Amazing Space!

ArtsPage, always first with the news, is delighted to draw your attention to a new gallery in town. It is the Piazza Gallery, on the 2nd Floor of the Village Square Piazza, same level as the upper deck of the new Ocean Basket and is the newest project of artist and businesswoman Deirdre Loxton. Pieter Vermaak, whose art school in Onrus has featured on this page, is the artistic consultant and, knowing his experienced eye, the gallery will always have something intriguing on its walls. Charles Lowings has been appointed as manager and they will show contemporary art, sourcing locally and from all over South Africa.

Pieter Vermaak and Deirdre Loxton

Another gallery?

Are we not “over-galleried”? Do we need another one? Is the art cake to be divided yet again? These naughty thoughts must be banished right now. Hermanus is an art destination and the more galleries we have, the better. Hooray for the Loxtons in their new venture and may they be followed by many more. It was Francois Grobbelaar of Walker Bay Art Gallery who boldly said he would be happy if the whole Main Road were art galleries and he was right. Almost all the gallerists will tell you that the majority of buyers are not locals; they may be holidaymakers from points North or, more likely, overseas visitors who are impressed by the variety and sheer good value of the art offerings here.

Accessible paintings

Quality is vital of course. But quality is something that people often have to learn to appreciate and a stroll through our galleries is one way of educating the eye. Taste in art is as wide as our glorious bay and our artspots can offer something for everyone. If you are hesitant to enter the premises of the purveyors of high art, you will still see plenty of accessible paintings, ceramics and sculpture on offer elsewhere. Remember Johan De Vries (1945-2002) who used to flog his graphic works for a couple of hundred rand at Lemms Corner? Some looked down on them as naïve. Now you will be lucky if you can find them and the price will be in the thousands. (Tip: Rossouw Modern still has a small collection.) The individual Cubist look and everyday subject matter of De Vries’s work has been copied after his death– surely the sincerest form of flattery.

Johan de Vries - "Die Laaste Avondmaal"

Piazza Gallery

Back to Hermanus’s latest gallery; the design is SoHo loft style, sparsely furnished and high-ceilinged, with one hundred metres of wall space that no other local gallery can match. The doors are open now, though the official launch (by invitation only) is still a few weeks away. There is a lift to the second floor if you don’t do stairs – as well as easy access from the restaurant. The space looks great for making art of all kinds; recitals, concerts and, who knows, even a spot of jazz and a glass of bubbly could make this into a social hub that is slick, modern and right there where the action is.

SNIPPETS

• Pure South’s “Meet the Artist” evening last week introduced Hennie Meyer to Hermanus. He told us, most entertainingly, how he came to ceramics (sanctions in his Australian exchange student year in the 1980s landed him in the art department of a technical college) and his work is now sold internationally.

• Bellini Gallery is well settled in new premises at 167 Main Road and, as well as cappuccino and art, they offer a booking service for Overstrand Arts/Kunste shows.

• Strauss and Co, the new Cape Town action house, is taking appointments for auction valuations by Stephan Welz on Thursday 19 November. Call 0878068780.

• A creative art workshop at Volmoed in the Hemel en Aarde Valley is scheduled for December 7-11. Contact Alyson 028-3121282 or home 028-3132313. “An opportunity to learn, share and exhibit.”

• Keep your news and views coming to me at niblos@telkomsa.net

Catch up on art - 16 October 2009

The catching-up was for me to do after my holiday break but you, dear reader, may like to hear what has been going on locally and in Cape Town.

Strauss and Co

At the first auction of Strauss and Co at The Vineyard hotel on 8 October in Newlands, Stephan Welz held the hammer and around R38 million changed hands for some irresistible artworks and antiques. Encouraging to know that there is still plenty of cash for items of high quality. As expected, two Irma Sterns made top prices of the evening at R7 million and R5,7 million and the Paul Storr wine coolers that were illustrated in last fortnight’s ArtsPage fetched R1,5m - twice their estimate. An outstanding Meintjes oil “Seun en Boskat” set a new record for this artist at R423 320.

