Meet Acclaimed Artists at FCMF

The second Franschhoek Chamber Music and Art Festival (FCMF) at the end of the month promises to be a proper celebration of local and international art – with handpicked masters of their craft displaying their techniques at art exhibition and an array of eleven chamber music concerts over the four-day festival.

It bodes so well for the success of this second annual FCMF that ticket sales are already double what they were last year, and some are in sight of selling out soon, says Nic Barrow, the festival chairman and co-founder with his wife, Ferda.

Eleven renowned visual artists – some locals and many with international acclaim – will display their latest work. Patrons will have the unique opportunity to interact directly with the artists and some may even have a chance to visit the studios and spaces where the local sculptors and painters create and display their work.

The guest artist for the festival (taking place 23 – 26 February) is Jan Vermeiren (born in Belgium in 1949), who lives and works in South Africa and France as an oil and mural painter and printmaker (lithography and etching).

Jan’swork links two rich and vastly different cultures - his European heritage and the influence of Africa, which is now his home. This duality brings an exhilarating and remarkable dimension to his creations. His aim is also to bring the viewer into the spirit of Africa to encourage an understanding of the African identity.

“It is the second year I have designed the official poster for the FCMF. Some of my recent drawings, graphic works, and oil paintings on canvas are at this year’s exhibition. My works are inspired by insects, animals, African figures, fish and other fantasies from my imagination,” says Jan.

The highly-praised Franschhoek-based ceramist Vuyisa Potina will also display his works. This former cattle herder from Elliotdale has come a long way since he started at a young age to fashion small models of oxen from hand-dug clay. He has worked with famed ceramicists like Rodney George, Ralph Johnson and David Walters.

The work of local mytho-poetic artist Andrea Desmond-Smith combines elements of myth and fantasy with a deeply felt concern about the destruction of our planet. The themes that permeate her work are metamorphosis, resurrection and the four elements of Western Alchemy: water, earth, fire and air. Her work is in various South African and European public and private collections.

Jaco Sieberhagen is a son of Victoria West in the Karoo and now works and resides in Onrust.

“The five sculptures on display at the festival are all hand and bird inspired, with birds flying from the hand or to the hand or an owl resting on the hand – metaphors of freedom, wisdom, comfort or protection,” says Jan.

Jacqueline Crewe Brown’s work depicts the perseverance of the domestic, feminine identity through cutting and mark making on canvas, whilst the profoundly philosophical thinker Abe Opperman will reveal art with a sensitive understanding of human nature, an appreciation of the mundane and the profound and an observation of the unobvious.

Henk Scholtz, known as the “Outsider Artist”, inspires with his garden art and creates naïve art pieces with finishes of ceramics and other textures. Henk and Andrea will alternate excursions to Artemis and the surroundings.

Johannes du Plessis is a trained and experienced artist with a history and body of work in fine art, painting and sculpture. Combining representational portrayal and purity of abstraction is characteristic of his craft. He uses a distinct figurative cubist style to express his love of form and nature. His contemporary expressionist approach appeals to the imagination and encourages communication between countries and cultures. His work on display portrays a few selected pieces over a period of indulgence.

Of the work of Andre Stead, Ashraf Jamal stated that “Stead’s graceful figures and vibrant installation artworks earned him a reputation for delivering work of exceptional quality with creative ingenuity and skill.”

Kim Tracey will display an abstract of mixed media on canvas and a fun and modern selection of ceramics. Works of local artist Anne Marie van Heerden-Hermans express her interest in the timeless natural world. She is inspired by sublime nature, filled with mystery, as found in abundance in the Western Cape.

Students from Bridge House School will also display various art pieces in different mediums. On the musical side, look out for international violist Priya Mitchell and international piano star Dirk Mommetz. Apart from the orchestral stars, you can also hear pianists Esthea Kruger, Nina Schumann, and soprano Lynelle Kenned. The festival organisers say they will annually focus on one South African composer, and this year it is David Earl. Carin Bam will perform the cor Anglais in his Quintet for cor Anglais and string quartet, which she premiered with the Amici Quartet in SA in 2014. “I am over the moon to have the opportunity to perform the newly revised version of this unique work that is sadly not often performed in his home country.”

Text: Editorial Desk | Image: Supplied

in February

February is not my favourite gardening month. Harvest time is like exam time, with the exception that I cannot cram for this one. It is now that my lack of preparation and laziness shows up on the farm and all the neglect and ignored issues pop out. My bad planning brings a sense of nervousness, that often spills over into the organisation. Often I wing it, but the sense of relief that comes mid-autumn when another successful harvest is in is still far off. Success mostly come through hard work though, and this month there is no time for sitting around dreaming about a post-harvest vacation.

Irrigation becomes tricky now, with different crops and varieties having varying water needs as their fruits ripen. Make notes as you hand water your plants and plan better for next year, grouping plants as per their specific season. The same goes for feeding. We regularly have a combination of plants in varying stages of growth and it takes close management of the shift from nitrogenous to potassium-based fertilisers as the individual plants mature. Most of your plants will thank you for a foliar feed now, but finding a cool and overcast day to apply it might be tricky in February. Mix half strength if you do get a chance to spray. Foliar feeding is effective even on the fruit, and we’ve often rescued tomato plants showing severe bottom-end rot through a foliar drench of the leaves, and young fruit with a chelated calcium source. Potassium silicate in a weak solution provides cellular structure that protects against excessive heat and wind, and pest attacks.

Walk your garden daily, early mornings are a special time. Act immediately when you see pests, diseases or nutrient deficiencies; now is not the time for procrastination. We are limited in the type of even organic products we can use approaching harvest, and these products are often less effective against outbreaks. Prevention is always better than finding a late cure, and having healthy plants is your insurance policy against crop failure. Efficient water and fertiliser application, intuitive pruning, creating healthy living soil and the integrated use of proven and safe pest prevention measures must be practiced from early in the season. One pest that often slips through our pest prevention cracks is the Cotton Bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera). Once the moth has laid her eggs, they quickly hatch to bury themselves into flower buds, young fruit and the stems of actively growing plants. They eat so ferociously that the dying plant parts sometimes resembles botrytis rot. We found Dipel, a Bacillus sp. also in Margaret Roberts’ caterpillar product, an effective control measure, but you need to start spraying the moment the first moths appear. Male moths can be trapped with specific pheromones if you have access to deliveries in your area. Koppert has an online shop and delivers fresh pheromones and other biologicals on a weekly basis.

Rainfall Figures

Harvest ripe fruit regularly and clean up the mess on the ground. Good garden hygiene now will save you plenty later. Remove yellowing leaves and think light penetration and ventilation while giving your plants a slight summer trim. Stake plants heavy with fruit, the wind can still be crazy this time of year. The impatient can start winter brassicas and flowers under cover, but I will recommend waiting until March and some cooler weather for that.

Those with access to irrigation water will do well by preparing a few beds and sowing a summer cover crop as green manure. Adding sunflowers to the mix will brighten up your autumn, leftover bean seed helps provide nitrogen while radishes and turnips loosen the soil.

Enjoy the fruits of your harvest and find new ways to preserve and share your successes. Fermentation, canning, pickling and freezing are techniques that every gardener should master. It not only keeps your pantry full, but also becomes an engaging hobby that can even lead to a side income. There is plenty online on it, but as always, nothing beats a good book on the subject. Happy gardening.