The annual Greyton Art Walk is an event that artists as well as art lovers look forward to every year. The 6th Art Walk, held from 2 to 4 December, was once again a huge success with 70 artists displaying 1 400 works across 36 venues.
Organisers report that sales of artworks were up by 44%, with 50% of the artists already having booked their space for the 2023 Art Walk.
Visitors could view the art in the Dutch Reformed church hall and the adjoining tent as well as visit numerous galleries and artists at their homes.
There was definitely something to suit everybody’s taste and pocket. Visitors also enjoyed the lovely tranquil village setting of Greyton and the many restaurants were bursting at the seams.
A busload of art lovers from The Strand Art Routes Tour Bus visited Greyton on Saturday. They all had a wonderful time and several left with coveted artworks.
The children’s art with the theme “Historical buildings from my town” drew more than 160 entries from seven schools in the area. Sixteen works of outstanding quality were selected for exhibition in the main hall.
Many artists, such as Warren Voight, are from Cape Town with close ties to Greyton and Genadendal and have participated in the Art Walk since its inception, but for others it was their first time exhibiting in Greyton.
Hermanus Times spoke to Martie Koegelenberg, well-known Caledon politician and first-time exhibitor at the Art Walk, who first started painting during the Covid lockdown. “I have always had a doodle book in my drawer and have doodled for years,” she said. “This was the only ‘art’ I did. When I received a set of watercolour paints and brushes for Mother’s Day I started painting fairies, or nature spirits, as I call them. I did about 34 of these drawings. From there my painting evolved to botany.
“I grew up in Namaqualand among cacti, quiver trees and aloes, so gravitating towards botany was almost a given. I draw most of my inspiration from the surrounding nature, and have now added sugarbirds to my paintings.”
Koegelenberg’s medium is watercolour on treated canvas. “I do not like the chemical nature of oil paint and the cleaning of the brushes afterwards. I am always in a bit of a hurry. Thinking of what to paint and the sketches beforehand take up most of the time. To me watercolour is all about the pigments – translucent and unpredictable, which I find appealing.”
Whimsical is what best describes Koegelenberg’s striking works. “I do not want my art to be heavy. I do it primarily for my own spiritual upliftment, but it is thrilling that people like my art enough to want to buy it.”
