Hello Anelia
I went to Rhodes University in Grahamstown, SA, for my undergraduate degree. I was so lucky to have had the last of the British-influenced art lecturers there who really emphasized drawing and observation from life, and who were really passionate about painting despite the current artistic trends. Now Rhodes is very much an installation and conceptual art institution. I went to Wits for my masters degree and it was so bad for traditional art. I really felt ostracized. The thing was - you went around the studios any time of the year (holidays or term-time) and it always seemed as though the place was derelict - like an abandoned art school. And yet everyone was apparently hard at work and the middle of major art projects. They had about 2 weeks of traditional art training - painting and drawing for the first-years as a sort of token gesture for those less topically-abled. Still, I was able to get a double first (I am not showing off - just saying that despite the opposition you can still succeed and enjoy yourself) and had a solo show with good, page-long newspaper and journal reviews straight afterwards.
There are some very good traditional portrait painters in SA, and who are important in the history of SA art. I am just recently represented by the
iArt Gallery in Cape Town, and you should look at their site - they have quite a few well-known, award-winning portrait artists there: Hanneke Benade and Clare Mencks, for example, as well as Johann Louw. If you are feeling all alone in portraiture, I would try and get a hold of some of these artists (sometimes they actually reply to your emails!) and ask advice, but also follow their careers and try and see their exhibitions.
Well, it is very nice to have you here, and nice to see your paintings - they show lots of promise. I look forward to seeing more.
Hybrid Mode
