Fine artist and illustrator Ruschka du Doit’s switch from science to art in high school, led to a career in art that nods to the emotive creations of bygone Post-Impressionist painters.

When did you start creating art?

At the age of 16 I was doing really poorly in science class, and in order to drop it I had to take art. That’s where it started, if you don’t count my collages of Leonardo diCaprio and the cast of 90210 as a tween. High school art class really changed everything for me and that’s when I fell in love with painting.

Tell us about your loose and free style?

I’ve always been inspired by Post-Impressionist painters like Van Gogh and Matisse and how their work seems to ‘vibrate’ and contain emotion. I work fast and intuitively, and because I work with ink, there isn’t a lot of time to overthink, which is really great for my overthinking brain. I am not too concerned about painting something exactly as it is but rather as I see or feel it.

What is your favourite subject matter? 

Plants, portraits and still lives in the context of everyday life. The mundane can be very beautiful if you take the time to notice. 

How does your work differ from your art to your illustration?

I don’t think it differs that much stylistically. With illustration work, I will often work digitally and in more detail but the lines are still mine. The biggest difference is that with illustration there is a client brief. But, the reason clients come to me for illustrations is because their brand or message aligns with my style of work.

Do you have a preferred medium or do you change depending on your mood?

The medium depends on the work and the mood I want it to convey. If I want a bit more control and more pronounced brushstrokes I will use acrylic paint but mostly I work in acrylic inks. Honestly, I play a lot too, so I am not too precious about the medium. I do what feels right.

How have you noticed your art evolving over the years?

I have tried different mediums and experimented a lot more. I have learned a lot about colour and considered the things I paint a bit more.

More recently, I have started a mentorship with Katherine Bull and am learning so much from her. It has inspired my process and my thinking. Not having studied art, there is so much of the technicality of making work that I am learning. 

What does a regular day look like?

Never the same if I am honest. 

I love to sleep so my mornings are slow. My husband brings me coffee in bed every morning and I’ll check up on social media, do the daily Wordle and plan my day.

I usually get to the studio by 10 am and start with desk work and admin. I do visual design for local jewellery brand PICHULIK and pattern design for local rug company Coral & Hive so my mornings are usually dedicated to design tasks and admin and my afternoons to painting. If I am having a productive day I will leave work around 4 pm and try to do some exercise. My evenings are usually spent reading and more recently I have become obsessed with the NYT crossword puzzles so I do a lot of that.

Do you draw from memory or use references?

I mostly use images from my camera roll as references or draw from my imagination. Recently I have also started using AI to generate reference images. 

What are your plans for the rest of 2023 into 2024?

Hopefully, lots of painting and illustrating! I am busy creating a body of work that I hope to exhibit early next year. I have been working a lot with Tina at Source Artistry selling existing work and creating commissions for interior spaces. I am also recently represented by Butter as an illustrator and have a very exciting potential collaboration in the pipeline.

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Explore South Africa’s most Instagram-worthy botanical gardens and outdoor art spaces.

In celebration of summer, we round up the country’s “open to the public” and infinitely snappable botanical best.

Dylan Lewis Sculpture Garden, Stellenbosch

Top Attraction: Outdoor Art Gallery

More than 60 of the celebrated artist’s sculptures are dotted throughout the seven-hectare Japanese-inspired indigenous gardens, flanked by mountains on all sides. Visits to the “outdoor gallery” are by appointment only. Visit dylanlewis.com/garden

Babylonstoren, Franschhoek

Top Attraction: Prickly Pear Maze

There’s not much that isn’t Instagrammable at Babylonstoren, but its prickly pear maze is one of the most snapped (and enjoyed) areas of the 200-hectare farm. Daily garden tours start at 10am; join one to learn about the more than 300 varieties of plants in the formal garden, all of which are edible or have medicinal value. Visit babylonstoren.com

Delta Park, Randburg

Top Attraction: Cosmos Field

Although a beautiful space to visit all year round, Delta Park comes alive in shades of pink and white in March and April as summer turns to autumn and the cosmos bloom. The 108-hectare park is a perennial favourite among walkers and cyclists, and offers three tree-lined dams, plus bird-watching hides.

Redberry Farm, George

Go Top Attraction: Largest Permanent Hedge Maze in Southern Hemisphere: The Maze

Redberry Farm on the Garden Route is home to the largest permanent hedge maze in the southern hemisphere. A real hit with the little people, the maze is made up of seven strawberry stations, a 25-metre underground tunnel and a lookout point. The hedges comprise more than 30 000 Syzygium paniculatum plants. Visit redberryfarm.co.za

Indiwe Park, Braamfontein

Top Attraction: Outdoor Art Installations

Braamfontein’s newest green space, Indwe Park, was brought to life by celebrated indigenous gardener Patrick Watson and artist and designer James Delaney. The serene outdoor sanctuary is alive with art – and one of its most impressive pieces is the 6m x 6m mosaic compass, designed by the late artist and community activist Andrew Lindsay, and brought to life by his Spaza Art Gallery team.

