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"Muse for the Weary"
Mixed Media on Stretched Canvas, 1m x 80cm. SOLD This is a self-portrait of sorts; I was feeling old, weary and rather battered by life. The insects flying around suggest hope, ideas, possibilities and opportunities, as does the gold emanating from the upper right-hand corner. Even though the woman is overwhelmed by life, she is constantly energized by the creative possibilities that surround her. "Gertrude Pretorius Adapts to Being African" Oil Painting on Stretched Canvas; 1m x 80cm. R7 800,00. This painting was selected for the SASA Annual Exhibition. and makes a relevant South African Social Statement. Gertrude is a typical middle-aged, well-to-do South African White Woman, who is struggling to let go of her uptight, colonial heritage. She's trying to "loosen up", going barefoot, supporting AIDS research and wearing a scarf pin that is the African symbol for ADAPTABILITY. Her wallpaper is a Shwe-shwe design of an African icon, the Hadeda bird. But it's evident by the expression on her and her guard dog's face that this is going to be a tough transition for her. |
"Waiting in Line"
Oil Painting on deep-edged canvas; 80 x 60cm; R3800.00
Today's emerging generations share a perpetual preoccupation - social media via cellphones or devices. Regardless of the company we're in, we can't resist the urge to explore what's happening in the virtual world, limiting conversation with those in our physical vicinity. This image of students waiting at a bus stop presents the typical pose of the "Google generation". They are waiting in line, each of them absentmindedly hoping that something more interesting will come along.
Oil Painting on deep-edged canvas; 80 x 60cm; R3800.00
Today's emerging generations share a perpetual preoccupation - social media via cellphones or devices. Regardless of the company we're in, we can't resist the urge to explore what's happening in the virtual world, limiting conversation with those in our physical vicinity. This image of students waiting at a bus stop presents the typical pose of the "Google generation". They are waiting in line, each of them absentmindedly hoping that something more interesting will come along.
"The Dream"
Oil on Deep-Edged, stretched Canvas. R3800.00
Most artists find that there are times when a creative work just emerges on its own, separate from the plan the artist had in mind. Such was the case with this piece. It was originally intended as a portrait, but I didn't like the way it turned out, so I painted over it with a number of textured oil layers and left it for a year or so. When I picked up the canvas again I discovered that a suggestion of the face still remained, and was evolving as a dream does. I let that lead my creative process from there, and hence the name of this work.
Oil on Deep-Edged, stretched Canvas. R3800.00
Most artists find that there are times when a creative work just emerges on its own, separate from the plan the artist had in mind. Such was the case with this piece. It was originally intended as a portrait, but I didn't like the way it turned out, so I painted over it with a number of textured oil layers and left it for a year or so. When I picked up the canvas again I discovered that a suggestion of the face still remained, and was evolving as a dream does. I let that lead my creative process from there, and hence the name of this work.
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Both these paintings are about the sense of wonder and exploration that is childhood. I will be painting more of them, since so many people seem to be attracted to the freedom and lightness of this sort of artwork. Perhaps they remind us of our own childhood, or perhaps they speak to a part of everyone that yearns for innocence. "The Age of Innocence" Oil; 30 x 45cm; SOLD "Storm Warning" Oil; 40 x 50cm; SOLD |
"From Both Sides Now"
Oil Painting on Stretched Canvas; 29 x 42cm; R2800
This is a portrait of a 14 year-old boy who often has his head in the clouds. The song by Joni Mitchell, inspiring the title of this work, is about how we view life through our experiences. It is at first a meditation on clouds, the whimsical way a child sees them as "ice-cream castles in the air", but then as we mature we see clouds representing other things such as storms. The painting is about how we lose our youthful innocence and optimism. We stop experiencing the events in our lives purely in terms of their simple beauty, and start to see things from a more jaded perspective. This painting was intended to represent that innocence, and both sides of looking at life. We may retain our happiness as humans if we remember to look at clouds from both sides more often.
