WELCOME TO MY ARTWORK

This is my story…

The artwork that flowed from my brush tells a story on canvas of what has spilled out from within.

It did not flow in a predictable pattern, as no inner life can, but the unexpected turns my life took has shaped me into a very contented man today.

So, just like Picasso, there are early and later phases in my work,

showing the change that took place in my life,

and still does.

Early years

I grew up close to my city of birth, Pretoria , the Capital city of South Africa.

On a beautiful hilltop with a spectacular view, my little life took shape.

Most fortunate for me my father was an artist. In his studio, amazed in the moments of powerful silences,

I watched him.

His strong father hands shaping lumps of clay into formidable artworks. This was my reality, he is a professional sculptor,

a very solid figure whom I love and learned an enormous amount from.

 During my youth, my many early morning pencil sketches convinced my father to send me to an art school in Pretoria called Pro Arte. I took to it like a fish to water. It is there that my love for oil-paint on canvas began.

After school, I qualified as a graphic designer at the Pretoria Technicon in  1991.

The beginning of the working world

 Although my first paid job was as a graphic designer, it did not take long for me to see that my talent was leaning more towards fine art. Because I had painting as a major subject at high school and at Technicon, I was ready when the mural culture for restaurants and private homes exploded. Painting murals for private homes, businesses and companies gave me a steady income while fine-tuning my portrait painting.

I enjoyed doing portraits for families and individuals.

Narrative Paintings

My love for storytelling, for painting light and atmosphere led me to painting huge “narrative-paintings”. Even though these paintings often took much longer to create, somehow the challenge was always very exciting. I tried to draw out the emotion of everything that I paint, be it a person, space or fabric. It all carries atmosphere.

These paintings were exhibited in galleries in and around Johannesburg, and started receiving more and more attention.

Another major influence in my life from a young age was the incredible landscape paintings of Dino Paravano and John Meyer ( who also influenced my interior paintings) . This was a good time to try my hand at landscapes as the market was asking for it. I enjoyed it immensly and I am still painting landscapes.

Teaching and moving to the coast

Early in 2005 I started teaching art privately from my own studio in Pretoria. Surprised at how much I enjoyed it,

I decided to venture further into this valuable and stimulating aspect of my career. 

In March 2007 a weekend trip to the Western Cape coast brought about an unexpected opportunity for me to move there permanently. A month later I found myself staring over the most glorious vista overlooking the whole of False Bay. My new location was a small seaside village called Rooi Els,

situated right at the bottom of the wild and beautiful South African coastline.

From there more narative paintings flowed to the most noted galleries in Cape Town. I was painting up a storm, selling well, and loving it. But change it seemed, had come to stay.

The change

Having a studio right on the rocks of a beautiful coastline and major galleries selling your work to international clients,

you would think that the creative juices would keep pouring like a fountain.

Alas, it did not.

Was this painting block, or was there more things stirring in my heart?

THE ANSWER would come as what I can in broad terms only explain as a spiritual experience, and it started a new journey that would ultimately transform my whole life.

My whole life and everything I believed was in a state of overhaul.

While I was praying earnestly about what to paint now, the church I was attending asked me to help them with a lay-out of the this most incredible night in history called

“THE LAST SUPPER”

Now, I had my answer

I jumped into the challenge of painting this very difficult scene with rigour.

I wanted the depiction to show the drama, the thoughts in everyone’s mind. Imagine the shock of what the disciples heard, their different reactions, and, of course, the light in such an ancient middle eastern setting.

I used friends as models, and re-planned and re-painted the scene until I was satisfied. In-between teaching it took my about a year to complete. Compacted maybe 8 months.

The painting currently is in Dallas Texas in a Biblical art Museum.

More big changes

Along with this big change another enormous edition to the footprint of my life appeared.

Janine, an old friend from my student days re-entered my life, and soon, she became my wife!

Janine is a dynamic, loving woman who loves the Lord, and her creative talents, although very different to mine, are very complimenting to my life and work.

You can go to behind the scenes to see us work together.

Painting the ocean

We were still living right on the coast, by now in the windy and wonderful Betties Bay.

So, being confronted with the ocean from your living room and in your daily walks, I ventured into the challenge of painting the ever moody and moving waters of False Bay.

Fascinating and complex, the sea demands our respect, and oh, how beautifully it is made!

