South African Artist

South African artist Ilse Fourie says the following about her paintings:


“I paint from my soul. The human body is the vehicle through which I portray my concepts, emotions and thoughts. I retain a spiritual relationship with nature and it is in my latest work that I explore a metamorphic process from nature to man. By using a process of oxidation on the surface that I paint on, nature’s influence in the creative process is further enhanced.”


Ilse Fourie works from her studio in Johannesburg, South Africa. After studying fine arts at the University of South Africa and the University of the Free State, she completed two diplomas in fashion design and subsequently manufactured her own label for fourteen years, before returning to the arts in 1998. She has since exhibited her paintings at various galleries in South Africa.


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New Oil Painting

It has been quite a while since I have posted a new painting. I have been working on a slightly different direction for my art and this latest oil painting is the first of what will hopefully be quite an expansive series. I will discuss the inspiration behind this new series more in depth as I post more paintings in the future but for now I will only say that it is strongly influenced by Biblical texts. More information on this latest oil painting can be seen here and any constructive comments are welcome.

South African Artist

South African artist Helena Fourie graduated in fine arts at the University of Pretoria in 1987, where she majored in painting. Since 1994 she has been working as a professional artist. Early in her career, she excelled in realism and started specializing in portrait painting.

Inspired by her absolute passion for nature Helena Fourie has been devoting herself to the painting of wildlife, redefining this genre, and applying it in an individual and idiosyncratic style.
Helena Fourie painted extensively for clients throughout South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and the United States of America. She was commissioned to paint a mural and several paintings for the official residence of the State President in Pretoria. Her work includes many commissions for murals and tromp-loei'l in Safari lodges, guesthouses, casinos and restaurants throughout South Africa and Zimbabwe. Helena Fourie partakes in group exhibitions and held her first solo exhibition in September 2000, titled African Bestiary, at the Tina Skukan Gallery in Pretoria. In January 2001, one of her paintings was auctioned at the annual Hunters Convention in Houston Texas, for nature conservation.

Helena Fourie works in a variety of media, including oil, color pencil, and mix media. Her work is a journey of hidden discoveries; this is wildlife art with a difference.

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South African Art Exhibitions

It is a new month and although it is cold today in Johannesburg, spring is just around the corner. Our art exhibitions section has been updated with new exhibitions for this month and I invite all to visit the page and plan their art galleries visits for the month.

On a personal not I have been working on a long overdue new oil painting the last month and it should be finished by the end of this week. If all goes well I will publish the details of the new painting within the next two weeks.