THE Blue Caterpillar Art Gallery in Maritzburg is showcasing an exhibition with a difference – they are displaying the latest works by Sandi Beukes in an online exhibit.
The gallery’s Jeni Cramer said they recently started their first online exhibition, affording art lovers a chance to view a full exhibition of the artist’s work.
“We have had great success with this particular artist’s work and have clients as far as Australia and South Korea, and also nationally, who have simply fallen in love with Sandi Beukes’s work.
“This exhibition of 12 works incorporates many interesting inspirations on which the artist has based this exhibit.”
Cramer said Beukes had drawn from her experiences as a little girl and her passions for art and travelling for the collection.
“Originally an accountant, she always had a love of art and started to pursue it.
“Once she decided to pour all of her energy into her art career Sandi knew she had made the right decision.
“She draws inspiration from her travels to Paris and also artists such as Paul Cezanne, Toulouse Lautrec, Degas, Monet and van Gogh.
“Sandi visited Cezanne’s studio in Aix-en-Provence in 1998 and took inspiration from his still life settings which are set out in the studio.
“Cezanne’s famous painting, The Cardplayers, is one of her favourites and inspired her own painting which is included in this collection – Cards.
“She learnt to pay bridge many years ago and has spent many happy hours watching people’s expressions when playing this game.
“Montmartre in Paris also inspires many of her paintings, the wonderful café life is often featured in her paintings.
“When she was in France in 2008, she found a beautiful book of old sepia photographs of Paris in the 1900s – the signages on the buildings on the street provided such character and also she uses the clothing of this time to ‘dress’ her characters in her paintings,” explained Cramer.
Beukes approached the gallery with the idea of running an online exhibition to reach a broader audience.
“She had found that many admirers of her work found galleries intimidating and therefore missed out on her exhibitions.
“This collection is very personal for Sandi and by hosting it online she has offered an intimate and accessible space which she hopes will draw people into galleries by breaking down the misconception that they are places only for the ‘art educated’.”
Cramer said as a result of this project they would host future online exhibitions.
“We do have most of our art available for viewing on our website, but dedicated online exhibitions do free us from space constraints.”
• Beukes’s collection can be viewed at www.artsales.co.za