Artists We Love: Robyn Pretorius

INTERVIEWED BY Michaela Stehr IMAGES robynpretorius.art

South African artist Robyn Pretorius chats to VISI about her artistic start as the youngest cartoonist for the Sunday Times (at the age of 13), what inspires her and the meaning behind her realistic paintings.

Tell us about your work for the Sunday Times and how this influenced your future?

It was a comic strip competition the newspaper hosted for its young adult section, called S’camto. I won the competition with the help of many voters. I didn’t know how profound the moment was at the time but I did recognise how powerful and vital my talent was towards my future as a creative child. It was as if I was given a teaser to a possible future I never thought would happen. Drawing cartoons was something that came naturally to me, so being a paid cartoonist at such a young age just seemed bizarre. I kept giving my earnings to my mother who was having difficulty at that time. It was only later in my life I truly understood how this experience influenced the way I value my gift today. I see it as a doorway to many possibilities without having to sacrifice who I am.

How do you decide who will feature in your portraits?

I don’t have a particular process for choosing my muses, but I do believe everyone has a story and I base my narrative around celebrating random stories. People inspire me, especially those coming from my community, my social circle and random encounters with strangers who have revealed the less obvious gems of their personality. Making art based on identity and representation challenges me to remain open-minded and to see beyond what I’m looking at. This way of approaching my art allows me to have an array of stories and portraits to paint.

What is the process behind creating one of your pieces?

I start with just getting to know more about the person I’m intrigued in. This way, I collect as much data as I can, which I use as the base for the background of the piece. The background, along with its colour palette and mixed media components, always reveals a visual interpretation of the unique identities, interests and environmental influences of the muse. The background may be minimalistic or extremely busy, depending on the artistic process, but their story is always interpreted visually. I then complete the piece with a realistically painted portrait of the person by using clear photos either given to me, or from my personal photography.

What do you use to create your pieces?

I use mixed media materials and acrylic paints to best convey my narrative. It’s such a flexible and diverse subject, thus I need to be flexible in my approach to the creative process for a successful visual interpretation.

What do you try to evoke through your work?

Through my portraiture, my main aim is to make people feel more connected and to challenge others to be more tolerant of each other. I am aware of the intolerance that seems to be increasing around us, good and bad, but it is crucial that we don’t lose sight of the magic and diversity our humanity holds. I’m hoping that my art will help aid a more inclusive representation of true South African diversity, especially those from marginalised communities. I aim to celebrate our true identities and our stories to counter the negatives of a healing country.

What milestones are you proud of in your artistic journey?

I am proud of all the milestones that I’ve achieved in the four years of being a full-time artist. Not too long ago, I was sitting in an unfulfilling job with low confidence in my abilities. Everything I’ve achieved thus far I would not have believed possible then. However, there are four milestones that were responsible for shifting my perspective and career in art.

In 2014 I had my first international group exhibition in New York. I was still working, but this opportunity jump-started my desire to enter the art industry full-hearted. In 2017, I was one of seven artists commissioned by the South African Mint in celebration of the Kruger Rand’s 50^th to create a portrait of Muhammad Ali, which is now part of the Kruger Rand’s private collection. In the same year, I submitted an artwork titled Blessed Judah to the Sanlam Portrait Awards. It was my first time entering one of our country’s most prestigious national art awards and my work was placed in the top 100 portraits.

The latest milestone has to be my recent art residency in Belgium. My portfolio was chosen from many international submissions to attend the Glo’art residency in November last year. I feel like I’ve evolved so much from that experience and can’t wait to produce more collections of work based on what I’ve learned.

Any artists you look up to or are inspiring you at the moment?

My list of inspirational artists is way too long to mention and also ever-changing. I did meet an amazing artist during my recent stay at the art residency in Belgium. All of the artists attending had something special to offer but there was one Serbian artist, Petar Mošić, with technical skills that absolutely blew my mind. His realistic, oil-painted portraits, which are both sinister and beautiful, definitely encouraged me to challenge my technical abilities more.

I am also greatly inspired by many local artists, a few I know personally. I might not have room to mention everyone, but it is their artistic journeys and support that have inspired me greatly over the years.

See more of Robyn’s art on Instagram and on her website.