HAENERTSBURG – It was a drizzly and cold day when Paintings in the Park launched its first exhibition in the park right in front of the Haenertsburg Post Office on Sunday.
Despite the inclement weather there were about 85 paintings brought forth by six exhibitors from the village and the Polokwane area.
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Five paintings were sold during the exhibition with 10% of all art sold being handed over to the Garden Cottages, a complex of apartments for senior citizens in the village.
With this combined brainchild of Pieter de Beer and Renier Oosthuizen, Paintings in the Park will become a fixture on the last Sunday of every month, should the weather permit it.
An exception will be made in December as many artists are away over Christmas and New Years. The painters will therefore hold Paintings in the Park to coincide with the village hall Christmas Market on the 8 and 9 December.
Pieter began his career as a flight steward for South African Airways and has, according to him, been on a roll. He became the training officer for Interflora countrywide and had florist shops in Pretoria, Port Elizabeth and Knysna.
He would build and establish these businesses and sell them. Pieter also worked at the Emperor’s Palace near Johannesburg for a decade. He moved on to running a guest house in Marloth Park where he took overseas visitors to the Kruger National Park for photographic opportunities, mainly bird photography. After this stint he slightly changed course and moved into catering, becoming a manager for VIP Caterers in Pretoria.
This was followed by a period of running a guesthouse in Volksrust.
Renier studied at what is now known as Pro Arte in Pretoria. Born in Pretoria, he moved to Zimbabwe and resides there for a decade before relocating to Mokopane.
Renier has however been visiting the Haenertsburg area for the past 20 years, as he feels at home in the mist.
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Two years ago when Renier and Pieter met, Renier convinced Pieter to move to the area. They initially lived in the village itself but soon found the solitude and peace that was afforded to them on a small holding outside the village, was best suited.
Both of them have clearly been birthed with art in their veins. Pieter has tried his hand at stained glass, mosaic, wood carving and pottery, preferring stained glass as his art of choice.
Besides the monthly Paintings in the Park, the duo is planning a five-day oils and acrylics art course.
