Exhibition well attended, many sales

Gallery

MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Mossel Bay artists, Kobus Spies and Minda du Plessis, held a highly successful exhibition at Du Plessis' home from 17 to 19 November.

It was extremely well attended. There were 89 cars counted on the first day of the exhibition, as an example. "People arrived with a spouse or a friend, so there were more than 89 visitors," Spies pointed out.

PHOTO GALLERY: Mossel Bay artists hold a successful exhibition

Much of the work had already sold on the first day.

Du Plessis and her husband André live in Village on Sea and their home has an awe-inspiring ocean view and is surrounded by beautiful fynbos, so this was an exceptional setting for the show.

Also, the newly-built house, featuring modern, natural-looking tiles and concrete, was a perfect backdrop for the artworks.

Du Plessis had an amazing variety and large number of ceramic pieces on show as well as her handcrafted jewellery. The items were reasonably priced. The pieces were beautifully presented, such as her crockery on a table together with napkins and floral arrangements.

The whole house space was used, including the bedroom and bathroom.

Quietness

Spies' oil paintings were an inspiration, capturing the quietness of the Little Karoo. One could almost feel the stillness and the heat, and then the coolness of the shade under trees.

His works which included the human form were most special. He is adept at capturing "the perfect moment": the movement of a boy on a bicycle, the gait of an elderly woman walking on a dust road, farm workers, absorbed in their task. This movement is a priceless attribute of his works.

The paintings tell a story. He explains that the boy in one painting is cycling towards a settlement, depicted in another painting and then to a house, depicted in yet another work.

Du Plessis' ceramics ranged from useful crockery to mini tiles, to vases, soap dishes, decorative pieces and ceramic faces, including her own face and that of a friend.

Another feature of the exhibition was a variety of eco-dyed fabric items by Linda Christelle van Walbeek. Eco dyeing is a form of natural dyeing in which the colours or natural dyes from plant materials are transferred to another object such as paper or fabric via steaming or boiling.

Her napkins and greeting cards made from eco-dyed fabric were most remarkable.

Ceramics by Minda du Plessis.