FEATURE ARTIST– MARITTIE DE VILLIERS “Faces fascinate me endlessly,” says artist, Marittie de Villiers. “Creating emotions and atmosphere through the use of colour in the human face and figure are the most important elements in my paintings. I make flat-surface ‘movies’ when I paint. I become the figure, the emotions and landscape of thoughts.” Marittie, who grew up in Potchefstroom, went on to complete a BA degree in Communication. She then decided to spend a good number of years travelling in Egypt and the Americas between 1994 and 2003. The Southern and Midwestern states of America were of particular fascination, especially in view of her special interest in art and Native American reservations. She also spent a lot of time sailing in South America, the Caribbean chain up to the Bahamas and the east coast of the USA. All of these experiences have richly influenced her perception and expression. “I easily recall the smell of the turquoise Caribbean Sea, the atmosphere of a busy street in Cairo, the easy-going but mysterious sounds of a foreign language; the excitement of hearing a mix of Dutch-Portuguese-English, Cerveja on my lips, the feverish humidity of walking in Fortaleza in Brazil.” “I lived outside Mossel Bay on a farm with my husband” says Marittie, “but after we divorced in 2012, I blindly moved to Pretoria with my two girls as I had family there.” While living in Mossel Bay, the girls had been home-schooled, but now Marittie felt that it was a good time to put the girls into school and give her full attention to her painting. “In June 2013, I went to Venice in Italy and on my return I realized how much I missed living near water and the sea. It was time to move back to the Cape and Gordon’s Bay was a good option as it would give me peace without the hectic city life.” When it comes to her painting, Marittie likes to work on huge canvas: 1.5 x 2.5m to 2 x 3m and says, ‘I use professional acrylic paint – it dries faster, which works well with my impatient nature.” If you would like to contact Mirittie, you can call her on 076 526 0448 or email her at [email protected] View more of her work here: southafricanartists/home/marittiedevilliers or on Facebook: facebook\marittiedevilliers
Posted on: Sat, 08 Nov 2014 11:25:59 +0000
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