Oil Painting on Stretched Canvas; 29 x 42cm; R2800
This is a portrait of a 14 year-old boy who often has his head in the clouds. The song by Joni Mitchell, inspiring the title of this work, is about how we view life through our experiences. It is at first a meditation on clouds, the whimsical way a child sees them as "ice-cream castles in the air", but then as we mature we see clouds representing other things such as storms. The painting is about how we lose our youthful innocence and optimism. We stop experiencing the events in our lives purely in terms of their simple beauty, and start to see things from a more jaded perspective. This painting was intended to represent that innocence, and both sides of looking at life. We may retain our happiness as humans if we remember to look at clouds from both sides more often.
"New York Circa 1950"
Oil Painting on stretched canvas; 29 x 41cm; R1800
When my grandmother was about 30 she visited America. The reference for this painting was an old black & white photograph I found amongst her things many years after her death. She and my grandad loved to travel, unsurprising considering the way they had come to spend their lives together. They had both grown up in working class neibourhoods in Northern Ireland. Life was extremely tough there in the '30's and my grandfather, being ambitious and undaunted by the unknown, decided to seek his fortune in lands afar. He took a ship to South Africa - land of opportunity - leaving the country of his birth, never to see it again. Before he left, he gave his girlfriend an engagement ring, promising to send for her when he had saved up enough money to secure her passage. A year later he won money on the horse races and sent for her. After weeks at sea and a long train journey into the unknown wilderness of the far Northern Transvaal, she was met at the station by her fiance and a minister waiting on the platform with a marriage contract that kept my grandparents happily bound for 58 years, until his death. This photo of my romantic yet pragmatic grandmother, looking out over Central Park, might just have caught her in a moment of reminiscence, thinking about her beloved Ireland and the family she left behind.
Oil Painting on stretched canvas; 29 x 41cm; R1800
When my grandmother was about 30 she visited America. The reference for this painting was an old black & white photograph I found amongst her things many years after her death. She and my grandad loved to travel, unsurprising considering the way they had come to spend their lives together. They had both grown up in working class neibourhoods in Northern Ireland. Life was extremely tough there in the '30's and my grandfather, being ambitious and undaunted by the unknown, decided to seek his fortune in lands afar. He took a ship to South Africa - land of opportunity - leaving the country of his birth, never to see it again. Before he left, he gave his girlfriend an engagement ring, promising to send for her when he had saved up enough money to secure her passage. A year later he won money on the horse races and sent for her. After weeks at sea and a long train journey into the unknown wilderness of the far Northern Transvaal, she was met at the station by her fiance and a minister waiting on the platform with a marriage contract that kept my grandparents happily bound for 58 years, until his death. This photo of my romantic yet pragmatic grandmother, looking out over Central Park, might just have caught her in a moment of reminiscence, thinking about her beloved Ireland and the family she left behind.
"Hanging Around"
Oil on deep-edged stretched canvas; 1m x 80cm; R3800.00
"Loose" is the word that best describes this work. A captured moment of monkeying around, the flexibility of young adult limbs, lightness of body and spirit, are all represented in the unconstrained paint techniques and unfinished lines. The play is spontaneous, light and brief - as is this time of youth.
Oil on deep-edged stretched canvas; 1m x 80cm; R3800.00
"Loose" is the word that best describes this work. A captured moment of monkeying around, the flexibility of young adult limbs, lightness of body and spirit, are all represented in the unconstrained paint techniques and unfinished lines. The play is spontaneous, light and brief - as is this time of youth.
"Unhoused"
Oil painting on deep-edged canvas; 1.5m x 1m; R3800.00
This is one of my favourite works. this person could be anyone... someone you know or a complete stranger. He is "unhoused" because he belongs to no particular population group, community, culture or class. He might be homeless or indigent, unemployed or vagrant. He might be your brother, father, son or favourite celebrity. He is nevertheless one of us, always seeking what we all need - home, direction, peace... He is humankind.
Oil painting on deep-edged canvas; 1.5m x 1m; R3800.00
This is one of my favourite works. this person could be anyone... someone you know or a complete stranger. He is "unhoused" because he belongs to no particular population group, community, culture or class. He might be homeless or indigent, unemployed or vagrant. He might be your brother, father, son or favourite celebrity. He is nevertheless one of us, always seeking what we all need - home, direction, peace... He is humankind.
