VIVACIOUS, bold, daring and passionate are a few choice words to describe Hillcrest artist, Fyonn Kane, whose artwork aptly showcases her soul, creativity and personality.
With a bright and visually powerful collection of work now on exhibition at the Woza Moya Gallery, the self-taught artist has come a long way since 1997 when she used to paint designs on walls to sprucing up a client’s furniture to generate an income.
The 46-year-old painter said she has always dabbled with painting but never found the time.
“Then my mom passed away four years ago, and my whole life she pestered me to paint. I would paint t-shirts and she would proudly wear them. I feel bad that I have only just started doing it and she is gone. I think that she comes through in my work sometimes and I think she would be really proud,” said Kane.
Fascinated with faces and the abstract, the one thing she firmly points out is that she is not a realist painter. “A fantasy artist,” she said to describe some of her work.
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“Maybe even a surreal fantasy artist. Very abstract,” she smiled.
Her muse is the world around her. She could see a beautiful woman’s face while out an about, something quirky may catch her eye and she will feel drawn to pick up a brush and add it into her art piece.
“I admit, I am not a great drawer and would much rather paint directly onto the canvas without doing a sketch first. Then, once the paint is dry, I will go back to it and sometimes use what I have already painted as the background for the piece,” said the undiluted creative.
Her work is not only influenced by her surroundings and science fiction but also by contemporary art and the classic artists: Gustav Klimt, Jackson Pollock and Van Gogh.
From acrylic to oil and water colours, Kane is not bound to a single medium and thoroughly enjoys the freedom of expression this allows her when she creates one of her expressive pieces.
For aspiring artists, she said doodles is where it all started.
“I remember doodling on my mom’s handbag while we were at the bank when I was much younger. Wow, did I get into so much trouble for that,” she laughed.
Her favourite piece, which is currently on sale at the exhibition, is Lady Peacock.
Kane admitted there are a few of her own pieces that she sees as painted treasures and would never be able to find it in her heart to part with them.
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With Stevie Nix, Bob Dylan and a range of 90s grunge blaring in the background, Kane finds her days absorbed with three private commissions.
“For those who buy my pieces, I hope that the pieces bring them copious amounts of joy,” she said.
Her hopes are to one day open her own gallery where she can feature other local artists.
Another dream is to illustrate children’s novels.
Kane’s 28-year-old son is currently working in England and, during her dream travels to France, Morocco, Israel and Cuba (for their bright colours), she hopes to reunite with him.
The Woza Moya gallery in Hillcrest has been transformed into an eclectic space with two exhibitions that feature an array of bright modern paintings alongside baskets from Zimbabwe and stunning Xhosa beadwork.
The exhibits end on Friday, 6 November. You can follow the colourful artist on Instagram and Facebook on Falk_Art.
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