Johannes Meintjes - Oils – “Seun en Boskat” - sold at Strauss and Co auction for R423 000

Stellenbosch

The Spring Art Tour popped up in this pretty town last weekend and was well supported by local galleries and art museums. At the SMAC gallery, I discovered Anton Karstel, on show with paintings and photographic installations 1989-2009. The gallery, itself bright and light-filled, is to be congratulated on a model catalogue to complement and record Karstel’s oeuvre to date. Three well-considered essays as well as the gallery owner’s statement give insight into the deeper resonances in the gripping works on display. Nigel Mullins and Kobus La Grange show current work entitled “Hang in There” at the Dorpstraat Gallery which is now at 10 Church Street.

Hermanus gallery round-up

Abalone Art Gallery: A serious gallery with a changing selection of established artists. In the Courtyard off Harbour Road.

Art Thirst: Leon Müller’s gallery in High Street. Shows Leon’s own works plus Petrus Viljoen and others. Always lots of activity as commissions are filled and they strive to keep up with demand.

Bellini Gallery: Now in new premises alongside Philip Harper Galleries in Main Road. The cappuccino bar adds a buzz and makes the gallery one of the more accessible for those who are a bit intimidated by gallery “mystique”- the garden is a further attraction.
Two of “their” artists, Terry Kobus and Ed Bredenkamp, are exhibiting 24-31 October in Melville, Johannesburg in the gallery Upstairs at the Bamboo. The show is called “Hermanus to Here.”

Deirdre Winer Gallery: A newcomer to Hermanus who shows her own work (and some of her teacher’s) in a small but tasteful gallery in High Street Close.
Dave De Beer Wildlife Photography exhibits his brilliantly-observed and captured birds, beasts and cetaceans in a new space next-door to Deirdre Winer in the Close.

Gallery Hermanus: Eyecatching position on Main Road, a busy window entices you into an interior crammed with art that’s easy to enjoy.

Gallery at Hubbards Cupboard: Aberdeen St. Eclectic collection of paintings and decorative objects. Food and fashion, sophistication in a warm, village setting.

Iona Property Gallery: Art and kelims at Victoria Square on Long Street, – Eleanor and St John combine art with their core business, property.

Izibini Life Lounge: “Eclectic” seems too tame for this show of metal sculpture, found objects and way-out artworks. They are at 56, 10th Avenue, Voelklip and serve excellent coffee and cake while you browse.

Mila Mosaic Boutique: Now moved to the chic arcade known as High Street Close. Craft glass, mosaic and artworks (see also Deirdre Winer and Dave De Beer above).

Musa Khaly’s Gallery and Crafts: Village Square, upstairs –ethnic art painted by Musa.

Old Harbour Gallery Warrington Place off Harbour Road, showing selected local and Zimbabwean paintings and sculpture. Owner Margaret Fourie may be heard at the piano, and sources some well-chosen art.

Overberg Art: Aberdeen St, SA artists and Swazi glass, and currently also showing photographic works by MC Botha.

The Philip Harper Galleries: In Main Rd, Contemporary and SA Masters, cool and sophisticated. Trimmed down by the letting of some space to Bellini, Harper still has an uncluttered look in its ground and first floor areas.

Pure South: In Main Road. Art ceramics by award-winning Hennie Meyer and others, plus some paintings by local artists. Hennie will be at the gallery on Friday 6 November from 18h30 so call Liz Coates on 028 3121899 if you would like to meet him over a glass of wine.

Hennie Meyer – "Blocks" at PURE SOUTH

Rossouw Modern: aka the Fisherman’s Gallery. Harbour Road. Plenty of new and established talent here, driven by the passion of owner Joshua Rossouw. Groot Constantia Estate is their Cape Town base and they are also at Greyton.

The Art Shop: Mitchell St. Art supplies plus a chequerboard display of local artists.

The Tay Modern: Long St, devoted to the bold, colourful canvasses of Tay Dall. Her gallery has a branch in Greyton. This hard-working Vermont artist is also represented in galleries around SA as well as overseas.

Walker Bay Art Gallery: In Main Rd., now established as a leading gallery showing SA masters, contemporary and local artists. The well-lit windows offer a good glimpse of the quality art and sculpture within. They are currently having a Spring Exhibition.