"Sunset Fisherman"
Oil on Stretched Canvas R1800.00
For many families around the world, the ocean's bounty is their livelihood, as they rely solely on subsistence fishing. It is tragic that pollution, climate change and over-fishing have devastated Mother Earth and her resources. Many fisherman now have to resort to different income sources, as the depleted global markets as well as diminishing availability have destroyed their livelihoods. The sunset imagery in this scene is reflective of the fading of the days when humankind could benefit from the beauty and generosity of our planet.
Oil on Stretched Canvas R1800.00
For many families around the world, the ocean's bounty is their livelihood, as they rely solely on subsistence fishing. It is tragic that pollution, climate change and over-fishing have devastated Mother Earth and her resources. Many fisherman now have to resort to different income sources, as the depleted global markets as well as diminishing availability have destroyed their livelihoods. The sunset imagery in this scene is reflective of the fading of the days when humankind could benefit from the beauty and generosity of our planet.
"Ganges Bathers"
Oil on Stretched Canvas; 75 x 91cm; R5800.00
Every day in India the Ganges River hosts the washing-up rituals of hundreds of local residents - men, women and children of varying ages, religions and classes. The squalor, poverty and unhygienic conditions are juxtaposed against the richness of colours and diversity that abound throughout India.
Oil on Stretched Canvas; 75 x 91cm; R5800.00
Every day in India the Ganges River hosts the washing-up rituals of hundreds of local residents - men, women and children of varying ages, religions and classes. The squalor, poverty and unhygienic conditions are juxtaposed against the richness of colours and diversity that abound throughout India.
"No Particular Place to Go"
Oil Painting on stretched canvas; 50 x 40cm; R2800.00
I was walking through Woodstock in Cape Town, when I came across these two young men enjoying a lazy Saturday afternoon just sitting on the sidewalk, watching people passing. They were sharing a joke and simply soaking in the pleasantness of not having to be anywhere, go anywhere or do anything in particular. A typical snapshot of Cape Town life.
Oil Painting on stretched canvas; 50 x 40cm; R2800.00
I was walking through Woodstock in Cape Town, when I came across these two young men enjoying a lazy Saturday afternoon just sitting on the sidewalk, watching people passing. They were sharing a joke and simply soaking in the pleasantness of not having to be anywhere, go anywhere or do anything in particular. A typical snapshot of Cape Town life.
"Tuareg Dreamers"
Oil Painting on Stretched Canvas; 50 x 40cm; R3500
This painting was inspired by an article about caravans of Tuareg nomads in Africa, who move throughout the Sahara regions of Niger, Mali and Algeria, living on and off of the land. Borders don't constrain them, as they live peacefully from place to place. In Tuareg society the women have high status, and traditionally it is the men in their communities who wear veils, not the women. These mothers asleep with the next generation of their tribe, blanketed by shifting desert sands, are untroubled by the trappings of the Western world.
Oil Painting on Stretched Canvas; 50 x 40cm; R3500
This painting was inspired by an article about caravans of Tuareg nomads in Africa, who move throughout the Sahara regions of Niger, Mali and Algeria, living on and off of the land. Borders don't constrain them, as they live peacefully from place to place. In Tuareg society the women have high status, and traditionally it is the men in their communities who wear veils, not the women. These mothers asleep with the next generation of their tribe, blanketed by shifting desert sands, are untroubled by the trappings of the Western world.
"Bush Contemplation"
Oil on Stretched Canvas
62 x 45cm; R3800
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"30 Degrees in the Shade"
Oil on Stretched Canvas, Framed
1m x 80cm; R5200
SOLD
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The above two portraits are representative of hot summer African days. "Bush Contemplation" is an African man taking a rest after a hike in the bush, enjoying nature and the beauty of the African wilderness. "30 degrees in the shade" is a typical picture of South African afternoons in the summer. The family portrait was inspired by a photograph taken in 1970, of my mother, my aunt, my sister and me, sitting under the fruit trees in my grandparents' garden in Johannesburg. Reminiscent of long summer afternoons around the swimming pool, basking in the African sun.
