Rowena Bush

This year marks the 90th birthday of one of Durban’s best-loved and most well known artists, Rowena Bush. Elizabeth Gordon Gallery in Florida Road will pay tribute to this remarkable lady with an exhibition of her paintings. (28 March to 4 April)


Meeting Rowena was a delightful experience. Still painting and a member of the Watercolour Society of South Africa, she shared generously her experiences over those 90 years.

Rowena was born in Ceylon in 1917. Her father was a tea planter and only at the age of 7 did she return with her family to England. For several years, a governess tutored her and she recalls learning numerous handcrafts. Only at the age of 10, did she first attend school. At the age of 16, she left school and attended Art School in Bristol. After three years of learning mainly drawing, she attended the London School of Interior design. What she learnt about architecture at this time, she found particularly useful. She worked in interior design in London for a year and then, during the depression, responded to an advert for a research job in Tanganyika. When war broke out a year later, she took up a teaching post in Kenya. Three years later, she left the school to get married and she and her husband moved back to Tanganyika. She recalls how the farmers provided food for the troops as they waited to leave for Ethiopia. They retired to farm in Kenya and then, eleven years later, in 1962, due to changes in education and a rise in violence, they relocated to Durban with their two sons.



Living in a flat in Durban and with her sons away at boarding school, Rowena began sketching in the Durban Bay area. She discovered a gallery on the Esplanade, where she began to exhibit. She also gave art lessons.

Rowena joined the NSA and attended portrait and life-drawing classes there on Saturday afternoons, where she met many well-known artists. She relates stories of traveling and painting with such people as Marj Bowen, Wendy Amm and Mary Stainbank.

Rowena is an honorary fellow of the watercolour society of South Africa; she prefers to paint from life and has undertaken numerous commissions to portray well-known scenes and buildings around KZN. Her paintings of the wild flowers of Tanganyika hang at Kew Gardens. Her paintings have been exhibited in East Africa, South Africa and abroad. We congratulate you on your 90th, Rowena.

“An awakening of the eyes”

There is no doubt that artists see things just a little differently. Betty Edwards in her book “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain,” describes how by perceiving things in a certain way anyone can improve their proficiency at drawing within a short space of time. It often surprises me that drawing is considered a secret revealed only to the talented few and yet from a young age it seems to come to children as naturally as breathing. It was Picasso that said, “ Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist when he grows up”.

The benefits of nurturing the artist within, however, are greater than at first imagined. I was amused when a friend commented after attending art lessons for just a few weeks that she was seeing things that she had never noticed before. Her wonderment at the world around her and her refreshing honesty highlighted the fact that we are often “out of tune” with our world. Drawing enhances our ability to see. It trains our eye to perceive deeply and accurately and enables us to enter a receptive state where we appreciate the play of light on form or the relation of one object to another. Few people say, “I want to attend art lessons to learn to see”, but students stand around afterwards reveling in the sunset, with a heightened sense of colour and beauty.

Henri Matisse wrote: “The effort to see things without distortion demands a kind of courage and this courage is essential to the artist who has to look at everything as though he were seeing it for the first time.”

An artist is one who wants to sit in the window seat, fascinated by the play of light and shadow on the landscape. Drawing can be a way of teaching the eye to see and as Leonardo da Vinci said, “The eye encompasses the beauty of the whole world.”

Leanna’s Gallery Café

If you’re an Art lover holidaying in the Ballito area or even a day visitor during the holidays, the chances are that you would be interested in seeing what the area has to offer. Tucked away in the centre of the main street in Umhlali, you will find Leanna’s Gallery Café – an excellent spot to meet a friend for a cup of coffee or a light lunch, while enjoying the variety of artwork on display.

Leanna and her husband started a small gallery and framing business some years ago and this has now expanded into a café, framing shop and gallery. Chatting to Leanna about the gallery, she said that her motto had always been “something for everyone” and she is confident that the business will continue to live up to that goal. At the back of the gallery, you will find a section that is very well stocked with art materials. Although the chances are that you will find what you are looking for there, Leanna hastens to add that she is happy to order on the customer’s behalf, should you need something that is not in stock. The selection of canvases on offer made me feel instantly inspired to paint. Leanna keeps stock of the Australian Art Spectrum pastels as well as a wide variety of paints and brushes.