4 Art Sake: Royal Centre, behind KFC. A tiny gallery which Cobus Kershoff has filled to the brim with the artworks that he loves.

Hemel en Aarde Shopping Village and nearby

Aeromarine Gallery: Airplanes in Sandbaai – Studies by Derrick Dickens, meticulous art that gladdens the eye of collectors and enthusiasts in a dedicated, revamped gallery. Selected other artists’ works, too.

Hornbill Fine Art: First-floor gallery above a treasure trove of Afrocentric ceramics by Erna and John Dry and their team. New shows regularly appear and the November Exhibition (which actually opens 21 October) features Erna Dry, Jonathon Dry, Petro Steere, Mariette Goosen, Charmé Southey, Nico van Rensburg and Laura van Riet.

Southern Art Ceramics: Glazed art of all descriptions, some practical, some architectural, all beautiful.
Sandbaai Stationery and Art: Art supplies and art, now moved to new premises down Sandbaai main road next to Specsavers. Still some wallspace for local artists!

Sylvia Smith Gallery: Long-established watercolourist showcasing her own works and those of local artists, plus ceramics and textile art. Mornings only in the quiet season.

Village Art Gallery: Brian Robertson at his easel. Invited artists share the space but the framing section has been discontinued.

Whale Rock Auctioneers: in Adam Street, Hermanus Business Park, (behind CTM) Derrick Benzien has an art and auction showroom and provides evaluations.

ONRUS

Antoinette Ohlenschläger’s Studio in van Blommestein Road is showing her vibrant works.

Galerie Gregoire: Old Main Road. A museum dedicated to Gregoire Boonzaier where you can see a centenary selection of work of the late great Gregoire, some for sale and some loaned.

Mission’s House Gallery: De Villiers St. Artist, art teacher and long-time gallerist Glenda Pope owns this historic farmhouse which she has recently expanded. Contemporary works and framing, too.

The Onrus Gallery: Derrick Benzien and well-known local artist Hennie Niemann Snr, own this prominent gallery on Lagoon Drive. It has established itself as a serious player in the SA Master and Contemporary scene.

The Gallery: in Van Blommestein Street. Offshoot of The Onrus Gallery, providing more wall space for their collection.

COUNTRY

Stanford

Stanford Galleries: This village is firmly on the art map with an extended and well-stocked gallery which still finds space for a leisurely bistro coffee corner, plus country antiques and collectors’ books next door.

Kleinmond

Harbour Road Gallery: local artists have found a home down this bohemian road where antiquey-crafty shops and taverna restaurants happily co-exist with light industrial businesses.

Betty’s Bay

John The Potter’s Studio – art and everyday ceramics, raku, too…

Michaelis Art, previously ArtWorks Gallery, now run by John Michaelis , are both to be found on the long stretch of main road

Villiersdorp

Elliott Art Studios – art courses regularly and artwork for sale in Dale and Mel Elliott’s smart art centre.

Le Gallerie: unpretentious local art gallery and coffee shop in the main road.

Greyton

Rossouw Modern, a branch of the vibrant Hermanus gallery is established here.

Scarlett, a gallery showing contemporary artists; plus some designer jewellery.

The Tay Modern, the branch of Tay Dall’s Hermanus gallery.

And don’t forget the (Hermanus-originated) Art Market, on the web at www.theartmarket.co.za, an internet site to explore for purchases and sales.

If you run a full-time artplace in the Overberg and are not listed, do send me details niblos@telkomsa.net.

SA’s best amateur photography - 2 October 2009

Nobody these days disputes that photography is an art medium and one that, with the advent of the digital camera, is becoming increasingly popular. Our well-supported and vibrant Hermanus Photographic Society has been invited to host the 2009 national congress of the Photographic Society of South Africa. I caught up with Max Leipold, one of the members of the organising committee, for a chat.

PC - Congratulations on securing this event for Hermanus. It will take place during the week starting October 12. Is that to coincide with the height of the whale season?

