ArtsPage 24 July 2009 Workshops, whales, arts and craft

If you want colour in your life and have a free day on Wednesday next week, 29th July, then you will not want to miss the full-day art workshop being presented by the inimitable Neville Hickman at Gansbaai. Neville is an old friend of ArtsPage, in fact he was the first gallerist to identify totally with its aims and the vision of Hermanus as Art Destination. Designer of that magic Whale Fest logo, a composite jester’s cap and whale tail which served for several years to brighten up our Septembers, Neville shared a studio in one of the Godfrey Cottages on the seafront. He’s still close to the sea at the 5 star Klein Paradijs Guest Farm where he is Resident Artist but his workshop will be at Paul Pretorius Décor emporium in Dirkie Uys Street, Gansbaai.



Neville says “If you want to paint ‘ lekker los en vry’, exuberantly in bright, vibrant colours, to use music as an aid to make you fly, whether you are beginner or experienced artist, come!” The cost is just R100 and you can reserve your place and get more detail from Paul 079 020 8295 or Neville on 083 961 9931. If you want to get your mojo working, try some new techniques and maybe pick up some tips, this workshop promises to be casual and relaxed as well as instructive. Take your own art materials if you wish to participate to the full.

Arts and Craft
The line is so tenuous; those who know can argue for hours on definitions; what is art, what is craft? And does it matter? In the end you will just have to decide for yourself. Have a look at Wilina Drijfhout’s stained glass on her new website www.glasfeetjie.com. Or visit Lara Levey at Mila Mosaics in the newly-opened “passage” (that must be pronounced the French way) from High Street to the backdoor of Chilli Pepper. We had a buzzing, candle-lit party a week or two ago to launch the venue. There is a competition to choose the name and I am fully expecting to win the prize which is, I understand, some bottles of premium Port. Just right for the colder weather.
One of the shoplets in the quaint passage is a mini-gallery showing superb whale studies. The photographer is Dave De Beer who is also known for his wildlife and bird prints.

Kalfiefees
Supported by this newspaper, the Kalfiefees, (the annual dramatic challenge by Onrus to big brother Hermanus’s Whale Festival) is on from Thursday 6thAugust to Sunday 9th. Even if your Afrikaans is rudimentary, you will enjoy the music offerings and there is comedy - Tickle to Fine Leg, and drama/humour - David Butler giving us some authentic Herman Charles Bosman, both in English. I have not had news of fine arts exhibitions but The Mission’s House gallery in De Villiers Street always mounts a special show at Fees time.

Do keep your news and comments coming to me at niblos@telkomsa.net.

SKETCH - GALLERY LA MAREY

It was exciting, in May, to see a glossy new gallery opening in Marine Square on Mitchell Street. Now owners Rey and Marie Muller are getting ready for their official launch, by invitation only, in a week or two. Chatting to Rey, who has a background in broadcasting, I learned that they are no strangers to the art world, having a similarly-named gallery in Somerset West and one opening shortly in the Strand (where they previously were for seven years.) The picture they sent me for this sketch is a work in oils by Olga Hoffman entitled “Blouberg”.



Hoffman is part of a line-up of artists which La Marey represents, including Anna, Elzette Welgemoed, Janette Dykman, Tersia Duvenhage and Paul Schone. Paul will be at the gallery on Saturday 8th August to give a demonstration of his painting. In addition to works by the named artists, the gallery has a range of art not usually seen in Hermanus and they are proud of their bronzes by Gary Gordon and Xhanti Mpakama. There is a comprehensive offering of frames and also selected antiques to complement the art works. New local artists are not being overlooked; conscious that our Overberg artscene is vibrant, they plan to make space for artists whose work meets their criteria.

While either Marie or Rey will be on hand four days a week in peak season, the gallery will be staffed by Maryn who has retail experience in addition to a fine art training and Gamene who has also been involved in tourist accommodation and guest houses. They believe that their gallery and other new ones will help Hermanus on its way to achieving a similar status to Clarens in the Free State which tourists visit with art in mind. And the tourists are on their way, says Rey. “The World Cup will offer an even bigger slice of the pie with every tourist that lands in Cape Town, visiting Hermanus.”

ArtsPage 3 July 2009 Twenty-two to one

One doubtfully-attributed painting– in this case, a “Rembrandt” – was replaced by twenty-two other Dutch and Flemish paintings of the Golden Age when the arbiters of the day expressed concerns about the painting’s authenticity. It was the leading work in a collection (now housed in The Old Town House on Greenmarket Square) acquired in England by Max Michaelis at the turn of the last century and presented to the City of Cape Town. Mr Michaelis was later presented with a knighthood. Which is not as good as a baronetcy but nice to have if you move in London Society.
I was reminded of this tale by a reader who responded to my last column about fakes and forgeries. The work in question, “Young Lady holding a Glove” now graces the Irish National Gallery and is described, safely enough, as “School of Rembrandt”.

