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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