9
www.thevillagenews.co.za
24 February 2021
LOVE A LITTLE LOCAL
A surprise round every corner Writer Elaine Davie
T
he first thing you notice about self-taught artist, Antoinette Coetzee is her smile. Its warmth and spontaneity not only lights up her own face, but reaches into the darkest corners of the environment around her. There is no doubt about it, this is a Giver. And so she turns out to be – a spreader of kindness. Raised in Bloemfontein, Antoinette knew from the youngest age that she was born to be an artist, like her mother and grandmother, but there was a caveat: “I knew that art had been given to me as a gift to share with all; that it wasn’t just a means to make money, it was to give away to others for their pleasure and happiness,” she explains. As a child, she wasn’t able to take art classes, but she painted pictures for her friends at school and the more she painted, the more she learnt. Her friends decided she should have a distinctive branding and conferred the name, Amira (meaning Princess in Arabic) on her, which she still uses as her nom de plume (or, perhaps, nom d’art). Because of her deep love of animals and the natural environment, she now categorises herself as a conservation artist. Arriving in Betty’s Bay in 2019 and then in Kleinmond, she was overwhelmed by the beauty of the region. However, she knew nobody, so she decided the best way to reach out to the wider community was through art, and specifically rock art, which was gaining popularity all over the world. If that term conjures up ancient caves with walls covered in San art, you would be wrong.
Core Hermanus:
SHOP ONLINE WWW.CORECATERING.CO.ZA WE DELIVER
Shop 16c, Lifestyle Centre 028 313 1775
No, what Antoinette did was to start a Facebook group which she called Overberg Pebbles or O-pebbles (she prefers to call them pebbles, instead of rocks, which sounds too harsh to her). Using acrylic paints, which she varnished to protect them from the weather, she began to paint pebbles of various sizes and hide them in plain sight all over the Whale Coast, from Hermanus to Rooiels, on walking and bike trails, along the coastal paths, in shops, wherever someone might unexpectedly come across them. As she describes the project, “it is to find a pebble, take a picture, hide or keep the pebble and share on O-pebbles or #opebbles. It is so exciting to see some of these pebbles pop up in France, Germany, all over the globe, actually, picked up as a special gift from the Whale Coast. The world is so often such a hard place and these little pebbles speak to them of happiness and kindness.” A project which she started on her own has spread like a friendly pandemic throughout the region. She began to run free pebble-painting workshops for both children and adults, especially older people. On the one hand she says she wanted to get children excited about creating something of their own to share with someone else and at the same time to get them out to explore nature. “Like me,” she giggles; “I’ve never done so much walking and climbing in my life.” She loves working with older people, especially those in elder care. “They so often feel abandoned, see their life as having lost meaning, and this is a very healing activity. They don’t have to be artists to pebble-play; they can do written messages, too, if they prefer. And it is such a
LEFT: Antoinette Coetzee (Amira) with some of the painted pebbles that she hides in plain sight all over the Whale Coast, from Hermanus to Rooiels, on walking and bike trails, along the coastal paths and in shops. RIGHT: In addition to painting pebbles, Amira also produces conventional paintings in oils, usually working from professional photographs. The portrait of a fireman is from a photograph by Justin Sullivan, taken during the devastating wildfire in Betty’s Bay in January 2019. CIRCLE: Antoinette’s only reward is the joyful surprise when someone unexpectedly comes across one of her pebbles.
joy for them to see their handiwork turn up on Facebook.” She tells the story of a woman in Hermanus who lost her husband and completely gave up on life herself. She refused to step out of her house or see people. And then Antoinette and her pebbles came into her life. Now painting and hiding them has become an all-consuming passion and she is out and about spreading the kindness, non-stop. Another fun project Antoinette recently completed was the painting of two of the larger-than-life penguins which appear all along the Whale Coast to bring pleasure to visitors and draw attention to the many attractions of the area. Her happy pair are Peggy in Kleinmond, with proteas in her hair, and the very dapper Sir Robert in Stanford. Make sure you pop in to the respective Tourism offices to make their acquaintance. Of course, as Amira, she also produces more conventional paintings in oils, mostly of wild animals. Again, although she paints on commission as well, the majority are given away free of charge to conservation bodies wishing to raise funds for
their cause. She paints from photographs by wellknown photographers from whom she always first obtains permission. For example, a portrait of one of the firemen who fought the Betty’s Bay fire in January 2019 (photographed by Justin Sullivan) was used to raise funds for the publication of the book, Fire Storm which documented the experiences of those caught up in it. Another, of a baboon Mother and Baby (Pete Oxford) was used to raise funds for the protection of the baboons of the Kogelberg. “My artist friends often ask me why I give everything away. Well, to my mind, art is meant to bring colour to the world and at the same time to reflect its beauty. My talent was given to me free of charge; I didn’t pay for it, so why should I keep it to myself? My reward comes from the happiness it gives those who need it most. Someone I do not know may pick up a particular pebble on a particular day in a particular place that will have special meaning for them. That’s enough for me.” Antoinette can be contacted on amira@miworld.co.za or 083 497 6184.
