If you are looking for that one unique piece of art to complete your room, why not support local artists?
On Thursday September 9, the Art Corner Gallery & Supplies opened their doors for the first time at Cowboy Town in West Village.
Johan Coetzer and Bernadette Jean Barnardt are the creative minds behind this special gallery and Johan explained that they wanted to give artists with talent a chance.
It can sometimes be difficult to get in with a big gallery,” he said.
One day, while Johan was walking in Cowboy Town he saw Bernadette exhibiting her artwork, he asked her if he could join her and by the next weekend both were exhibiting their works.
The gallery would just be an exhibition of their talented artists’ work and the real business would be done online. They plan on selling art globally. They currently have eight talented artists whose work they proudly exhibit.
Bernadette is a self-taught artist who said she grew up knowing she was different.
“Childhood abuse led to disassociation and emotional numbness, and I grew into a confused, angry and depressed young woman.”
At the age of 18 she met her husband-to-be and is now the mother of three children. She explained that her experiences in life both good and bad, inspire her art.
I support mental-health awareness, non-violence against women and children, and anti-poaching. Also a huge inspiration is the complexity of the human spirit, nature and its splendour, and last but not least my love for animals.”
Growth, knowledge, determination and a desire to keep learning drive her. Sharing and letting her spirit speak is important to her when it comes to her work. She works with charcoal, graphite, ink wash and line, water colour, acrylic, oil and pastel.
Johan is also a self-taught artist and hails from Klerksdorp. He started his art journey after his wife Jeanette unexpectedly passed away in April 2018, and said that a photo of her on their wedding day was his first painting. It is still his favourite.
He is inspired by nature and enjoys a challenge and prefer to work with soft pastel but also enjoys mediums like oil, acrylic, water colour and charcoal.
Although I love the warm colours of summer, I favour autumn for its rich colours and contrasts.”
Some of the other artists featured in their gallery are second-place winner of the Webber Wentzel young artist of the year competition in 2007, Lucas Kumba, very talented retired art teacher Dawid van Deventer, creative mind Chris Schoonwinkel and Pieter van Heerden who discovered the joy of painting at the age of 40.
You can visit their gallery for amazing art, or visit their Facebook page for more information.
