Artists exhibiting at Plett ARTS Festival 2019

Robert Leggat

Robert Leggat’s attention to detail is exceptional and the ability to capture the essence of his subject involves long hours observing, drawing and sketching from life plus the use of taxidermic examples borrowed from collections and museums. This enables him to produce anatomically correct pieces of great sensitivity with realistic depiction of textures and natural forms. His enquiring mind coupled with a natural inquisitiveness, inventiveness and a sense of fun gives his work an uniqueness not often found in the bronze medium.

In 2006 Robert started his own foundry “Bronze Fields Foundry” on a smallholding on the outskirts of Plettenberg Bay in the Western Cape. Robert is passionate about the environment and feels a growing revulsion at the rampant despoliation and destruction of natural habitats and the inevitable irreparable damage to the ecological integrity of places he treasures, from which he draws his creative inspiration.

Robert, together with several of his clients, donated a life-size bronze sculpture of a Dolphin and Calf to the town of Plettenberg Bay. This iconic sculpture is positioned in the hub of the town fondly known as the dolphin circle and driving past it, looking out to sea, one might be fortunate enough to spy its live counterparts frolicking in the waves.

NAME OF ARTIST: Robert Leggat
VENUE NAME WHERE EXHIBITING: Bronze Fields
EVENT: Plett Arts Festival 2019
ENTIRE FESTIVAL DATES: 21ST-28TH June 2019
SPECIAL EVENT DATE: all week
SPECIAL EVENT DETAIL: Chemical patination on bronze
SPECIAL EVENT TIME: 15h00 daily

Debra has always had a passion for creative art. Born in Zimbabwe, but grew up in Johannesburg, after school, she studied painting and print making at the National School of the Arts in Johannesburg and then went on to study a 3 year diploma in Graphic Design at Wits, going on to work at various design studios, and finally at Sanctuary Records in London, designing record covers and artwork for musicians. In 2005, Debra started her own graphic design and web design company, Dimension Design, and has travelled the world, working online as a freelance designer, designing for clients in print and online, and gaining artistic inspiration from nature and cultures world wide.

Though she sometimes paints and dabbles in other artforms – her artistic focus is in the digital art realm, combining hand painting on a touch screen I-pad with artwork created in Photoshop and Illustrator, and she has chosen this exciting medium as my primary focus for creating art.Debra has always loved beautiful, colourful clothing, so her latest artistic venture, is to produce her art on clothing, as wearable art, called“Artwear”, and she has an eye-catching range of clothing available online at www.firehart.co.za. This years collection is called the “4 Elements Collection” and will appeal to Arty, Sporty people or anyone who loves colour, pattern, nature, sacred geometry and fractal art.  Her psuedonym “Firehart”, represents the creative fire we all have burning in our hearts, and expressing that in useful Visual Art. 

“Vivid colour, nature, fantasy and magic inspire me, and I love the fluidity of painting with light and sacred geometry, expressing the fusion of art, technology and spirituality.”

NAME OF ARTIST:  Debra de Villiers (Firehart)
VENUE NAME WHERE EXHIBITING:   Global Village
EVENT: Plett Arts Festival 2019
EXHIBITION TITLE IF THERE IS ONE: Firehart Digital Art & Artwear
ENTIRE FESTIVAL DATES: 26-28 June 2019
SPECIAL EVENT DATE: Thursday  27th June    
SPECIAL EVENT DETAIL: Firehart Showcase Evening – Wine & Pizza @ Global Village   
SPECIAL EVENT TIME: 15h00-17h00
DEMONSTRATION:Introduction to Digital Art, Digital Painting & Mandala Creation – using Photoshop and the Ipad by Debra ( Firehart ) – Friday 28th June 11 am.

Alison Brink

Alison Brink

Alison was born in Johannesburg

Alison studied Graphic Art at the Art School in Johannesburg.

It was only 30 years later when she came to live in Plettenberg Bay that she took her art more seriously.

Alison works in acrylics but also enjoys oils and water colours. She enjoys doing flower scenes of the West Coast and Namaqualand as well as seascapes.

Alison lives and paints in Plettenberg Bay.

“I truly enjoy creating and painting – it is so satisfying and relaxing.”

