For Challenge 8 we had two winners – and our first featured artist of the two, is Cryselda Venter.
Cryselda stays in the oceanside town of Jeffreysbay in the Eastern Cape and she describes herself as a ‘scatterbrained, restless artist’ still enjoying every creative moment and so grateful for her talent ‘and a supportive husband!’ It makes me laugh out loud as I read the feelings of so many artists in those words! And where would we be without those who love us nonetheless!
As usual, I first ask her about herself and a little about her background.
“I was born in Potchefstroom in 1956 where I went to two very different High schools. I attended the Catholic Convent School from Grades 8-9 and then Potchefstroom Hoër Volkskool Gr 10-12.
The main reason for moving back to an Afrikaans school was art!! At the Convent school we had art after school, taught by Miss Joseph – a Jewish lady who told my parents that I should go to a school with Art as a subject. We had a very caring and great Art teacher at this school and had a choice between three practical disciplines: Sculpture, Painting and Design. I chose design as my main practical subject.
After my Matric year I wanted to do an apprenticeship as a goldsmith but my parents would have nothing of this as I had a bursary to study an HED (Higher Education Diploma) at University.
I completed a four-year Teacher diploma in Art in 1978 at Potchefstroom North West, (Potchefstroomse Universiteit vir Hoër Christelike Onderwys.) I taught at different high schools – a career spanning over 30 years – and always continued studying further.
In 1985 after the birth of my daughter I enrolled for a BAFA Honours at Unisa and obtained my degree in 1997. I recall studying for a History of Art paper in the Maternity Hospital with the Birth of my son in 1988!!
Lecturing part time at Tuks (2003-2004) and Midrand graduate Institute (2015), and teaching Gr 1-8 In Al Ain in the UAE (2016 -2018) were wonderful experiences in my art career.”
Cryselda describes herself as being a multidisciplinary artist and tells me her style is diverse.
“The high contrast of monochrome compressed charcoal drawing excites me. I enjoy loose line work and mark making becomes characteristic and my medium allows for quite large-scale artworks.
With printmaking the scale is much smaller, the medium and techniques allow for fine lines and great detail. Bright expressionistic colour comes forward in my Paintings and Serigraphs.
I enjoy trying my hand at many techniques and processes within the visual arts. My markmaking is very much influenced by the patterns and decorative elements of especially Art Noveau style (Pattern and Decoration Movement) and this reflects in my application.”
Having had a look at Cryselda’s body of work, I noticed a particular love of cats! Obviously I have to ask!
“I also practice various printmaking techniques such as Etching, Linocut, Tuilegraphs, Collographs and Serigraphs.
My majors were in Design and Printmaking and these disciplines ask for fine lines and a great deal of detail. The cat as subject matter came from my studies at UNISA where we had to work on any theme of choice for a practical portfolio. This theme had to be researched right back into history and applied in my printmaking practical work. For 2 years, during my 3rd and 4th practical year I researched the cat as an Egyptian goddess. Animals were mummified and buried with their owners. The Egyptian pyramids, sculptures, tombs, and hieroglyphics were part and parcel in this research. Many of my etchings, serigraphs and paintings still contain these cat elements. South African Rock art, geometric patterns in beadwork in Zulu baskets, murals and weaving of African culture is also of interest to me.
What gets me excited? Well, art processes and media. I am a total technique freak! Sadly, jumping from one to the other and not always concentrating on one technique hampers really mastering one.
Many of my artworks feature the Landscape as main element and within this landscape – mummy cats, cat-like structures, just cats, arum lillies, wildlife, chandeliers and landmarks of places where I travelled.
It was relevant at that stage to name my Pretoria art studio – Cat’s Art Studio!
In 2019 Cat’s Art Studio moved to Jeffriesbay and it features in all aspects of my art.
The beauty and diversity of our sunny South African landscape with its bright colours, detail in fauna and flora is a favorite of mine. There is always a landscape somewhere in my art!”
Recently I’ve started wondering how other artists experience and perceive our South African Art scene and I question Cryselda on her view:
“The South African art scene is as diverse as the cultures that live here. My experience is that there still exists a great deal of marginalization – at times by choice. I have a deep appreciation for artists of all of cultures who strive to find a place and voice through art in our beautiful country.
Unfortunately, it has become a very costly exercise for an artist to exhibit in good art galleries and Art associations.
For me it is a very sad scenario that art is not perceived and appreciated with the same respect as in the European countries. Why buy a mass-produced print of a well-known international artist when you can own and enjoy an original miniature that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg?
