("Content", oil on canvas by Angie
Arbuthnot)
Angie Arbuthnot
will present her first solo exhibition at artSPACE durban. Titled My Favourite Things, it will run from
April 2 to 28.
Fun with colour and
design, underpinned with her love for cattle, has allowed Arbuthnot to build a
series of work that depicts her intuitive, raw and unapologetic art.
“Starting with a
history of under-painting, haphazardly scraped and splashed, she draws out of
this “pasture”, her cattle, quietly chewing the cud! The contour drawings, as
wobbly and unpretentious as they are, give life to the animals, forming
structure and movement through the colour. A system of delicately adding and
subtracting, washing away, scraping, and dribbling .. brings Angie to the point
where she has achieved something unique and instinctual. Her colours are a
celebration and her brushstrokes are bold,” says Karen Bradtke of artSPACE.
“I wanted to start
with the familiar….,” explains Arbuthnot. “Having grown up on a farm and now
farming with my husband, our cattle provide endless reference material; their
square shapes, knobbly knees and boxy noses along with their nurturing and
humble demeanours, give us endless hours of enjoyment!”
Angie grew up in
the foothills of a cattle farm in the Giants Castle area of South Africa. Her
childhood was a simple but a colourful one.
Sadly, during
school and after school she did not pursue her creativity and trained as a
Junior Primary teacher. It was only after building a large house at the age of
39, that the pressure to paint her pictures began to develop. After going to
lessons with Dee Harris and Robin Townsend, she finally ended up under the
tutorage of Pascale Chandler who motivated her to see a future in her art and
persuaded her to enter the START Nivea Art Award.
Arbuthnot was chosen
as the 23 artists to go through with the programme of being mentored for three
months. Her mentor was Andrew Verster and his influence in the way she
understood art was considerable. Soon after that, she did the Professional
Practice Course at the KZNSA Gallery, tutored by Brenton Maart and participated
in the group exhibition called Mine.
She has also done photography courses with Angela Buckland and other art
courses with Anthea Martin.
“Creativity is an
expression of myself; a deep connection with something so pure and ancient. It
comes naturally, no striving, nor “perfect” conditions….,” she adds, ”and when
it comes, it’s like a flowing river! There’s a sense of great joy, often with
surprise, to witness what I have achieved!”
My Favourite Things will open on April 2 at 11h00 with an introduction
of the artist by Pascale Chandler. The exhibition then runs until April 28.
artSPACE durban is
situated at 3 Millar Road (off Umgeni Road) close to the Waste Centre. More
information on 031 312 0793 or visit www.artspacedurban.co.za or
www.artspacedurban.blogspot.com