New artist's work on exhibit: Stephan van Heerden

Essensual Art Gallery wishes to welcome Stephan van Heerden to our gallery. Some of his art is now available - so visit us to view his fantastic work and don't forget to bring your credit card! ;-)

"Milly Cyrus" Oil on canvas

"Ester (Tweeluik)" Oil on 2 canvases

"Kevin" Framed oil on canvas

As kind wat nog nie kon skilder nie het Stephan altyd die Russies gebore Suid-Afrikaner, Vladimir Tretchikoff, se portrette bewonder. Tot sy verrassing het ‘n kunsversamelaar eenmaal na ‘n skildery van Stephan verwys as ‘n Tretchikoff en so het ‘n kinderfantasie waar geword.

Sy skilder passie is meesterlike tegniek in sy werk. Mense wil gereeld weet hoe hy dit regkry om die vel so lewensgetrou te laat lyk, of waarvandaan die vrede en nostalgie kom wat uit sy skilderye straal. Stephan se skilder-tegniek het oor jare ontwikkel en is ‘n tydsame proses waarin die prent geleidelik ontwikkel deur die aanwending van verskillende lae verf wat elkeen eiesoortige aangewend word . Sy leuse is “You can’t rush art.” In sy proses van werk volg die lae van sy skildery mekaar op en mekaar aan, sodat daar by hom as skilder ook geleidelik beter waarneming, waardering en dieper insig in sy tema ontstaan.

We wish Stephan all the success he deserves and may he never loose his passion for painting, capturing his magical world into each and every one! 

"Painting isn't an aesthetic operation; it's a form of magic designed as a mediator between this strange, hostile world and us, a way of seizing the power by giving form to our terrors as well as our desires." (Pablo Picasso)

Go to art class

Go to art class, learn to paint I hear you say – anyone can paint. I say – go to hell. How dare you sum up a heart wrenching painting by saying anyone can paint? What do you know of the emotion that went into painting that piece you sneer at? You! You are shallow and wave your money around because you think anything and everything can be bought for a price. How would you know that pieces of my soul transferred onto that canvas; pieces of memories dripped onto the paint; some of my tears ran down the canvas? You! You know nothing of discovering yourself through the creative process. You wave your money and sit on a couch, paying your well known psychologist to listen to your shallow complaints.



Go to art class then! Dip your brush in the paint and see if you can feel what I feel. How can you? You have not walked in my shoes, felt what I felt, discovered what I have discovered. Art is but a piece of me, my name on the canvas means nothing compared to the complexities people like you create. My name is but a whisper in the vastness of the Universe. So paint your pretty pictures, hang them in your living room and pretend to feel what I feel. Shallow! Your grave is shallow, filled with nothing. People will not remember you because you attended art class! No one will remember my name either, but I have lived a simple life. I have experienced the connection with my paint brush; it has become my lover, my worst enemy, my best friend! Through it I have discovered emotions you only read about in your fancy book club meetings. I have felt in ways you can only dream about. My emotions had enlightened me to plains in the Universe you know nothing about. My universe is not connected to yours, my life is my own, my art is not yours – your eyes see what your mind permits you to see. My eyes are free.


Note to reader: This was written in (somewhat angry) response to a remark overheard of a person telling her companion that she should go to art class “because anyone can paint” while they were briefly viewing the exhibition.

Frances Lozear "How do I hold you with broken hands" Oil on canvas

 (This piece has stirred many people, even made some cry!)

And this, too, shall pass away

Frances Lozear Exhibition: Eternal love to come

"It is said an Eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent him a sentence to be ever in view, and which should be true and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him the words: "And this, too, shall pass away.""~ Abraham Lincoln

So then, I guess the opening of the exhibition has passed too, but wow! It was amazing and we had such fun with everyone there to enjoy it with us!

There are some people I would like to thank:
To my husband: You stir my inner soul; you urge me to reach heights I have never dreamed possible - I thank you and I love you!
To Frances Lozear: You are a wise and gentle old soul with whom so many souls can connect; you inspire others and have stirred the emotions of so many people viewing your art - I salute you! Congratulations on your exhibition - we hope the eternal love to come finds you; embraces you with its all and lifts your spirit to enfold you in its Love.
To everyone who supported both me and Frances: Thank you! Without you, this would not have been possible.
To everyone who attended: Thank you for coming, some from Clarens, some from far away. We are grateful that you took the time out in your busy schedules to celebrate this artist's work.

Most of the pictures of the evening and the art have been posted on our Facebook Group.

Carl Verster - Starving Artist: Speckled Bean Article

Carl Verster - Starving Artist: Speckled Bean Article