ML – It’s a privilege to host an event which should draw about 120 active photographers to our town and, yes, the date was chosen to offer delegates maximum photographic opportunities. Naturally, the whales feature highly on this list but by no means exclusively. In October, the wheatfields have been freshly harvested and the contour lines lend a third dimension to an image; the fynbos is at its best before the onset of the summer heat and then there are the great whites just to the east of us and a penguin colony on the west, bird life galore on either of the lagoons……….in fact, more photo opportunities than time available ! Hermanus is an excellent choice of venue.

PC – Tell me about the photographic club.

ML – The club, originally the Walker Bay Photo Society, was founded by Dinkie Marais and some 18 members in April 1997. Today it has 126 members -- a testimony to the exponential increase in interest in photography. This is largely due to the introduction of digital technology whereby anyone with a cellphone camera is able to take photographs.

The Hermanus Photographic Society helps those interested in improving their photo skills. There is a huge difference between point-and-shoot technique and a photo which can hold its own in an art gallery. Whilst not everyone aspires to this pinnacle, most of our members do want to improve their end result. That is our main focus and anyone is welcome to attend our meetings on a try-before-buy basis by calling the Club Chairperson (Ronnie Hazell) on 028 3123212

PC – And the forthcoming congress?

ML – A congress in Hermanus is a fairly rare event -this is only the second in 12 years. It provides a forum for over a hundred of South Africa’s most experienced amateur photographers to exchange ideas about techniques, locations, equipment etc. Congress provides a showcase for some of the best in SA amateur photography and local photo opportunities.

The early mornings and late afternoons provide the right light conditions for these opportunities; the rest of the mornings are filled with lectures by a number of foremost names in photography; the afternoons are dedicated to workshops – hands on education on PhotoShop; Audio Visual presentations; macro photography; visual art techniques and many more.

After dinner, delegates will be entertained with stunning audio visuals but not too late to bed as the following morning is another early rise!

PC – You mention ‘foremost photographers’. Are you able to name some?

ML – Amongst them are…
• Dianne Skinner – one of Canada’s leading visual arts photographers.
• George Hallett has worked in Europe for three decades photographing the positive aspects of people’s lives. He returned to South Africa in 1994 to photograph the first democratic elections, and subsequently the Truth and Reconciliation Commission process.
• Peter and Beverley Pickford, the renowned wildlife photographers whose many books have sold extensively both in SA and abroad, will share some of their passion for wildlife photography.
• Charles Biggs has been involved in photography for 30 years plus. Lectures at the Stellenbosch Academy of Design and Photography and will discuss his personal vision on the photography of people.
• Rob Mills, “The Man in the Sensible Pants” as he describes his Journey from Engineer to Artist, will also give a workshop on Digital Stitching for Panoramas


PC – Is the Congress open to people who are not members of your club?

ML - Yes it is. However, due to good marketing and a varied program of lectures and interesting workshops, we are now fully booked with more than 180 delegates for the morning lectures. But anybody interested can contact Dinkie Marais (028 – 312 3357 or e-mail; dinkiem@xsinet.co.za) and enquire whether some of the afternoon workshops still have openings. The public is most welcome to view the print exhibition in the foyer of the Municipal Auditorium during our congress.

Spring at Baardskeerdersbos - 25th September

Visitors to our Whale Festival will know that we have more than just those gentle giants. You have come, of course, to enjoy the wine, the fynbos and especially the art for which the Overstrand is famous. So we have listed all the local artspots to visit; and if you are ready to venture a bit further afield, one not to miss is a rather special spring art route this weekend. On Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th September, the rural community of Baardskeerdersbos hosts its famous Art Route for the fifth time, having firmly established themselves as “the freshest inclusion to the national art scene.”

“No ordinary art route,” they proudly say. The event takes place only three times a year. Every Autumn, Spring, and Christmas the artists of the south host what they claim has become the “Premier Fine Art Event of the Overberg”. Expect to see painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking, ceramics, and land art while meeting the artists in their homes and studios. Each artist presents a professional exhibition containing their most recent work, providing the visitor with a premier peek prior to the work being released to galleries.

