Who is the artist? MS du Toit

This is actually very interesting and something artists do not think about. The number 1 question any viewer of art will ask when they stand in front of a painting is: Who is the artist?

Even though they would not know anything about the person, they still want to know the name. Many people will buy a piece of art because they like it and it will look nice in their house. But many people will buy a piece of art because of the name - they might not even really like the art but they value the name.

The trick for any artist is therefore to increase the value of their name and thus increasing the value of their art. And that is no easy task. Some artists do it by creating a painting of a naked public figure and their names are immediately all over the news and on everybody's lips, but they might soon be forgotten again.

Others do it by creating one painting after the other, all looking the same, almost creating a fashion. But fashions come and go and you begin to wonder whether those artists can do anything else.

I do not know the answer, or whether there is a right or wrong, all I know is that I would like my own work to stand the test of time like that of names like Van Gogh and Renoir. And then maybe, one day, my name will also be known.

This painting is from a photo I took when visiting some family. I was so caught up with sun coming in though the window and brightening up the room and the beautiful colours that I knew that I just had paint it.

Remember to visit my website for more paintings to view: Painted Canvas

SPI National Portrait Award 2013

Two years ago I would never have dreamed that I would enter a portrait competition! I have always said to myself that is something I cannot do. 

Today I am so exited because I have just finished my 3rd portrait that I will enter for this year's Sanlam Private Investments Portrait Competition. Sometime next week I will go to Rust-en-Vrede Gallery to deliver my three portraits. Unfortunately I cannot post any pictures of it at this stage. All the portraits are going to be unsigned so the judges will have no idea who the artists are. I think that is awesome, it gives everybody an equal chance. So you will have to wait until the 27th of August. That is when they will announce the winner.

What I can tell you, is that the portrait I have finished today is something totally different from all my other work. I just love it!

The portrait that I post here is actually my very second portrait that I have done (I promise) and I think it is great, maybe just because it is my mother when she was young.

Life of a Cape Town Artist

Living in Cape Town is a very great priviledge for any artist. Here we are surrounded by all the best life can offer you. There are the beaches, sometimes deserted due to weather conditions, sometimes the most colourful display of people, umbrellas and all that goes with a summer holiday. Then we have the mountains, the vineyards with their awesome autumn colours. The old Cape Dutch houses, the colourful houses of the Bo-Kaap and the townships all make wonderful subjects for painting.

I love to go out over weekends and drive around and take pictures of possible paintings. It is not always practical to take all the painting material but I do take a sketch pad to draw pictures and compositions as I go along. There is just SO much beauty around us here in Cape Town, if the old masters only knew!

This is a painting inspired by a deserted beach on a cold day!

Make sure to visit my website: Painted Canvas. There you will find most of my paintings and at very reasonable prices. You can view my earlier works, my more recent works in various categories, little gems, and commissions. You will also find out how to commission a painting, be it a landscape, still life or portrait of your dear dog, cat or mother-in-law!

Enjoy!

Another commission finished etc

So much has happened since the beginning of this year, and it just feels as if we are on a roller coaster ride! I have finished this commissioned painting for one happy client. You can read more about this painting on my website. I have also chosen this painting to be the March Painting of the Month.
Max, Fly and Maggie

Furthermore I have and still are very busy with two portrait paintings which I want to enter for the SPI National Portrait Award 2013 competition. At this stage I feel I am too critical and I am really getting frustrated with myself. The competition is only in August and I have now decided to put these two paintings away until July and then  I can take a new and fresh look at it. Unfortunately I cannot show them here, not until after the competition.

So please visit my website! I will be adding two more Little Gems tomorrow.

Until next time!

Pet Portraits

Creating a likeness, whether it be of a person, a cat or a dog or any other pet animal, is not always easy. It is difficult enough to draw or paint an animal or human that is not known by the viewer, but to paint a portrait so that it actually looks like the specific person or animal is even more difficult. Not only do you want to let it look like the model, but you also need to portray the personality or character.

When you do a portrait painting it normally looks very "dead" for most part. You make it come alive when you start with the eyes. And the eyes of a person or animal, done right, tell about the personality. If you don't get the eyes right, it would look like the person's twin or a total other dog or cat. There are a whole lot of technicalities to remember when painting the eyes concerning proportions, highlights and shadows, which will make it easier to do the eyes if you follow those rules. Remember when you do eyes, it says that the eyes is the window to the soul. That is truly so. Once you put the highlights in the eyes, the portrait really comes alive.

I took this photo of a friend's dog, Bennie, two years ago.

And last year December I made this painting for her as a Christmas gift. I changed the background a bit to give it some colour. I think I was fortunate to capture the likeness and to create the eyes. But you be the judge - leave a message to let me know what you think. I can now see the one eye is a bit too small - too much white. I will have to fix that!!

If you are interested in a portrait of your own dog, you can visit my website and get into contact with me and I will send you a quote and other information.