We’re continuing our quest to get to know our members and this time we’re sitting down with Valinda Lombard. Valinda was also one of the participants in the Degrees of Realism Exhibition in 2021.
“I am one of 5 children, born in Benoni, but moved to Randfontein when I was 2 years old. Later, when I was in high school, we moved to Roodepoort, where I stayed until I got married, when I moved back to Benoni.
I had no formal art education. Ever since I can remember I have been drawing, even on the walls of the house, and, of course, I was the innocent party in this whole debacle.”
She started with art classes after she took part in a pavement drawing competition held in Randfontein’s city centre – in which she won her age category.
“Our neighbour, Christo Janse van Rensburg (painting under the pseudonym Christophorus), gave me a few art lessons and after that I went to Carlo Sdoya for art classes.”
At the beginning of this year Valinda started teaching children’s art classes twice a week and she admits this has significantly changed her routine.
“Tuesday mornings I attend art class at Art Alive Art School. It is a wonderful social get-together with like-minded people, which I enjoy thoroughly.
I like to get up very early as morning is the best time of the day. I take my dog for a walk before 7h00, then my daughter and I do a quick gym session, after which the family have breakfast and a “coffee and chat”.
I start drawing (or painting) at around 10h00 in the morning, break for lunch and another “coffee and chat”, and carry on again untill 17h00 in the afternoon. I try not to do art after that, as family time is very important to me.”
On my question on whether she ever suffers from creative block, she answers a resounding ‘no’.
“The list of “wanting to draw” items is longer than my arm. I simply don’t have enough hours in a day to get to what I want to draw or paint. Nature inspires me. I am a great naturalist and enjoy the outdoors, especially bird watching. I enjoy drawing animals, especially birds.”
Her love for nature and detail clearly shines in her work and I also question her about her favourite local artists.
“Graeme Arnott, a famous bird artist, is my ultimate inspiration for drawing birds. His detail and use of colour puts him in a whole other category of photo realist artists.
Fiona Goldthorp, one of our own, is one of my favourite artists too. Her work is absolutely outstanding. I love the detail in her artwork, as well as her excellent use of value.
Jono Dry also falls under this category. The way he does those huge hyperrealistic drawings, and commits to it, is such an inspiration when I feel my A3 drawings are getting the better of me.
Believe it or not, but I have never done a complete graphite drawing with full colouring, values, detail and so forth! I usually only do rough sketches when planning a composition for a drawing or painting.
These two artists have definitely inspired me to try a complete graphite drawing soon.”
And her favourite dry medium?
“I used to love pastel pencils, until I experimented with watercolour pencils in 2020.
I love how I can use water to create a soft background and underlayer for my drawing and then come in with the dry pencil for the detail on top.”
Valinda also enjoys charcoal pencils.
“It is so difficult to choose a medium I can not do without as I love trying and using different mediums, but if I have to make a choice, I think it will be my watercolour pencils.”
Valinda’s art dream makes me smile – the simplicity of just enjoying art is sometimes so difficult once you do it for a living.
“Since I am only doing art as a hobby and not on a professional level, I would just like to enjoy it and do it for as long as I am physically possible. It would be wonderful to have a few art pieces exhibited in a formal gallery, but I don’t think I would enjoy the stress of having a solo exhibition.”
Thank you for your time Valinda, and sharing a little inside look on your life. I especially like your comment on enjoying your art as long as you are physically capable – so very true!