NIEL JONKER – oil on panel –LANDSCAPE done in situ. On view at B’bos Spring Art Route

Visiting artists

The core group of a dozen solo artists is now being joined by visiting artists wanting to share in this unique event that is neither festival nor your average gallery opening. This spring sees the inclusion of highly collectable Hanneke Benade’s pastel portraits in the gallery venue opposite the village winkel. Hanneke’s work has won some prestigious awards and is included in major collections. Since matriculating with a distinction in graphic art, she has studied printmaking at Pretoria University and has had a three month spell in 2000 at the Cite Internationale des Arts in Paris. Her soft pastels are described as quiet and pensive figurative works, depicted with exquisitely delicate formal skill.

Renowned locals

You will want to see the regular, and renowned, locals such as Niel Jonker (painting and sculpture), Kali and Daniel Griffin (textiles and ceramics), Amanda Jephson (painting), Claudette Barnes (painting), Colleeen Emminis (painting), Victor Breach (photography and metal work), Aletta Groenewald (painting), Andree Bonthuys (land art and sculpture), Hendrik Rabie (ceramics), Gillian Eyre (painting), PD Coetzer (furniture), and Joshua Miles (painting and printmaking).

Collectors of art meet the artists in their milieu, sharing in their processes and inspirations, sometimes sneaking in ahead of the crowds on the Friday. While those in the know take advantage of the affordable prices for quality art, day-trippers enjoy the outing with wine, conversation and laughter in the most outstanding of rural Cape destinations. Kids mill about, friendly dogs scamper and one feels part of the buzzing artistic community. Three venues will be serving food and you can look forward to savouring a complimentary glass or two at any of the artists’ home venues.

Baardskeerdersbos, “the last of the true Cape villages”, is undoubtedly worth a visit ; a stunning rural setting, with historic buildings, village characters, genuine functional smallholdings and country hospitality. Access from Stanford is via Grootbos or Pearly Beach, or from Bredasdorp via Elim.
For more information, call 028-3819636 / 083 444 2613, or simply take the road toward Gansbaai and look out for the silver signs. Oh, and tell them you read about it on the ArtsPages…

SNIPPETS

• Richard Smith, one of our leading artists and living right here in Onrus, has just finished a solo show at the iArt Gallery in Cape Town. He will be the subject of one of my Sketches shortly.

• Bellini Gallery has opened up on Main Road, next to the Harper gallery. They have traded their sea view for a central location with more wall space and a delightful garden where the Cappuccino Bar will certainly flourish.

• Sandbaai Stationery and Art is at new premises half-way down the Sandbaai main road next door to Specsavers. Louis assures me there is still place for paintings on his walls.

• Next weekend 4/5 October, a trip to Stellenbosch will be worthwhile – several special exhibitions are on – see www.springarttour.co.za

• Strauss and Co, the new art auction house under direction of Stephan Welz, entertained me at its Cape Town premises at The Oval, near Cavendish Square last week. Wine was served in a magnificent pair of George 111 wine coolers by Paul Storr. (Est R600-800 000). Their inaugural sale is at The Vineyard, conveniently close to their offices, on 8 October and, judging by the items I saw, it is set to be every bit as successful as their Johannesburg launch in March. www.straussart.co.za.

• Keep your news and views coming to niblos@telkomsa.net.

Reaching out for Art - September 4, 2009

It is easy to buy art; especially here in Hermanus. We have twenty-six galleries and art spaces between here and Onrus and more are opening by the day- or so it seems. At our Whale Festival you will usually find an informal display of the works of our many local artists and painters-for-pleasure. Art routes in the country are becoming popular. Collectors and dealers peruse the glossy catalogues of the big auction houses with their regular sales of desirable works. (Sometimes the photography is so good that the work itself is rather a let-down.)

Selling

But what about the time when you want to dispose of art? There are a number of options. Take advice from your favourite gallery – If a piece is by a known South African artist, the gallery may wish to acquire it for stock or perhaps accept it on consignment to sell. Commission is negotiable. The newly-established WhaleRock Auctioneers who advertise on the ArtsPage, have regular sales, the next one on 10th October and they are local , no great traveling involved. They deal in the South African Masters but may also accept works from lesser names which houses like Stephan Welz/Sotheby’s, Christies, Bonhams and Strauss and Co will not handle.

