The Blue Caterpillar Gallery situated in Pietermaritzburg starts the new year with a joint exhibition by two highly respected artists.

New works from Charmaine Eastment and Sandi Beukes are on show at the gallery and are for sale.

The gallery’s Jeni Cramer said the two artists, although very different in style, were their two best-selling artists throughout the year, almost every year.

“We have built up a large base of clients who are constantly looking to add to their collections of these two artists – from as far as Australia for Sandi Beukes’s work,” she explained.

Cramer said all the works were new pieces and that Eastment and Beukes were very popular on the local market.

“Both artists have their very personal and unique genre, but they appeal to a large group of art buyers. The clients are also sometimes first-time buyers of any art and this is what is amazing.”

Elaborating on the artists, Cramer said Eastment (oil) studied with the esteemed Errol Boyley for many years.

“This influenced her work to paint more landscape scenes, which she does particularly well because of her love for the KZN Midlands.

“Her seascapes and floral pieces are always appealing and inviting.

“Charmaine captures the movement and colour of the sea in her oil paintings so much so that it makes you want to ‘touch’ it. Her Midlands landscapes have an individual atmosphere, whether it be stormy afternoon scenes, or the tranquil late-afternoon skies,” she explained.

Of Beukes, Cramer said she had a love and appreciation for the “bygone” times in France.

“She creates stories in her paintings by her figures and her settings of everyday life. She uses mostly acrylics, but shows her true talent by her use of colours and attention to each figure in her paintings.

“I personally love both of these artists and they have proved to be an asset to our gallery,” she said.

• The gallery is open from Tuesday to Friday, 9am to 4pm, Saturday 9.30am to 3.30pm and on Sunday 10.30am to 3.30pm. For more info call 033 387 1356.

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