Former Toti pupil bags art award in New Zealand

An ex-Kingsway High School pupil won a Displate wildlife art award in New Zealand. Artist and illustrator Rob Foote (41) is best known for creating beautiful and humorous work aimed at the young and young at heart. He uses both pixels and pencils, and freelances for a range of international clients.

“I was actually really surprised (to win the award). I entered a while back and honestly did not think about it again until the judges got in touch,” he said. “As a freelance artist working from home it’s really hard to tell if your work is adding any value, so I do feel encouraged to keep going.”

Rob is currently working on a series of magical landscapes into which the animals appear to be disappearing. His winning entry depicts a snowy ski field with a giant polar bear instead of ski slopes with skiers flying down his back. It has a happy feeling to it with a touch of sadness. “The title is ‘Last Snow’, which could be the last snow of the season but also hints at the environmental changes we are starting to experience.

“I love nature and feel most at ease outdoors. I think everyone is passionate in some way about the planet, as there is a lot to love. One of the things about growing up in Toti is that we have such an amazing coastline and some of my passion comes from those early years at the beach.”

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In 2007 Rob won the Coca Cola Young Designers Award in Cape Town and rates that as “a truly happy day.”  “I was fortunate enough to win a Mac Book Pro, which really set me up for working in a digital medium. I’d never really had a computer before then, so my work was all pencils.

“I have always been drawing but after exploring a few other directions, from building film sets to bronze casting and teaching, I have naturally come back to what I started with in the first place, as it seems like the perfect fit for me.”

Rob was born in Bloemfontein and as a youngster his family moved around quite a bit as his dad was in the airforce. The family settled in Toti from 1988 and 1994 and he enrolled at Kingsway. “I did art at school. My mom Jane was actually my art teacher, much to my dismay at the time, but I’m very grateful for her now.”

The ex-Athlone Park resident describes his art and characters as “quirky, surreal, colourful and humorous. If I can hit any of those I am happy.” He has illustrated over 100 books in a few different countries, mainly children’s books but some cover art and educational titles too.

He matriculated in 1994 and moved to Durban the next year. “I also lived in Japan for three years, as I have always been fascinated with the Japanese culture and was not disappointed.”

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He has been married to Tammy (nee Burger), who also hails from Toti, for 14 years and they have a six-year-old son named Kai. “We live in Dunedin – it is a beautiful place and I am really loving it here. We plan on being here for five years and then will see after that. It’s hard being so far away from friends and family and the weather is pretty wild but it’s a cool spot.

“I miss the beaches and the laid-back lifestyle in Toti and I couldn’t think of a better way to grow up. We have been back to visit quite a bit, as we still have a few friends around those parts. Next on my horizon is to keep on painting and set up an online print store.” Check out Rob’s amazing art on his website: https://www.robfoote.net/prints/