New internet site

Then there is the internet; more and more people are becoming comfortable with trading on the net. There are the better-known websites like e-bay and gumtree which can be quite addictive. And now, based in Hermanus, Jason Children and his partners have yesterday launched a website www.theartmarket.co.za which they describe as South Africa’s first on-line selling and auction site dedicated purely to art.

From left to right: Steven Dayson, Jason Children, Roslynn Shaw



Jason says “The site will allow artists, galleries and art enthusiasts to reach a broader market when selling or auctioning their art. By reaching a larger target audience, prospective sellers increase their chances of a sale. Sellers also create excitement by utilising the auction option within the site, which in turn creates a platform for faster sales.

Art buyers will have a site dedicated to art allowing them to browse, bid on or buy art from many different categories. Forums within the site will create communication between users and rating systems for buyers and sellers will effectively mean that users of the site will police themselves.”

Focus on art

When I asked Jason what the advantages of his site were, compared to long-established international sites, he pointed out the focus on art – one does not have to plow through a million other items that are on offer if it is specifically art you are looking for. And we locals have the additional advantage of seeing the developer of the site face–to-face. It is a home-grown product that has every possibility of taking off like a rocket into the webosphere.

I have tried the registration process (one has to register before one can buy or sell) and it was not too daunting. Certainly there are nine pages of Terms and Conditions and a further two-page Privacy Policy that you should look at, but I know from personal experience how adept ArtsPagers are at speed-reading.

The site is well presented and easy to navigate. Thumbnail pictures of the art are offered under many categories and a mouse click brings up the detail. Items may have a “Buy now” price quoted, as well as being up for auction bids for a period that the seller nominates.

Go-between

The Artmarket website acts only as a go-between. The actual payment and delivery of the item is arranged between buyer and seller. Credit card details are made available to the seller once a sale is confirmed. At the same time the Artmarket will debit its agreed commission to the seller. This is pitched at an attractive level and no charge is made until a work is actually sold. Traders are required to rate the service they experience with each other so regular users should soon build up a reputation for sound dealing practice. Ratings are disclosed on the site.

Some local galleries are already using the site and when the time comes that I must make space for fresh acquisitions, I too will try it. Most works of art that one buys are for keeps but there is from time to time the mistake needs to find a new home, or a cash crisis that means the inherited Gregoire has to go. Why not offer it on The Artmarket and try your luck?

And keep your news and views coming to niblos@telkomsa.net.

SKETCH - SHEILA NOWERS

Sheila Nowers

Vermont-based Sheila Nowers lives in a comfortable and rather imposing house she designed and built. “When I have time on my hands, I like nothing better than to design houses. I must have done hundreds!” Though few of them have been realized in bricks and mortar, it is easy to understand that this accomplished artist relishes the detail which goes into architecture. The first thing that strikes one in Sheila’s work is the detail. She works in gouache/water colours to a small scale , 15x13 mm is a typical size (“not miniatures, really, they are a different art form”) and with an incredible eye for minutiae – the cat curling its tail around a leg or looking, as cats disconcertingly do, directly at you. There’s wry humour there, too; or perhaps whimsy, as past gallerist Karen McKerron puts it.

Her training was in graphics and she took her BA at UCT (Michaelis). Textile design in London followed, then illustration, mainly freelancing in magazines back in South Africa. The Eighties saw her making her mark with postage stamp design – some thirty commemorative issues of South African stamps. Solo exhibitions at Karen McKerron Contemporary Art in Johannesburg, Everard Read Gallery in Johannesburg and Cape Town, The Lookout Gallery in Plettenburg Bay; and her works are in the SA National Gallery and other leading public and private collections.

Portrait of ERIC GALLO by Sheila Nowers

Sheila works four to five hours a day most days, no retirement in sight; her work has great charm in its apparent straightforwardness. The size is not an affectation or something she has chosen. To work on a larger scale becomes forced. “For me, my works take on the proportions of the Sistine Chapel ceiling” she says with a chuckle. “Mostly portraits these days and often commissioned works.” She describes herself as gregarious and has an admitted reputation as a conversationalist of note. Yet others have commented on her keeping a low profile. Time for a show in Hermanus, Ms Nowers. We need a chance to view (and acquire) your gems and share your conversations.

