With paint brush and canvas painter makes the world a better place

Readers who have attended one of Alice Art Gallery’s Art in the Garden events may have noticed a calm and quiet soul sitting underneath one of the trees giving shade to Alice’s garden.

Dawid van Deventer (67), a former art teacher and passionate artist, has been creating on-the-spot portraits of attendees in the garden since the first Art in the Garden event this year. Although he only started setting up shop to sketch portraits at Alice’s garden this year, Dawid is an immense well of knowledge when it comes to the art of creating.

He was born in 1956 and thinking back on his early childhood memories, he recalls creating little things as an inquisitive child.

“My father created beautiful works of art with clay. Masks for theatrical performances and such. I believe he is one of my biggest inspirations,” elaborated Dawid.

He went on to explain how he started his creative journey by drawing stick figures in primary school, and then copies of well-known figures out of history in high school.

“Art isn’t my only passion, as I enjoy a good game of chess and listening to music,” he stated, adding that sometimes he is so tired after work that he’d rather sit and play a game of chess than gather the energy to work on paintings.

“Playing chess is a way of stimulating my brain without having to move around as much as I would when painting.”

He explained how he helped teach language studies in the army, taught art at Krugersdorp High School, and then at an art college in Davidsonville for two years and studied with numerous well-known artists in South Africa like Guy du Toit.

He started his first business, Letters & Art in 1992, which burnt down in 2001 after which he restarted it in 2006.

“The biggest problem I’ve experienced when creating art throughout the years would be the fact that I have always had to put creating art second to his day job, earning a living.

“I have to be responsible. Both financially but also personally as I have people who depend on me,” added Dawid, “I wish I had more time to focus on my art, refining my skills and creating more works of art.”

In earlier years he was one of the many artists featured in exhibitions at museums, like Alice Art Gallery and Memoirs. When walking through his personal art studio in West Village, it is clear to see the different phases and styles Dawid has grown through throughout his many years of painting. In university, he focused more on abstract artwork, and then he moved over to realism where he created art for himself, and commissioned copies of various famous artworks.

“I dabbled in commercial art, but it never really interested me so that didn’t last long. I enjoy painting portraits, abstract pieces, and still life paintings,” explained Dawid.

He elaborated that he loves the elements of art, like lines, darkness and light, and makes use of them in all of his pieces. When you start creating art, he explained, you are never really sure exactly what the outcome is going to be. “Art in itself should be unique and captivating. If someone can just walk past a painting without a second glance or thought, it makes you wonder if that painting is any good,” Dawid said, adding that he admires artists like Van Gogh.

Dawid enjoys sketching and painting expressive work, that uses all the elements of art. He encourages anyone with a passion or curiosity for art to never stop sketching, and never stop creating.

“Artwork needs to flow, to elicit emotion when looking at it. I believe any novice artist who is serious about art should have a mentor to help guide them. Someone who knows the ‘rules’ when it comes to art, and isn’t scared to bend them,” he added.

He hopes to spend more time working on his creations in the coming years and wants to open his gallery for the public to come and look at his exhibition. For now, readers can find him at the next Art in the Garden event, behind his easel, patiently waiting for someone to come and make the memory of the day into a timeless piece of art with his pencil or brush.