Former EL artist’s canvases hang in Europe and US
Back in the day, people would send flowers and botanicals that had specific meanings to their special person to convey a sentiment without using words
Oversized, layered and luscious botanical paintings by former East Londoner Kim Black are to be found in homes in the UK, America and Europe and a giant one graces Cape Town’s iconic Mount Nelson Hotel.
East London-born Black, 52, matriculated at Clarendon High School for Girls before studying graphic art at the then East London Technical College where she was influenced by women who taught art.
Now living just steps away from the sea in the artistic enclave of Kommetjie in Cape Town, Black spends her days creating heady floral canvases in her gloriously paint-spattered home studio.
“I love botanicals as they are such organic, free-flowing forms and there’s a world of detail and colours within them,” says Black. “Also, flowers carry many messages and the term floriography is the language of flowers. Back in the day, people would send flowers and botanicals that had specific meanings to their special person to convey a sentiment without using words. Today people still give flowers on many occasions to convey love and compassion.”
Black loves to buy exuberant bunches of blooms at the Oranjezicht market at the V&A Waterfront. Once she has filled her vases with the subjects of her paintings, she photographs them from a variety of angles before capturing their luscious charms in decadent coats of acrylics and water-mixable oils.
“I am asthmatic so I don’t want to use harmful solvents,” says Black whose favourite flowers are peonies. “It’s because they are so layered and luscious. They have such fullness of colour.”
Black also sources inspiration from photographs of flowers sent to her by friends, one of whom is a florist.
Her addictive Instagram reels show her perched on a box to gain height for the massive canvasses she employs for her creative outpourings. Watching her paintbrush leave juicy swirls of colour as it dances its way across the surface is mesmerising, and observing how random-looking brushstrokes are transformed into beautiful flowers is magical.
“I love painting large size canvases as I like to magnify the beauty of florals and especially if they’re bigger than me, they feel so much more majestic. There is already so much that is hard and sad in life, so my aim is to concentrate on what is beautiful and hope that impacts the viewer.”
Her impact is felt across the globe as Black, who works mainly on commission, has sold her pieces to fans the world over including the States and the UK as well as Switzerland, Germany and Finland.
“At a most recent art exhibition, a family from Germany saw my work online and bought a large painting via email for their beach house in Kommetjie. I met them recently when they came down to visit their new home and then they ended up buying two more paintings.”
A career highlight is a massive 10m-long, 3m-high mural for the iconic five-star Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town. “It was for their Oasis Room and was my biggest challenge to date.”
Having moved back to SA from the UK nine years ago, Black, who is married to old Selbornian Brendan, converted their double garage into an airy poolside studio.
“It’s about a 12-step walk from my front door and opposite the pool. It used to be a double garage, but we’ve put in skylights so it’s a beautiful light space and every morning I walk inside, I feel grateful and excited.
“My floor always catches everyone’s attention as it’s totally splattered with paint. I like to feel relaxed and free in my studio, so it gets messy very, very quickly. I think the reason adults and children love the paint splatters is because nowhere are you usually allowed to make such a mess and have such fun! My home is near the beach and is a two-minute walk onto the sand. Even from my studio I hear the waves crashing.
“My career is a daily routine of going into my studio to work. I’m extremely disciplined as most of my work is commissioned and I have constant deadlines.”
In addition to commission deadlines, Black also supplies exhibition spaces.
“When we lived in the UK, I exhibited in Nottingham and since living in Cape Town, I exhibit every year in a gallery just outside the city called Gallery Riebeek Kasteel. A restaurant called Cafe Fleur on Vergelegen Wine Estate chose my artwork for their restaurant. From December 2 to 4 I will be part of an event called Open Studios Kommetjie where 23 different artists open up their homes to the public. Last year I even had some ex-Clarendon girls come to visit!”
It was while she was in high school that she decided to take art seriously despite some misdirected advice.
“I wasn’t sure I should choose art as a matric subject as everyone said that’s a subject you probably can’t use after school and artists don’t make money. My lovely art teacher, Jane Knight, was absent one day and a substitute teacher tapped me on the shoulder in class to say she didn’t think I should choose art at all judging by the still life I was painting — which I thought was fab. Well, the rebel in me said I now had to choose art to matric. And I’m so glad I did.”
Art provided Black with a creative escape and a sanctuary.
“[It made me feel] anything was possible. My home life was not very peaceful. My father had several heart attacks, and the last one which took his life was just after I matriculated. He was the closest person to me as my mother had died when I was three during her second pregnancy.”
“Even though there was difficulty in my childhood, and loneliness when my father died, it all shaped me as I learnt how to listen to myself and use art as my safe place. I learnt to be compassionate, to respect and find talent in others, and now to be able to inspire people is just the very best.”
Clarendon art teacher Jane Knight and East London Technical College lecturers Rose Warren and Marlene Neumann were the key mentors of her early artistic development. Now Black finds satisfaction in also passing on her skills by giving weekly art lessons to teenagers from the tough streets of Ocean View.
“It’s a very special time as these kids don’t have the option of art or being creative at school.”
Black seems also to have passed on her creative talents to her three children
Adam, 27, is an animator, Isabella, 24, a candidate attorney who had a side hustle in creative earrings and Olivia, 20, a law student, also produces portraits in vivid colours.
“Olivia and I have done a few collabs together — such fun. We are so fortunate as a family to bounce ideas off one another. Our home is quite colourful and forever changing.”
Looking back, Black is delighted that she followed her gut and allowed herself to be an artist.
“I’m so grateful to have reached this point in my life where I can honestly say I’m so glad my dreams were bigger than my fears and that I didn’t give up on a creative life. My motto is ‘do it afraid’.
“We all have something unique inside us, a passion that needs to be nurtured.”