Art-ist

Art in Bloom

Martina Basson was the kind of child who hung around the stationary aisle, content to dream among the stacks of pens and books while her mother was grocery shopping. And even though she loved drawing and had a talent for it, she never considered making it into a career. It wasn’t until she moved to Namibia that she rekindled her old passion and made a name for herself with her stunning yet simple art works.

Like most journeys, this one had a few dead ends and wrong turns. After marrying her Namibian husband and moving to the Land of the Brave, Martina first tried her hand at making ice-cream, earning popular success with her brand Tina’s Lofty Creamery. Then motherhood happened, and things were suddenly not so simple. Taking a break from her business, she began to think about what her next step might be and that’s when her age-old passion for drawing sparked up again and presented itself as the next opportunity.

Martina’s illustrations vary from delicate botanical illustrations of plants and birds to topographically-inspired line drawings, black and white abstracts and more recently collage. Her favourite plant to illustrate is the almond blossom. “It is the first plant to blossom in the Middle East, and in Jewish culture it marks the beginning of spring and is a symbol of new beginnings.” It holds a special significance to Martina, who notes that before she makes any major decisions, she returns to her cornerstone of faith and prayer. The image of the almond blossom kept coming up, and it was exactly the message Martina needed to take the leap into this new chapter in her life. She connects the delicate flower to Isaiah 43:18-19: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!” Like all new things, there has been a lot of growth. “You learn to back yourself and to receive criticism. You take a risk to be vulnerable and exposed.”

Flamingo Flower

Worthy

You learn to back yourself and to receive criticism. You take a risk to be vulnerable and exposed.

And as with anything that one puts out into the world, there’s always the possibility that what you create won’t be appreciated. But even more difficult, she says, is dealing with your own inner-critic. “The hardest part is that my personal standard is perfection, which means that often I am afraid to draw, because perfection leaves no room for mistakes. Will it be good enough? Am I good enough? Will people like it? I am learning to allow mistakes and to be in this process of development. I have learnt that when you follow your interests, take personal inspiration, and express yourself without trying to be commercial, then you turn out your best work. To not be afraid to put yourself on paper.”

At the same time, though, she is learning what people like more, what they like less, as well as what her own preference is and what she enjoys to create. Most importantly, she doesn’t let herself get stuck in one way of doing things. The lesson, she says, is not to restrict yourself as an artist: “Allow yourself to create art as your interests change and as your skillset expands.” The almond blossom, it seems, is in bloom once again.

Nina van Zyl

Scarlet-Chested Sunbird

Cape Cross Sand

Martina Basson