Spier Contemporary calling! - August 21, 2009

Good news for all, and I mean all, you artists out there. Spier Contemporary 2010 is calling for submissions for their biennial show in March 2010, taking place this year in the City Hall, Cape Town and moving on to Johannesburg and Durban. You can enter up to five items and the cut-off date is 30 October. You need to be 21 but no professional training is required and the entry process is by e-mail. Check the website www.spiercontemporary2010.co.za for the details.

Spier intends that the works be for sale (if the artist so wishes) and takes no commission; AND they give you R4 000 for each work selected for exhibition by their curatorial team, whether or not you are a prize-winner. So where are the drawbacks? Well, there were 2500 entries last year and only around 100 could be selected. Just a couple of months to go. Let’s have a good representation from Hermanus, art destination of the Western Cape.

Contrasts

Bellini is opening tomorrow at 18h30 with a trio of artists showing landcapes - Louis Ströh van der Walt, Elizabeth Miller-Vermeulen and Stellenbosch-based Vernon Swart, whose work “Franschhoek Vineyard” is illustrated.

Vernon Swart - Franschhoek Vineyard, 60cm x 40cm, Mixed media

This innovative gallery is on the move and an announcement may be made at the exhibition. While the regular patrons of Willie’s Cappuccino-Bar may miss the salty tang in the air, I am told their proposed new premises are bang in the centre of our gallery route.

Comings and goings

Since ArtsPage started nearly three years ago, I have had to add artspace after artspace to my database, and delete only two. This is really good and I encourage our galleries to byt vas and make the necessary adjustments to hold on through the winter. A leading gallery in Cape Town, Bell Roberts, closed its doors last month and in Johannesburg another long-established gallery has done likewise. But our mayor’s succinct comment at the opening of Gallery La Marey was straightforward: I did not make notes, the opening was far too buzzing for that, but essentially he said “Those businesses which deliver service will flourish – the ones who do not do so will disappear.”

The passage through from High Street to Chilli Pepper has been officially named “High Street Close.” It is home to a new gallery showcasing the works of Deidre Winer. More about this international arts person soon.

Johans Borman Gallery

Emphasis on this page is on local gallery news but Borman was a leading gallerist in Onrus for a good few years so it is appropriate to offer congratulations on his 10-20 Exhibition in Cape Town. He is celebrating twenty years in the art business, ten of them in Cape Town at his Upper Buitengracht Street gallery.

One of his protégées, Hennie Niemann Jnr, achieved a remarkable price for a recently-executed small portrait sold at Stephan Welz/Sotheby’s August auction in Johannesburg. The work, estimated at R12-16 000 must have been fiercely contested as the successful bidder paid nearly four times the top estimate. At the same sale, an attractive study in oils “Lisianthus in a Glass Vase” by well-known local arts personality Louis van Heerden was sold for R31 000.

Galerie Gregoire

At the gallery in Main Road, Onrus are some fifty works on loan to commemorate the centenary of the birth of Gregoire Boonzaier. Gregoire is indeed an icon who by his talent and prolific output won a special place on the living room walls and in the hearts of many. He was co-founder of the New Group together with Terence McCaw and Walter Battiss in 1938, breaking new ground in a conservative and parochial SA art scene. His long life and the fact that he remained creative until the end has meant that his works often appear at auction and new generations of artlovers get to hang a Gregoire of their own.

The exhibition has been arranged around themes and the display of drawings paired with linocuts enables a comparison of technique and mood to be made. Clearly not all of his themes can be shown but there is more than enough to delight. ArtsPage joins the artist’s son in expressing appreciation to owners who have made available choice works for this show which runs till 31 December.

Tretchi orchid

Another icon, South African by adoption, was Vladimir Tretchikoff. It appears that the work billed in the catalogue for the much-publicised Brett Kebble art auction as “Lost Orchid” was indeed not the original but may still have been by the artist. The buyer might need a bit more assurance than that to go through with the R3million sale.