During this time of growth I put together a whole collection of seascapes and still from time to time I return to the topic,

as I enjoy it immensely.

The second painting for Christ - The Victory

Still, I had answered the call from my Savior and Lord Jesus Christ to bring glory to Him through my artwork.

I was desperate to paint from my spirit again.

I even stopped painting asking the Lord to show me what I should paint.

The answer came in the form of a vision.

One morning I just saw clearly in my mind an enormous crucifixion scene.

I could see the composition and detail, and the will to paint it in the face of various obstacles was tremendous.

From there all kinds of supernatural things happened in the development of the artwork. Everything we needed was provided, the right people and circumstances just happened,

and the work started touching people in my studio long before it was finished.

 This was very humbling to me as I stood amazed at what the Lord was doing,

using the work as an instrument to speak to people.

Painting The Victory was a the biggest thing that happened in my career to date.

It really moved us and we understood that this is what pleases the Lord.

The work was sold within 10 days of exhibiting it, and we were elated that it would be hanging in an International Retreat Centre in Franschoek, South-Arica.

We could not have found a better home for the Victory than at In Harmonie. We still get news from them of how visitors from all over the world is touched by this work. Glory to our Creator!

Going to see where it all happened

So what do you do after painting two such important scenes that happened in the Holy Land?

You go see the Holy Land of course.

I was now fired up to experience the places where Jesus walked and taught and lived.

The dream of a solo exhibition depicting scenes from the everyday life of Jesus was growing. Janine had spend 2 years living in Jerusalem before, so with my wife as a very happy tour guide, of we went!

We had an experience that many who go to Israel will testify to;

timetables and divine appointments that we cannot explain, that was again impacting us tremendously.

I had all the inspiration I needed for my solo show!

The Word Became Flesh

Back in our beautiful studio in Betties Bay 'The Word Became Flesh' exhibition took shape over the next 18 months,

in-between teaching as always. Ilse Kleyn from the Boomhuis gallery in Stellenbosch,

who had become a solid friend by now, hosted us.

Opening night was very very special, and after seeing peoples reactions and getting so many requests for prints,

we realized that we wanted all people to have access to the work.

It was time to look at the world of fine art printing.

The process of capturing and refining the digital copy of every painting,

is very detailed and precise, and it took us almost 6 months.

Now we could offer people high quality prints, called a giclee, on canvas or paper, delivered to their door.

Our own Gallery - Studio - Workshop

Through all these years of growth and change,

the art classes I was giving to students was the one constant in my work-life.

By now I was teaching in Kleinmond, Somerset West and Stellenbosch on a weekly basis, as well as doing workshops in various places. The treasure of wonderful people Janine and I met through teaching was and is very precious.

It was time to have our own place to paint, teach and exhibit, and in 2018 we opened a small Gallery Studio in the seaside village of Kleinmond, South-Africa. Here the connection with people just exploded, and we could exhibit paintings and art prints next to each other, teaching the public of this new form of art print,

and we could grow the printing side of our gallery.

We enjoyed meeting so many new people and seeing how they received the work.  I was fortunate in the time in the shop to be blessed with lots of international commissions for large paintings, and it was a joy to share this process with friends, students and the public.

2020…and beyond…

Lock-down came in South Africa in March 2020 ushering in a whole new chapter into our lives. What a blessed time of separateness from our very busy teaching and painting schedule it was, and we dived into The Word.

To our total surprise The Lord started imprinting Jerusalem on my heart. After many months of praying and seeking The Lord about this very deep pull, we were sure that The Father was asking us to go and serve Him in Jerusalem.

The more we prayed into it, the more the call was confirmed.

October 2020 we packed up our lives in Kleinmond, and started on a trip to greet family and friends on our way to Jerusalem.

We will be living there until we are called back to our country. Yes and we surely will be continuing with what we have been doing always, painting, teaching art, worship, and whatever is in the leading of the Lord!

We must say, we are very excited about all the amazing experiences, international exposure and broadened horizons that awaits us!

Currently we are being blessed with lots of family-time in Gauteng ,where we are planning workshops, building and refining this website ( e-commerce shop coming soon ) ,

and will also start getting creative with brush or pencil in hand soon.

Like many of you we are working at what we can while waiting, excited and in anticipation, while the Lord leads us through all the uncertainty of the world and its masked regulations.