Painting Compulsion

This South African artist who paints because she feels compelled to sells many of her paintings … and also gives some of them away to people who love them for what they are.

Johannesburg in South Africa was my birthplace. I now live at Heidelberg in the Western Cape Province of South Africa, and I paint full-time. I attended Rhodes University at

Grahamstown, to study for a Bachelor of

Fine Arts Degree, tutored by Professors Brian Bradshaw and Robert Brook. Subsequently I completed two courses in Ceramic Sculpture with Charles Gotthard; four years of

‘unlearning’ technical illustration habits with Wendy Martell; and a Stained Glass Techniques course with Marise Mill.

Becoming one with the sea or the mountains or fields is what I am passionate about when painting … being in ‘the zone’.

I’ve scribbled, drawn and painted ever since I can remember, something I realised when I was sorting through boxes of my mother’s treasures after she died. She had kept every little ‘present’ I had ever given her; some from before I went to school.

When my own children were young, I began a technical career as a draughtswoman. I soon discovered that my artwork had become hopelessly stylised. Sitting in a Ghanaian rainforest, surrounded by multitudes of butterflies, I realised that I had to paint to fulfil a part of me which had been neglected for too many years.

I returned to South Africa and spent four years with Wendy Martell, using only pastels. I stopped obsessing about perfect lines and angles. Soon I started to sell my art, and the more I escaped ‘being precious’, the more my work improved.

I’m not sure if I should call myself a hobby artist or a professional; I paint because I feel compelled to. I never do it to while away my time; or in order to have an income. I sell my paintings, but I also give them away to those who love them for what they are.

I have used graphite pencils, charcoal, watercolours, pen and ink, water soluble coloured pencils, acrylics, soft pastels and oils. I have done mixed media paintings using mulberry papers, acrylic inks and paints, everything I can think of – and then pastels! I really love working with soft pastels; the softer the better. My favourites are Schmincke … when I use them they are like painting with butter and I’ve yet to find any others that can compare. I like Ingres and Arches papers.

I love to paint seas, skies, fields and trees. The restless breathing of waves and the tides; the continuous ebb and flow of the scudding clouds that create magical figures and cast shadows on the land; the aromatic fields of wildflowers and wheat which dance to the wind that blows. The fascinating textures and shapes of trees.

My work is widely exhibited, although I don’t participate in art shows or competitions. I find the ‘mine are better than those’ attitude very offensive. I paint because I want to; for me, trying to compete is futile and self-defeating. ‘In the Gallery’ is a Dire Straits music track which I think every artist should heed.

The beautiful countryside is a major source of my artistic inspiration. There are also some places in this world which have made me catch my breath in wonder. My painting ‘Tranquillity for Now’ is a personal favourite. It is a seascape of the dunes in front of our beach cottage at Whitesands. I felt compelled to paint the rosy pink sky overhung with soft blue that lasted for a few precious minutes; and the sea which became calm and peaceful. The pale blue reflection of the sky capped with snowy wavelets at low tide; and the dunes when they, in turn, blushed pink and felt cool underfoot. Everywhere there was a hush as night started to close in.

I believe that painting mishaps are meant to happen. One really bad occasion was when I decided to paint a field of flowering red poppies. I chose a green ground, hoping the complementary colour of the poppies would make it striking. I could not have been more wrong. It created a dark and gloomy mood; impossible to lighten. I became involved with

too much detail and my work looked like it had a virulent spotted disease with absolutely no focal point. I made matters worse by painting a large oak tree on one side; it was out of scale and it looked incongruous. The painting was a disaster. In disgust, I cut it up.

I once tried to fix and ‘freshen up’ a pastel painting. That was one of my worst mistakes – I ruined the picture beyond repair. My painting ability had evolved since I first created the art work. My rejuvenation attempt produced a hideous mess. I have kept it to remind me not to fiddle about on any work which is finished and signed!

I have three of my own artworks in my personal collection.

My paintings are displayed at four galleries: Reflections of Montagu, Swellendam Kunsgallery, Star Nation Gallery and Sikelela Art Gallery. My work can also be seen on five websites including SouthAfricanArtists.com and arcyart.com

Artists who I admire include Leonardo, Monet and Turner; the Australian R. Godfrey Rivers; Canada’s Wayne Gaudon; and South Africa’s Gregoire Boonzaaier, J.H. Pierneef, Tinus De Jongh and Judith Mason.

I am eternally gratefully to Wayne Gaudon. He has compelled me to dispassionately examine my values – both what I have done in the past, and what I am capable of doing in the future.

Another important influence was

Noel Hodnett. When I was a young undergraduate, he befriended me and took me under his wing … when he realised that I felt totally overwhelmed and terrified by the caustic tongue of our Professor and Dean of the Arts Department.

Since my childhood, I have developed a habit of looking at everything and learning from observation. For example, clouds are not white tufts of cottonwool floating around in a blue sky; they are water and air sculptured by the wind, with the sunlight shining above them (even when you cannot see it). Clouds are not white, they reflect the sun’s golden light; underneath they are not grey, but violet and blue. I still try to learn from every available source – from books, paintings, and other artists;

but most importantly, from trying to understand the ‘interiors’ of my subjects. Exteriors are superficial and deceitful.

When I find myself entering a ‘creative desert’, I go into my garden and ‘paint’ with flowers. A garden is a very rewarding canvas to play with.

My best advice for developing artists is that they must be true to themselves and honest with what they paint. They should never compare themselves to other artists and try to match their work – copying is just shallow imitation. They must also learn to draw – there is no point in painting if they have no idea of perspective, anatomy or what their subject is made up of. And they should definitely have fun and find joy in what they are doing.

As an artist, my ultimate goal is to grow and learn more. Painting is not a finite journey and the more I learn, the more I realise how little I know!

My email address is: conoro@telkomsa.net