Keep you news coming to me at niblos@telkomsa.net

Festivals near and far - August 7, 2009

Kalfiefees is in full swing this week-end, mostly theatre but lots of music and the visual arts, too. The Missions House Gallery in De Villiers Street, Onrus, is staying open till 18h00 each evening and is offering theatre guests a glass of sherry if they pop in before the evening performances. What’s to see? Well, among others, crisp new works in acrylics by Sharon Welman - intriguing compositions of shells; Di Johnson Ackerman’s closely-observed farmsteads and weathered timber piers; and if you are lucky, a portrait or two by popular Onrus-resident Hennie Niemann, Jnr.

Grahamstown Festival

Art also features strongly at Grahamstown each July. I have not been for several years but I asked Rodney Anderson, known for his passion for cinema, to comment on his trip last month.

“Although the primary magnet for our visits to Grahamstown National Arts Festival is the fine Film Festival curated by Trevor Steel-Taylor, we always visit as many of the fine art and sculpture exhibitions as we can within the time constraints.

Highlights in fine art were for me Jennifer Ord’s exhibition entitled “Obelisks and Epitaphs” a showing of mixed media works by the “hand maid / crone” ( her words). Her work, besides its complexity and innovation, shows great artistic craftsmanship with care in detail and great subtlety. The pieces included two-dimensional constructs and large sculptures and were produced in association with the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.

White bulls by Jennifer Ord

Nicholas Hlobo

The Standard Bank young artist awardee Nicholas Hlobo’s installation of strange large black rubber / lace and ribbon blobs grouped like odd black monsters in a dim red lighted room reminded me of bizarre creatures from an Ed Wood science fiction movie of the Fifties. They obviously were not to everyone’s taste despite his unique vision. [Hlobo’s show at Michael Stevenson Gallery in Woodstock has just ended. He has also been seen at the Tate Modern in London and featured on the front page of last week’s Sunday Times Review– a name to watch. PC]

Johan Badenhorst exhibited two- and three-dimensional works depicting swallows and hawks etc., in exuberant reds against grey back ground which caught my fancy.

The collection of modern Shona stone sculptures from three sculptors at the Provost impressed. Their unusual contemporary themes and an outstanding choice of indigenous stone with textures, striations and forms set them well apart from the usual repetitive tourist concepts.

Graham Jones’s sculptures, principally of animal heads mounted on modified tall wooden plant stands, drew attention to his angst regarding the industrial animal husbandry that is driven by the human consumption of meat. (This theme, interestingly, also appeared in the film The Lives of Animals by Alex Harvey .UK 2002) With animal heads of wood, stone, found objects with mixed media colourisation he created stark and poignantly-beautiful sculpture forms.

Maureen Quin

On the way home via Alexandria we had the pleasure of visiting the impressive sculpture garden and studio at the home of one of South Africa’s most talented sculptors, Maureen Quin. Some of the works, like “The Hunt,” were also part of a series that has taken a decade or more to complete. Mrs Quin was friendly, warm and forthcoming and offered us a personal insight into the themes and the artistic visions which gave rise to the many wonderful bronze sculptures and art pieces on view. See www.quin-art.co.za.” [Walker Bay Gallery has some of her works. PC]

Great to have this first-hand account of Rodney and Ebeline’s visit to our most important arts festival.

SNIPPETS

• Rossouw Modern’s satellite at Greyton is showing scenes in oils of Greyton by our Hermanus artist Annemarie Du Plooy. “In nature, when sunlight is added, the way colours change – it’s amazing!” says Annemarie.
Annemarie Du Plooy - Greyton Doorscape, oils

• Pierre Rossouw (no relation) has recently joined Rossouw Modern and will be on duty (with his own paintbrush in hand) at Greyton. And Elsie Minnaar is back, just for an hour or so each day, after her gruesome car accident. Major surgery has not dimmed her spirit and it is good to see her around again.

• If you are going to see the flowers up Nieuwoudtville way, do not miss “Flowerscapes 2009!” a show by Dale and son Mel Elliott with over 100 paintings celebrating nature’s colours. At Die Smidswinkel Restaurant till 12 September. The Elliotts hold regular workshops at their Villiersdorp art complex.

• Gallerey La Marey was declared officially open on Wednesday evening at their glossy Marine Square venue.

• News and views always welcome at niblos@telkomsa.net