NAME OF ARTIST: Alison Brink
VENUE NAME WHERE EXHIBITING: Artists of Plett – Melvilles Corner
EVENT: Plett Arts Festival 2019
EXHIBITION TITLE IF THERE IS ONE: Artists of Plett
ENTIRE FESTIVAL DATES: 21ST-28TH June 2019 (7-day event)
SPECIAL EVENT DATE: 23rd June
SPECIAL EVENT DETAIL: Tea/coffee, pastries and live music
SPECIAL EVENT TIME: 10h30-12h00

Stephen Rado

Stephen was born in Hungary in 1940. He took up painting after he had watercolour lessons in the 1980’s with the well-known artists, Bertry Jessop in Cape Town and Ron Ranson in the UK.

In the 1990’s he was accepted into the British Society of Artists and enjoyed many successful exhibitions all over Great Britain.

Stephen relocated to Plettenberg Bay in 2008 where he sells his paintings at Harkerville Market and at the Global Village.

Stephen has enjoyed great success all over the world as an artist.

“I enjoy it most of all when my paintings travel all over the world and they bring people so much joy.”

NAME OF ARTIST: Stephen Rado
VENUE NAME WHERE EXHIBITING: Global Village
EVENT: Plett Arts Festival 2019
EXHIBITION TITLE IF THERE IS ONE: Stephen Rado Collection
ENTIRE FESTIVAL DATES: 21ST-28TH June 2019 (7-day event)
SPECIAL EVENT DATE: 27th June 
SPECIAL EVENT DETAIL: Art, Wine and Pizza 
SPECIAL EVENT TIME: 15h00-17h00

Hetta Ludik

Hetta was born and grew up in De Aar and studied in Pretoria to become a remedial teacher. She moved to the Garden Route where she started painting seriously. She is self-taught. She went for classes in acrylics with Rhona Swartz and Lucy Duran. Recently she went to workshops given by Elize Bezuidenhout and Tony Durrheim where she started exploring oils.

Her subject matter is wide ranging. She captures emotion and the character, in her many portrait studies. She loves painting everyday life scenes, familiar images, land and seascapes. She resides in Plett and is part of The Plett Art Association.

NAME OF ARTIST: Hetta Ludik
VENUE NAME WHERE EXHIBITING: Artists of Plett – Melvilles Corner
EVENT: Plett Arts Festival 2019
EXHIBITION TITLE IF THERE IS ONE: Artists of Plett
ENTIRE FESTIVAL DATES: 21ST-28TH June 2019 (7-day event)
SPECIAL EVENT DATE: 23rd June
SPECIAL EVENT DETAIL: Tea/coffee, pastries and live music
SPECIAL EVENT TIME: (please use 24H00 format)10h30-12h00

Cheryl Lockwood

Cheryl Lockwood was born in Johannesburg and has been involved in the arts since childhood exploring various techniques in one form or another. She worked in the corporate world for many years but made sure to pursue her artistry on weekends and holidays throughout these years.

She managed to formally enter the art world 14 years ago when she started to work at the Ferreira Art Gallery in Bryanston, Gauteng and realized that she could take her passion for art to a new level. She met many well-known artists and was lucky enough to have excellent mentorship from artists such as the late Hazel Thompson, the well-known Johannesburg floral artist and Ian Hertslet, one of the top South African landscape artists.

She has exhibited in various galleries and exhibitions throughout the years and currently resides in Plettenberg Bay.

“Making my art reflects my love of my South African Heritage. People going about their daily tasks and the places that they live in. My art is an extension of my personality.”

NAME OF ARTIST: Cheryl Lockwood
VENUE NAME WHERE EXHIBITING: Artists of Plett – Melvilles Corner
EVENT: Plett Arts Festival 2019
EXHIBITION TITLE IF THERE IS ONE: Artists of Plett
ENTIRE FESTIVAL DATES: 21ST-28TH June 2019 (7-day event)
SPECIAL EVENT DATE: 23rd June
SPECIAL EVENT DETAIL: Tea/coffee, Scones with strawberry jam and cream, live music
SPECIAL EVENT TIME: (please use 24H00 format)10h30-12h00

Dorett Herbst

Dorett is a novelty artist, who picked up her first acrylic paint brush in October 2017 as part of a creative process to overcome complex trauma in her own life.  This process brought her to discover that healing is a process that continues taking place on a daily and ongoing basis, a process that never stops.   Thus she benefits from and enjoys the creative process so much that she has not stopped creating vibrant paintings since.  Dorett’s contemporary art deals with healing as the main theme.  She has added a variety of seascapes to her portrait works.  Her artwork has a healthy undertone of serene colour and healing.

Dorett is qualified and works in the caring and healing profession.  Currently she is studying towards a qualification to bridge herself as a fulltime creative wellness and healing counsellor and therapist, living in Plettenberg Bay.

