A Closer Look at 6 Incredible South African Wildlife Artists

How does one take home an African sunset? Or the stare of a leopard? Or the awe that is felt when overwhelmed by the grandness of Victoria Falls? For more and more African travellers, the answer is art.

South Africa is home to an immense wealth of talented artists across a range of mediums. To find out more about these artists I caught up with Robert Rosenberg, the Marketing Director for Fine Art Portfolio.

‘The artists spend most of their time in the bush creating their art and we act as the link between the artist and the customer. Our galleries provide a broad cross-section of contemporary South African artists. We sell everything from original paintings to limited editions to bronze sculptures, ceramics and hand-picked objets d’art and upmarket curios. Not the kind of thing you see on the side of the road or in Green Market Square but something that is special and tells a story and is still at an accessible price point.

‘We try to offer a broad offering to everyone and encourage people to come in and have a look and ask questions. We won’t tell you what you need, rather come and see what you want.’ With over 5,000 artworks by over 200 South African artists, the galleries offer one of the largest selections of South African fine art for sale. They have four galleries, two in the V&A Waterfront, one in the Winelands, and one in Johannesburg.

Here are six of their most popular artists.

SUE DICKINSON

‘Sue is South Africa’s foremost wildlife watercolour artist. She is widely collected and has excellent technique. Watercolour is totally unforgiving, one wrong move will ruin the artwork. With Sue, what she leaves out is as important as what she puts in. It looks effortless but takes a lifetime to be that good. Such clarity is phenomenal. That is why she is so widely collected. She is our most popular limited edition artist.’

VINCENT REID

‘His originals are done only with pencil, so there is a huge amount of very fine detail so they take a huge amount of time to make. People love the stark contrast of black and white. It looks lifelike but it’s done with just a pencil.’

Whenever possible Vincent travels with his family to the wild bushveld of South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana to study and photograph the African bush. These first-hand experiences provide creative inspiration and an abundance of source material for creating future works.

DAVID BUCKLOW

‘David Bucklow paints photo-realistic with acrylic and then covers it with a varnish. He spent years and years trying to perfect the eyes. He says that if you can get the eyes right, the whole painting comes together. If you look at his leopard painting, for example, they’re so piercing they follow you around the room. That enchanting look he gets with his work is what holds and enchants people.’

MAURO CHIARLA

‘Chiarla was born in Italy but moved to South Africa when he was a small child. He was heavily influenced by the Mediterranean artists because of the strong Italian connections. The big masters that he aspired to was the likes of Matisse, Cezanne, Monet and Manet. You can see it in his fluid composition and warmer brush strokes. He has taken the best of those influencers and used it in his work in South Africa.’

ERROL NORBURY

‘He bought a farm to better study the baobab tree. And travelled around Madagascar to see them more. He’s well known for his baobabs and has done lots of vineyard and Winelands scenes,’ Robert says. Errol Norbury’s choice of subject matter is wide and varied – seascapes, still lives, aircraft, landscapes and of course, wildlife and his beloved bushveld scenes.

ARDMORE CERAMICS

‘Ardmore is South Africa’s foremost ceramic collection and is collected around the world. Collectors include Queen Elizabeth II, the White House and Oprah Winfrey. Each piece is handmade and a collaboration between two or more artists. It began through an upliftment program that has grown into a thriving business. They have a studio in the Natal Midlands, the luxurious Rovos Rail stops near it on the way down to Durban. Fée Halsted teaches the skill and asks the artists to pour themselves into the artwork. She encourages the sculptors and artists to put their heritage and culture and stories into the artwork.’

Special Thanks to Fine Art Portfolio for the use of these images

Fine Art Portfolio offers packaging and worldwide shipping. When you buy pieces like this you want to make sure they get home and Fine Art Portfolio makes sure they do. To find out more visit their website, Fine Art Portfolio.