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.

Humble Beginnings

Lets start at the very beginning,

a very good place to start!

My painting "career" began in standard 4 which these days are called grade 6, when my art teacher thought she saw some talent in me. She encouraged me to enter a painting competition. The school did not supply the materials, so I had to beg my mother to buy some paint, a brush and a canvas. I wanted to try my hand at oil painting. My mother and I went shopping, and she was shocked at the price of oil paint (about R0.50 per tube!). She said I can choose 4 colours, that's it. OK I didn't know anything about colours!

Had I known then what I know now, my obvious choice would have been White, Cobalt Blue, Cadmium Red and Cadmium Yellow, because then I could have mixed all the colours of the rainbow and more. I almost got it right, but instead of the blue I chose black. So I had white, yellow, red and black. I still could have done more with it colourwise, had I known that black and yellow makes green. Did you know that? Well now you do. 

But hey, it was my first painting and I'm proud of it. And best of all, I won the competition! Not often that that happens.

Fortunately I took a picture because I have NO idea what happened to the painting, but I still have the picture. So if you ever come across the painting, keep it, it might be worth millions when I reach my Renoir status.You might have to live very long! Ok, here it is, my very first oil painting. (Remember it is an old picture, quality is not good.)