Apart from the paintings, plates and ceramics on display, Leanna stocks a large selection of framed mirrors. Verdi, Leanna’s husband, does the framing on the premises himself and as such is often happy to help out with an urgent framing need.

Leanna is looking forward to receiving some new stock early in the New Year, so it might be a good time to plan to meet a friend at the Gallery Café for a cup of coffee. For more on Art www.withartinmind.co.za

"Catchphrases for Painting"

I was reading through Patricia Moran's "Painting the Beauty of Flowers with Oils" and I thought some of her "Catchphrases for Painting" were particularly interesting:

"It is not what you paint but how you paint it"
"Paint what you love and love what you paint"
"Maintain the initial impression"
"Relate every brushstroke to the whole painting"
"The spaces can be as interesting as the object"
"The shadow can explain the object"
"Cover the blank canvas as fast as you can"
Near enough is never good enough"
"Paint what you observe to be there, not what you know to be there"
"Keep it as soft as you can, as neutral as you can, for as long as you can"
"Big brush, big area, small brush, small area"
"Paint the hands while looking at the face"
A painting is only as good as its worst point"
"Don't count on happy accidents"
"Don't work on one spot too long"
"The signature is part of the painting"

If you received a book voucher for Christmas a book that is new to the shelves of Exclusive Books is: "Emma Pearse's Artist's Materials". This little book is brought out by Winsor and Newton and is a most comprehensive sourcebook of methods and media. I can recommend this as a good book for any artist to have on their shelves.

Commissions and History

Often artists find commissions to be limiting and somewhat restrictive, but I have found the contrary to be true in many instances. Admittedly there is always the chance that one might be required to paint something that does not translate into a satisfying painting, but sharing the experiences of others has lead me to paint a great variety of subject matter: boats and buildings; teddy bears, birds and horses; portraits, landscapes and seascapes. These commissions, while challenging me out of my comfort zones, have allowed me to be part of other people’s experiences and sharing their stories have all enriched me in some way.

Such was the commission by Sam and Louise Campbell in 2005, to paint a picture at “Willow Bank” the property on the north side of the Umhlanga Lagoon. When I received a call asking me to paint a property between Umhlanga and Umhloti, I was unprepared for what was to come. Having just painted a national monument, I was thinking architecture – and especially in this highly developed area.

After looking at photographs, I requested to visit the sight in person. Walking along the path with Sam and his family, I captured a glimpse of childhood memories, changing seasons, of the moods of the sea and coastal forest and stories of the early days told over generations. We felt that a view through the trees - the view from where the original homestead had once stood – best captured the sense of seclusion, unspoilt coastal forest and rich history of this amazing place so close to some of the greatest property development in the area.

A casual mention of the commission to a colleague at work led to an interesting development some months later. I received a very excited phone call one evening from a friend who shares a passion for books with her husband. Tony and Madeleine were looking through books when Tony discovered a book by Roy Campbell called “Light on a Dark Horse”, which had much to say on the early days in Durban. Madeleine quickly linked the descriptions in the book to the area I had described. Two chapters in the book refer specifically to the early days in the area. Roy Campbell writes: “One of the places I loved best as a child was the Umhlanga Lagoon …We had an old ramshackle cottage in the middle of the forest … At night it was lit by electric blue thunderflashes from the rolling breakers which shook the house and made the candles tremble with every crash … illuminating the twisted boughs of a giant milkwood tree which over – arched the house.” Fascinating stories continue of interesting characters, the haunt of a terrible old mamba, interesting visitors and boating on the lagoon.

As I pass the property on the north side of the Umhlanga Lagoon on my frequent trips to Durban, I am so much more aware of its natural beauty and rich history. It was a privilege as an artist to capture just a little of the story.

