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Tell us about yourself?
Johan Marais was born in Kimberley on the 8 October 1948. He took his first art lessons at the Diamantveld High School, during which time he received several rewards. He developed a strong interest in art.
After matriculating he studied art extra-murally, and then decided to study for a B Com at the University of South Africa.
Johan has two daughters and six grand children. Johan, who had a full time job, painted part-time, a hobby he obviously enjoys and spends a great deal of time exploring He retired 2005 where his art become his full time career.
What inspires your art?
Johan resolved to improve his art and took classes under the tuition of Christopher Haw an accomplished artist from Natal, concentrating on landscapes. Over the years Johan has not limited himself to use one medium. He has qualified himself further using oils under the tuition of Rina Badenhorst a well-known artist from Port Elizabeth and Vivian Van Den Merwe of the Central Art School in Port Elizabeth.
While staying in Paris for four months during 2006 and one month in 2007 he developed a great interest in the works and techniques of the great Master Monet. Also the works of Manet, Sisley, Pissaro, Morisot and Renoir. He enjoys collecting and studying books on the Old Masters that offer insight into the great Artists of the past. Also the books on today’s Impressionists. They exhibit a passion for excellence which inspires me to do the same. I believe anyone willing to go through the awkward learning curve can obtain the general knowledge necessary to get started creating art.
Have you always had a passion for art?
From childhood he had a passion for art. He has partaken in various group and Solo Exhibitions in South Africa and he has also exhibited in Austria and Paris. Johan has in the interim moved from Port Elizabeth to Pretoria where he has held several exhibitions.
Did you choose to become an artist or did art choose you?
Something of both, he liked to sketch in his schoolbooks, art interested him from a very young age. His focus is at present on landscapes, still life’s and figure studies. His art work is currently exhibited in several art galleries in South Africa.
Johan received approval from the South African Association for the Visual Arts for occupation of an apartment in the Cite International Des Arts Complex in Paris, France for four months during 2006. During his stay (September – December 2006) in Paris, he focused mainly on landscapes, in particular the parks, public gardens and forests in and around Paris, as well as in Southern France. Johan exhibited his works that were done during his stay in December 2006, in Paris.
Johan’s artwork "Grieve Sorrow but Hope" was selected to be exhibited in Salon D’Automne in Paris during 2007.
What techniques characterised your art?
Johan paints mostly in oils. During his stay in Paris he painted in acrylic because of the cold weather and oils can take a while to dry. He also worked with pastels and pen and ink.
His paintwork is impressionistic, bright and colourful. A style in which Artists attempted to capture the effects of light using freer brushstrokes and high-key palettes. Instead of rule-bound, academic paintings, he uses broken strokes of colour, often daps of pure colour side by side, so from a little distance the broken colours merge visually to give an impression of the scene. He also likes to paint outdoors when it is safe to do so. So many people work in arenas that discourage creativity. Nevertheless I can guarantee that whatever your chosen field, art will enrich your life. Constantly experimenting with different ideas and techniques and feeling that I am still learning something every day, does keep me fresh.
He sometimes also uses realistic ideas in his works. His Goal in life is to create paintings that are dramatic, colourful and intriguing, a unique expression of himself.
Explain you artwork?
Johan is at present focusing on still life's, flowers and landscapes. Johan is very fond of nature from which he gets his inspiration for his new works.
His renditions of landscapes and flowers stems from the fact that they are those things from nature which he sees in harmony, something not easily seen or found when portraying humans. His preference is to use bright, fresh colours in his works. He says that people need colour in their lives, especially as sometimes everything around us appears to be so dull.
What gives you the most satisfaction about your work?
Johan gets his satisfaction from his work every time he stands back after completing a painting and he realizes that he sees presence, a presence so powerful that he can't walk away from it.
I want my art to stand out from the crowd. My continuing goal is to make paintings that are dramatic and intriguing, a unique expression of myself. But we must be critical of all we produce and set high standards for ourselves regardless of the method employed. I always look for new ways to stimulate my senses, continually challenging myself with new techniques, and keeping that curious spirit.