Paul Weinberg - South African Artist

Paul Weinberg is a South African born photographer with a strong commitment to the land and its people. He was a founder member of Afrapix photographic agency, well known for its uncompromising stand and visual portrayal of the apartheid system and the resistance to it and later helped establish South Photographs, a family of South African documentary photographers. Paul has a large body of work that explores people, life, culture and environment around him, beyond the news and beyond the headlines. His work has often been against the traffic challenging stereotypes, prevailing comfortable myths and himself as in the case of his documentary of his home-town, Pietermaritzburg (Going Home, 1985-90).

His in-depth photography on other people and issues has often taken him years to complete living with people for months at a time. In Search of the San was a long and in depth documentation about the lives of the modern San living in Namibia, Botswana and South Africa. He has spent nearly two decades on this project living and reflecting on their modern day existence. The outcome of these efforts resulted in a number of exhibitions locally and internationally and a book (In Search of the San). His documentary project with the Kosi Bay community, at the time under threat of removal by the apartheid government and the local conservation authorities developed into a three -year relationship and exhibition for which he received the Mother Jones Documentary Award. Other exhibitions and projects reflect human rights issues, environment, development and more recently work in the field of HIV and AIDS.

His photographs have appeared in a number of established International publications - Der Spiegel, New York Times, LA Times, Time, Red, The Independent (London), Vrye Nederland and Elsivier, Geo and has been published in many others. Locally his work has appeared in Leadership Magazine, Marie Claire, Africa Environment and Wildlife and Sawubona amongst others.He has also worked extensively for non-governmental organisations. He was a founder member of New Ground Magazine based at EDA (a South African development organisation) serving in the capacity as photographer and picture editor. He has worked for the International Red Cross Society, Oxfam (UK, Canada and Australia), Save The Children, The Bernard Leer, Ford, the Mott, and Liberty Life Foundations.He has been widely published in a number of collective books, notably The Cordoned Heart (Gallery press, Norton),1986; Beyond the Barricades (a co-editor and photographer), (Aperture), 1989 ; Fault Lines, by David Goodman (University of California Press), 1999; Group Portrait (Kwela), 2003

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South African Artist - Estelle Van Schalkwyk

Estelle Van Schalkwyk is a South African artist known for the meticulous and lifelike detail that her work displays.Her inspiration is from her love for nature, specifically wildlife, which she acquired while growing up in Zimbabwe. Estelle Van Schalkwyk was born into a family with a rich artistic heritage. She is related to the late and well-known, Hugo Naude, who was famous for his works of the flowering fields of Namaqualand. Her Aunt Hettie Naude won a scholarship that enabled her to study art in Paris and in her own family, art provides an income for her mother and four sisters.Her topics are mainly wildlife and bird studies.Estelle Van Schalkwyk uses colour pencils to capture the realism of the animals and birds, and watercolours to create the softer backgrounds.Her involvement as a founder member of the Helderberg region Art Route, permanent member of the Country Craft Market and the Western Cape Watercolour Group ensures that she has ample exposure to fellow artists in the region and personal contact with the public. Estelle Van Schalkwyk has held exhibitions at Pretoria, Somerset-West, Stellenbosch and Dartmouth in Canada and also at the well-known Spier Wine Estate and V & A Waterfront. Her work has been on display in galleries in Pretoria, Plettenberg Bay, Knysna, Mossel Bay, Stellenbosch, Somerset West and Cape Town. She has also done work for a leading stationery outlet in South Africa, which included a calendar of endangered wildlife and designs for writing paper, wrapping paper and cards.

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Nina Van Der Westhuizen - South African Artist

South African artist Nina Van Der Westhuizen was born and grew up in Robertson in the Little Karoo, South Africa.

After school Nina Van Der Westhuizen obtained a BA Degree in Art from the University of Stellenbosch.

She taught art for five years before starting to paint full time in 1983.
In 1986 Nina Van Der Westhuizen had her first solo exhibition at the Dorp Street Gallery in Stellenbosch.

In 1991 she moved to Darling, about 70 kilometers from Cape Town, where Nina Van Der Westhuizen stays with her husband, daughter and pets.
Since 1986 Nina Van Der Westhuizen has had several exhibitions, but most of her work comes from commissions. Her paintings can be found in private collections all over the world.
Nina Van Der Westhuizen was invited to exhibit at the Florence Biennale in Italy at the end of 2005.

Nina Van Der Westhuizen works in oil on canvas and paints the frames onto the canvas. Her subject matter varies from still life to wild animals, landscape and people. She is influenced by the vibrancy, adventure and magic of Africa!

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Gunther Van Der Reis- South African Artist

South African artist Gunther Van Der Reis' works are strongly landscape orientated. His main inspiration has always been the aesthetic surface of the painting. This Gunther Van Der Reis explores through various media such as oils, acrylics, vinyl acetate, epoxy, stainless steel as well as bronze sculpture. The emphasis on a luminously activated surface runs through all his works no matter what the medium. It harks back to his early years when he grew up at the sea in the Strand and always had a passion for the rugged rocks and mountains and generally, for the splendid environment of the Cape.

As a young artist Gunther Van Der Reis was introduced to the works of Spanish artists which gave a lifelong direction to his work. The intense exploration of the objectified surface remained a dominant factor in his work throughout his career. Much of his work emerged during the early sixties when a group of South African artists worked along these lines. They were strongly influenced by Arte Povera, which had spread in Europe and was largely publicised by Italian critics. The works of this movement had an earthy quality and the colours used accorded well with the nature and visions of our Karoo landscape. This, in the work of Gunther Van Der Reis, resulted in impressive paintings with rich and warm textures. In essence, in his constant quest for the aesthetic surface, the artist achieves something which is very unique. He captures, as perhaps no other South African artist, the raw beauty, the rugged splendor and glow of the South African landscape.

Born Hamburg, Germany, 1927. Gunther Van Der Reis came to South Africa with his parents in 1937. Training at the Michaelis School of Art, University of Cape Town and later MA Art at the University of Pretoria. Taught at Schools in Cape Town till 1956 and then came to Pretoria to teach University of Pretoria students at the Pretoria Art Centre. Later lecturer at the Pretoria Education College. Joined the art department of the Pretoria Technikon in 1963 ,first as lecturer and later as senior lecturer responsible for painting and graphic art. Full-time artist since 1988.

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