“Art to me symbolises and represents that healing comes from a soul place deep within.  What stays hidden inside cannot flourish or come to full fruition, our secrets prevent us from healing.  My art mirrors that personal release of the pain inside, and when it’s out or released it is beautiful!”

NAME OF ARTIST: Dorett Herbst
VENUE NAME WHERE EXHIBITING: Artists of Plett – Melvilles Corner
EVENT: Plett Arts Festival 2019
EXHIBITION TITLE IF THERE IS ONE: Artists of Plett
ENTIRE FESTIVAL DATES: 21st-28th June 2019 (7-day event)
SPECIAL EVENT DATE: 23rd June
SPECIAL EVENT DETAIL: Tea/coffee, pastries and live music
SPECIAL EVENT TIME: 10h30-12h00

Elsabè was born in Kimberley and moved to Plettenberg Bay 15 years ago with her husband Rodney. She has always enjoyed being creative and for many years, while living in Botswana, she did pottery with Geraldine Hester. Her interest in painting started there and when she came to live in Plettenberg Bay she joined Estelle Hartley’s art classes. Estelle was a great teacher that inspired and influenced her style of loose and abstract painting.

‘As an artist, “colour is our language”.’  (Estelle Hartley)

NAME OF ARTIST: Elsabe Gray
VENUE NAME WHERE EXHIBITING: Artists of Plett – Melvilles Corner
EVENT: Plett Arts Festival 2019
EXHIBITION TITLE IF THERE IS ONE: Artists of Plett
ENTIRE FESTIVAL DATES: 21ST-28TH June 2019 (7-day event)
SPECIAL EVENT DATE: 23rd June
SPECIAL EVENT DETAIL: Tea/coffee, pastries and live music
SPECIAL EVENT TIME: 10h30-12h00

Fran was born in Johannesburg in 1973, the youngest of 5 siblings. At the age of 12 she desperately wanted to go to art school, but that was not to be, so for years Fran worked at teaching herself all about art, as art is the essence of her being. A splendid self-taught artist, she works in many different mediums, currently in graphite pencils, graphite powder, graphite water-soluble pencils and dry pastels.
Fran resides in Plettenberg Bay with her husband, children and two beautiful grand kids.

“Beauty surrounds us, our Animals are so precious!! I try to touch and reach their hearts and souls with each stroke of my pencil or brush. Captured by the raw beauty of each animal, I push my artistic self to lay each one on paper. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but perhaps one day, that’s all we will be left with … pictures. For now this is my passion, my art, my inspiration”

NAME OF ARTIST: Fran Coertzen
VENUE NAME WHERE EXHIBITING: Artists of Plett – Melvilles Corner
EVENT: Plett Arts Festival 2019
EXHIBITION TITLE IF THERE IS ONE: Artists of Plett
ENTIRE FESTIVAL DATES: 21ST-28TH June 2019 (7-day event)
SPECIAL EVENT DATE: 23rd June
SPECIAL EVENT DETAIL: Tea/coffee, pastries and live music
SPECIAL EVENT TIME: 10h30-12h00

Gillian Smith 

Gillian was born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe and spent most of her life in remote country districts. This developed a great love of landscape, light and colour. She has lived in Plettenberg Bay for the last 17 years and is a proud member of the Friday morning art group. Apart from a short art course at Teachers College, Gillian is self-taught. She started painting once the family were grown and had flown the nest. Having started out with water colour, she is now also painting in acrylic and oils.

Gillian has successfully exhibited in Shropshire, England where all her paintings were sold on auction and also sold all her work on show at an exhibition in Zimbabwe. Her choice of subject is usually landscape, flowers or still life and she always seeks to portray the beauty of light falling across colour.

“Despite the gap between what I envision in my mind and what I am able to reproduce in my art, the creative process of painting brings me great joy.”

NAME OF ARTIST: Gillian Smith
VENUE NAME WHERE EXHIBITING: Artists of Plett – Melvilles Corner
EVENT: Plett Arts Festival 2019
EXHIBITION TITLE IF THERE IS ONE: Artists of Plett
ENTIRE FESTIVAL DATES: 21ST-28TH June 2019 (7-day event)
SPECIAL EVENT DATE: 23rd June
SPECIAL EVENT DETAIL: Tea/coffee, Scones with strawberry jam and cream and live music
SPECIAL EVENT TIME: 10h30-12h00

Gill Wolfaardt

Gill always loved drawing as a child and trained as a cartographer when she left school. While working on a South African road atlas for the Automobile Association she was asked to do the illustrations of South African wild flowers. She did them in gouache and was surprised she could paint! After that she began to dabble in water colours and sold lots of flower paintings, especially cosmos.