Frans Claerhout (1919-2002)

Sometimes I am surprised that anyone risks buying one of the often sentimental works by this prolific artist and man of the cloth. Born in Belgium, he came as a missionary to South Africa and stayed. His earlier works had a certain quality of freshness and the SA National Gallery acquired a couple in the ’60s. The artist revealed in 2002 that a Bloemfontein dealer he had known for many years had printed hundreds of copies of his work and sold them as originals. Scandal!
A local gallery owner told me of a client who, several years ago, brought in three “Claerhouts”. One he intended to keep and the other two were to be offered for sale though the gallery. He had just bought them at an auction, he said proudly, “at a very good price.” Alas, although the signatures looked familiar, the works themselves were of a very different style to Claerhout’s. The crisp advice he received was to take them right back to the hall and cancel his cheque.

Seller beware?

“Never mind ‘caveat emptor,’ it’s the seller who should beware’ said a caller the other day. He was worried that pushy buyers of art might take advantage of little old ladies who happened to have a painting by Gregoire or other bankable name on their walls. Made me think of the stories of hard-as-nails dealers who scoured the Platteland in the fifties and sixties, offering brand-new Formica kitchen tables (AND six matching chairs!) for simple country folk’s ancient yellowwood pieces, usually covered in layers of enamel paint. “What do you recommend the old ladies should do?” I asked. “Always get a second opinion” he replied. Seems sensible to me.

Derrick Benzien of Onrus Gallery and a regular advertiser to buy South African masterworks, explained how he responds to enquiries. He offers an evaluation service and then three options; one figure if the owner wants to sell outright; a sale on consignment basis with a higher price and an agreed commission to be deducted; or a sale at auction through his new Whale Rock Auctioneers – for the sellers who can afford to risk a bit in the hope of maximizing the return.

It is a good idea, no matter whether you are selling art or objets or collectibles, to find a dealer in that field to give an opinion of worth. If you can get the item correctly identified and described, you are half way to getting a correct price. And of course there will be a difference between what you are offered and what the dealer will mark it up for sale.

Art Courses



At 11 Sherwood Avenue in Onrus is the studio of Pieter Vermaak, local artist and art teacher. No fakes or forgeries here, just an enjoyable time with a congenial teacher. The most recent three-day course finished yesterday. My picture shows Pieter and his students with popular model Rosie in the centre. You can reach him on 082 460 2959.

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

SKETCH - UWE PFAFF

Self-portrait with school of thought going through my head


It’s a distinctive name for an artist in South Africa. Useful, if you intend to market your art properly. Uwe says he’s not that good at marketing himself. This is surely just modesty because he has a slick website www.uwpfaff.com and his dry sense of humour, enthusiasm and no-nonsense approach make a winning combination.

I knew him by his stainless steel sculptures, highly polished with a microns-thin nickel coating, pierced like an oversize jigsaw puzzle before the pieces fit together; positive metal and negative black space. The themes are figures, fish, any symbol that fits this inventive artist’s mindset.

His designs are hand-drawn, converted to computer and flame-cut from sheets of stainless steel. The larger pieces are limited editions of 5 to 7, the smaller figures run to 12. Finishing is a personal matter – time-consuming, effortful but satisfying for the artist who is reluctant to delegate this chore. I mention Damien Hirst whose works are largely constructed for him. Uwe is unimpressed. For him, the polishing process bonds him more closely with each piece. He would like his sculptures to catch the eye, to talk to you and to provoke response.

A mechanical engineer by training, Uwe (pronounced Oo-vay) came to this country from Germany in 1970 and worked in industrial design. Five years later he took his first painting and sculpture classes. Later, after time at the Ruth Prowse School of Art in Woodstock, he was selected for the 1982 Cape Town Biennale, with both an etching and a sculpture in soapstone. He has also worked successfully in wood, paints, ceramics, Perspex and glass as well as metal.

“My ‘metal pictures’ have done well for me” he says. He has even explored their ringing tones when struck - the search and experimentation urge is built into this man for all seasons. “Many artists have become expert at a tangent of their creativity but the formula that works becomes the monkey’s paw in the bottle of their own growth.” Painting is due for a come-back, he feels. Bold colours and primitive symbols are calling to be put down on paper again.

Uwe has his studio at Stonehaven, artist Gail Catlin’s atmospheric lodge above De Bos Dam. The lovely rambling stone house was threatened by fire recently but survived after some tense hours. I would be surprised if elemental fire-blackened objects do not find an echo in Uwe’s work somewhere.

His sculptures are sold internationally but you will also find them Cape Town; in Hermanus, Walker Bay Art Gallery has a display of representative pieces. Works have been acquired by the Friends of the SA National Gallery, and for the Sanlam, Sasol and Rand Mercant Bank collections, among others. Perhaps we can persuade him to have an exhibition soon. Hermanus needs to see more of the varied art of Uwe Pfaff.