“Memorabilia”- Aidon Westcott

Concluding my short series of articles on art on the fringe at this year’s Grahamstown Festival, Aidon Westcott’s mixed media work was refreshing, sincere and deeply rooted in the artist’s own experience.

Growing up in the East London area, Aidon is no stranger to the Nahoon Mouth and surrounding area and it is from this ongoing experience that he has developed both knowledge and love of the aquatic world.

His exhibition this year was called “Memorabilia” and took place at the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity. He uses a combination of found objects from yesteryear, which he sees as fragments of a former culture and combines them with photomontage, painting and sculpture.

Aidon sees the objects that he chooses as deeply rooted in human consciousness. For him, fish symbolise the identification of a person’s true “self”. “They are a metaphor for the aesthetic and spiritual significance hidden in nature and human beings.”

Aidon received a degree from the former East London Technical College. He specialized in painting, sculpture and ceramics. While at the college, he achieved a number of accolades: in 2001 he was awarded the best all round student, in 2002, the best ceramic student, in 2003, the best fourth year student. In 2004 he held his first solo exhibition called “Symbiosis” at the Grahamstown Festival. In 2005 he held a similar exhibition called “The Fish Chronicles”. His work can also be seen at the Morgan Bay art gallery in East London.

Certainly, this year’s exhibition, “Meborabilia” was both interesting and thought provoking. In the piece, “The Spirit of the Transkei Fishermen” the memorabilia salutes the people, fishing with hand and line and passing on their knowledge from one generation to the next. In “The Enthusiast”, the memorabilia creates an environment of sacred objects treasured by one who is passionate about a hobby and who allows time for reflection. “Genesis” celebrates the birth of life through the depiction of the six stages of life inside an egg. This is seen as a metaphor for spiritual growth and new beginnings.

Working in mixed media enables Aidon to showcase his considerable talent in both painting and sculpture – a thought-provoking exhibition by a very talented young artist.

Kim Berman at Bayside Gallery

When I received an invitation from Sue Greenberg to attend the opening of ”Collection 2006”, at Bayside Gallery at the Bat Centre, Durban my expectations were fairly vague. Knowing that prints by Kim Berman were to feature strongly in the collection did little to dispel my preconceived ideas. Kim Berman, however, takes print – making to a new level. As senior lecturer and head of printmaking at The University of Johannesburg and director of Art Print Studios, she is an obvious leader in her field.

Three series of prints were chosen for the exhibition: The first a series of lithographs on fire and smoke entitled: “Through the wire, Lowveld fire”, the second, the mine dump series, consisting of a combination of monoprint and etching and the third, “Red ribbons on a pond” a series exploring a new and previously unexplored element. I found myself fascinated by the technical effects created by the combinations of printing techniques. The series “Through the wire, Lowveld fire” seemed to me more reminiscent of pastel painting and not printing at all.

Chatting to Kim was equally fascinating: She explained how the elements of earth and fire had been used as metaphors for social issues in her work. She had first explored fire as a metaphor for cleansing and purging during the time of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Her minescapes in the mine dump series, represent the paradox of the land: wealth and poverty, despair and hope, past and present - they explore a search for hope and healing in destruction. In the third series, flame tree blossoms like red ribbons on a pond, symbolize the senseless death of people through Aids.

Kim received a degree in Fine Art from Wits University in 1981 and a Master of Fine Arts in the USA in 1989. She has been involved in a number of community projects, such as the founding of a community printmaking centre in Newtown in 1992, the Paper Prayers campaign and a natural poverty alleviation campaign called Phumani Paper.

Kim has lectured and exhibited in South Africa and internationally. She has held solo exhibitions in Johannesburg, Belgium and the USA and is currently registered at Wits University for a PHD on the role of the visual arts in social change in South Africa.

“Collection 2006”, which includes work by ceramicists such as Karen Kotze, Hennie Meyer, John Newdigate, Karen Sinovich, Clive Sithole and Martha Zettler as well as fabric work by Zimeleni and handcrafted jewellery by Durban designers will be at Bayside Gallery until mid-January and is well worth a visit.