In 2006 she and Francois moved to Plett and Gill began doing water colour in earnest. Encouraged by her tutor, Estelle Hartley, she joined the WSSA and gained her associateship. After that she began to use acrylics and has been using them ever since. She considers herself very much still a learner but loves painting local scenes.

“My desire is to bring joy to the viewer.”

NAME OF ARTIST: Gillian Wolfaardt
VENUE NAME WHERE EXHIBITING: Artists of Plett – Melvilles Corner
EVENT: Plett Arts Festival 2019
EXHIBITION TITLE IF THERE IS ONE: Artists of Plett
ENTIRE FESTIVAL DATES: 21ST-28TH June 2019 (7-day event)
SPECIAL EVENT DATE: 23rd June
SPECIAL EVENT DETAIL: Tea, coffee, pastries and live music
SPECIAL EVENT TIME: 10h30-12h00

Jill Forbes

Jill was born in Johannesburg and has been passionate about art since her earliest memories, working in all media, acrylic, oil, pastel and watercolour as well as mixed media. Jill has attended many workshops with well-known S.A. artists over the years and her art can be found in galleries and markets along the Garden Route. Her work sells to both international visitors and South Africans. Jill lives and creates in Harkerville, Plettenberg Bay.

“It has been a wonderful journey of creative energy, therapy and discovery of expression using colour and all mediums.”

NAME OF ARTIST: Jill Forbes
VENUE NAME WHERE EXHIBITING: Artists of Plett – Melvilles Corner
EVENT: Plett Arts Festival 2019
EXHIBITION TITLE IF THERE IS ONE: Artists of Plett
ENTIRE FESTIVAL DATES: 21ST-28TH June 2019 (7-day event)
SPECIAL EVENT DATE: 23rd June
SPECIAL EVENT DETAIL: Tea/coffee, pastries and live music
SPECIAL EVENT TIME: 10h30-12h00

Joan studied graphic art at the Johannesburg Art School and then worked as a commercial artist for 10 years.
Due to her circumstances, she changed her career path to accounting.
Only being able to paint over weekends and holidays she exhibited and sold her work very successfully at
Artists in the Sun, Zoo lake, Johannesburg. Joan moved to Plett five years ago, and is now enjoying the freedom to be able to paint the awesome beauty of Plettenberg Bay.

She works in pastels, oils and acrylics.

“The entire process, from start to the final stroke of the paint brush is an exciting challenge and privilege to be able to stop, stare and paint our most beautiful world.”

NAME OF ARTIST: JOAN HILL
VENUE NAME WHERE EXHIBITING: Artists of Plett – Melvilles Corner
EVENT: Plett Arts Festival 2019
EXHIBITION TITLE IF THERE IS ONE: Artists of Plett
ENTIRE FESTIVAL DATES: 21ST-28TH June 2019 (7-day event)
SPECIAL EVENT DATE: 23rd June
SPECIAL EVENT DETAIL: Tea/coffee, Scones with strawberry jam and cream and live music
SPECIAL EVENT TIME: 10h30-12h00

Joy Robin 

Joy Robin was born in Namibia but has lived in South Africa most of her life. It was only when her three children were educated and left home that she fulfilled her desire to paint. She concentrates on local scenes, landscapes, seascapes and flowers and works in oil, acrylic and watercolour and has sold extensively around the world. She enjoys the glory of bold colour in watercolours and the juiciness of oil. She loves nature and its many moods. Joy works daily in her studio in Plettenberg Bay and has been a full-time professional artist since 1993.

She was the chairlady of the Plettenberg Bay Arts Association for over 25 years and is a member of the South African Society of Artists. Has been a Rotary Ann for many years including five years as President

“I am at my happiest when painting.”

NAME OF ARTIST: Joy Robin
VENUE NAME WHERE EXHIBITING: Artists of Plett – Melvilles Corner
EVENT: Plett Arts Festival 2019
EXHIBITION TITLE IF THERE IS ONE: Artists of Plett
ENTIRE FESTIVAL DATES: 21ST-28TH June 2019 (7-day event)
SPECIAL EVENT DATE: 23rd June
SPECIAL EVENT DETAIL: Tea/coffee, Scones with strawberry jam and cream and live music
SPECIAL EVENT TIME: (please use 24H00 format)10h30-12h00