Tatham in Pietermaritzburg in 2009. Jack, Jane and Jinny Heath, considered modernists, enriched the artistic community of KZN with their teachings and exhibitions and available paintings seldom come to the market. Ebony is also exhibiting a small selection of works by George Diederick During (1917 - 1991) that have not been seen for 40 years. A visually unique and underrated artist, who combined Cubist and Surrealist influences, his works form part of many important public collections. Ebony continues to strive to promote great South African design combined with exceptional artworks in the heart of the Winelands. Top right: Jack Heath (1915 - 1969) Untitled (Red and Blue) 1959, Enamel on Board 1253 x 1560mm Right: Jinny Heath (1944 - ) Green Still Life with Two Pears, 1995, Acrylic on Board 415 x 581 mm
www.ebonydesign.co.za 11 Huguenot Street, Franschhoek Tel: 021 876 4477 Shop 6, Central Parade, Victoria Road, Camps Bay Tel: 021 876 4477
“The three Primary Colours” Come and experience the vibrant paintings of one of SA’s leading landscape painters
Daniel Novela at Albany Museum, Education Classroom, from 20 June to 4 July 2010 Open air painting for Daniel Novela is an essential part of everyday life. He uses three primary colours - Red, yellow and blue with a compliment of white. Novela’s work is in demand with discerning collectors here at home and around the world, commanding prices that fetch thousands of rands. His determination to pursue an education and develop his skills won him respect of many art collectors throughout South Africa and abroad, a shining example. He acknowledges the help and patronage of Sylvia and Les Lategaan who recognised Daniel’s talent and helped him to achieve his quest to become a professional artist. Meet the artist himself at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown - Albany Museum, Education Classroom. Cattle in the Water and the Boy
Two men cutting grass
Farm Store at Buffelsdoorn Road near Stilfontein
To view more of Daniel’s work please go to www.danielnovela.co.za or email him at info@danielnovela.co.za