I wish to change how the South African businesses and public look at art. As a retired Art teacher who does small scale workshops and open days in my studio, I attempt this. During these events I take the opportunity try to inform and educate those who cross my path. With short informative talks we as artists can let the seed grow. I would still love to go to Banks, Doctors Rooms, Restaurants and Corporate Companies and convince them to hang original art from local artists on their walls. (With a price tag too)! In this way we can showcase our great South African artistic talent.”
And Cryselda’s favourite medium?
“Initially in the early years of my career my dry media consisted mainly of Conté sticks in sets with black, browns, white and sepia. Graphite and coloured pencils were at that stage just used for colouring in. Later on, I extended the dry media to Faber Castell hard pastel sticks and Derwent Rexel pastel pencils (that I still use, but in mixed media work).
Although I used the pastel pencils in quite a few drawings I didn’t really enjoy the medium – mainly because once you fixed the drawing it lost detail and colour and I felt I had to redo it so many times. The pencils tips were brittle and broke a lot.
Since the beginning of this year – in search of more detail in my mixed media work – I started to work with Lyra Rembrandt polycolour pencils (that my son gave me after he completed a year in Industrial design). I combined the polycolours with the Faber Castell Hard polychromo pastel sticks for the first time in the “Plakkies” artwork and really enjoyed adding the detail that I managed to achieve. I realize there are still lots to explore!”
Cryselda gets very excited and says if she could, she would tell everyone to try Faber Castell Polychromos pencils!
“It is all the hype in my studio at the moment! I discovered the Faber Castell polychromos pencils in April this year and I’m slowly but surely building up my colour range. I am the proud owner of about 59 pencils out of the standard range of 120. I have made swatches of all the colours with their respective numbers for easy referral – but I’m a bit confused to see that I have some pencils numbered in the 200’s?!
I also invested in a good sharpener for this range.
Cryselda goes on to tell me about her process:
“I’m still a novice in this exciting new medium but I start from light to dark. I draw the contours of my subject with the pencil that resembles the lightest colour from my photo.
I try to take my own photos and combine them into a desired composition. I am still very uncertain as to the correct paper to use. I would like to add frottage but the thicker paper will not really in my opinion allow that.”
(side-note and confession – I had to google ‘frottage’ – absolutely never heard the term before!! Its the technique of creatign a design or pattern by rubbing (for example with a pencil) over an object placed underneath the paper. See – Cryselda is still an art teacher – I learned something new!!)
The thinner smoother papers won’t have enough tooth – I still have a lot to investigate and experiment with. I’m very smitten and excited about this gorgeous medium!”
I love asking artists about their favourite artists – in my book its always great to discover new inspirational artists and expand your ideas of what art is.
Some of Cryselda’s favourite local artists include William Kentridge for his subject matter, high contrasting work, brilliant drawing and amazing compositions, printmaking and film production.
“Dianne Victor as printmaker, and her smoke drawings. Christiaan Diedericks and Carl Jeppe – his conceptual landscape drawings are so fascinating. Lately John Moore – I admire his detailed etching plates.
Internationally: The old masters Matisse and Monet for their application and use of colour, Escher for his drawings. Marina Terauds: an artist residing in America, trained in Latvia – she is a printmaker and does botanical prints. But there are so many more!”
To close I ask Cryselda about her artistic dream and aspirations.
“As an artist there is so much to explore. I call myself a technique freak because that is what intrigues me: processes, new media, their respective techniques. Unfortunately, this has become my downfall in not really specializing and concentrating to really become a master in any discipline.
It will be absolutely fantastic to do a master class with an artist who is a landscape master in either Faber Castell Polychromos, or compressed charcoal drawing.
As a jeweler I would love to attend a workshop in Florence in Italy in gold working.
I’m proud of working at this and this year I have completed at least 10 new Sterling silver jewelry pieces and entered 4 artworks in competitions and challenges.
I took part in a group exhibition in July with two other artists here in Jeffriesbay. The 10 reworked pieces for this group exhibition had to conform to and fit in a new theme.
The work I submitted included mainly Serigraphs reworked with mixed media such as, hand painted etchings with watercolour and dry media, pastel drawing and acrylic paint.”
Having traded thoughts with Cryselda I can’t help but be inspired by her passion for learning and trying out new techniques. So much of art is play, and it seems to me that Cryselda lives and breathes this reality. Thank you for sharing your inspiration and dreams – and teaching me a couple of new words!!