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At the new Johannesdal 1207 development in Pniel, plantsman, gardener and floral wizard Dané Erwee is creating a world of enchanting botanical beauty.

For as long as gardener and floral designer Dané Erwee can remember, his life has revolved around plants. In fact, his relationship with them predates his own memories: there’s a family story of Dané’s mother taking him out on the farm dam in a small boat when he was a baby, and packing the waterblommetjies (Aponogeton distachyos flowers) she was harvesting from the water around him as he slept. His first conscious recollection of planting something dates back to when he was “about five or six years old”, Dané says, when his grandmother gave him some clivia seeds. He planted them, “and they grew”.

Growing up on a vegetable farm means that plant knowledge has always been an integral part of Dané’s life, and his path from being a child who helped with the cuttings has led quite naturally onwards to being a young man studying landscape design (in the mid-1990s, at what is now the Cape Peninsula University of Technology) and his emergence as one half of the game-changing floristry duo, OKASIE, in Stellenbosch during the early 2000s. With his partner at OKASIE, Chris Willemse, Dané created a signature style that permanently shifted the way celebratory flowers are seen in South Africa.

READ MORE: Pniel Farmhouse

To ensure they had the flora they needed to create OKASIE’s distinctively dramatic arrangements, Dané and Chris acquired a property in Johannesdal, just outside Stellenbosch, on which they could “plant for the vase”, says Dané. As a result, their “home garden” is more like a flower farm; it’s the place where the David Austin roses, long-stemmed hydrangeas, and crab-apple and plum-blossom branches needed for their work come from.

Among OKASIE’s latest projects is the development of the gardens at Johannesdal 1207. A luxe property located in Pniel, just on the Franschhoek side of the famously lovely Helshoogte Pass, 1207 combines multiple inside and outside venue spaces with boutique accommodation. Here, Dané says, the challenge is to create an ultra-romantic and luxurious garden setting – and to do so long-term, with native bulbs, fynbos plants and grasses. However, these need to be used in harmonious combination with the property’s existing fruit trees (which include plums, kumquats and pomegranates), and reflect the history of this particular place too: Pniel has been a fruit-farming area since the mid-1700s.

“This was a fruit farm, and we must keep that,” says Dané, adding that his current plan is to create a layered design. He is retaining existing fig trees, for example, and underplanting these with raspberries – but will then add indigenous botanicals, such as a selection of South Africa’s increasingly well-known buchu plants (Agathosma spp.), a number of which have been used to make teas and other medicinal infusions for thousands of years.

READ MORE: Ahead of The Curve

The gardens at Johannesdal 1207 are thus, as time goes by, set to become a judicious mix of indigenous flora within an English-style planting scheme. Dané is intrigued by the possibilities of combining the plants of the world-renowned Cape Floral Kingdom with the grass species more readily associated with the rest of Africa.

In effect, what he is suggesting is a massed planting design somewhat in the style of Dutch master gardener Piet Oudolf, but using a unique mix of local species. For example, Dané says, “I’ve been thinking about white klip dagga (Leonotis nepetifolia), which flowers twice a year, with the soft yellow flowers of carnival bush (Ochna serrulata). Or perhaps a ‘frame’ of confetti bush (Coleonema calycinum) filled in with other indigenous plants.”

Both landscaping and floristry are about setting a mood, and Dané’s preference remains with the rambling, the overgrown and the romantic. And of course, there has to be an ongoing focus on planting for summer at Johannesdal 1207 – after all, that’s the season when many of the weddings that will take place here will be celebrated. So he’s exploring the possibilities of cosmos, poppies and nicotianas – and any and every plant that facilitates the creation of modern floristry in the tradition of English designer Constance Spry. Her graphic “stem and flower” style remains a key influence on Chris and Dané’s work: OKASIE’s creations show off every physical element of a plant, from flowers to seeds, leaves and stems.

Bold and unusual blooms are of particular interest to Dané at the moment too, from the huge white and purple flowers of Strelitzia nicolai to the delicately strange, shell-like blooms of the ever-popular Monstera deliciosa.

In short, whether he’s crafting a bold floral arrangement or creating a new garden, it’s all about “finding the right plant combinations”, Dané says, in order to create new visions of beauty.

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We spoke to Cape Town-based artist Amy Ayanda in 2020 about her works. We decided to follow up with her and see how things have changed since then. She gives us insight into her new studio, her exploration with oil paints and the arrival of twins.

It’s been a few years since we last caught up. What has changed for you since then?

Many things have changed; I gave birth to twins and am now a mother of three. Juggling this while trying to grow my business hasn’t been such an easy feat but I have slowly begun to find my footing, with many helping hands to support me. I also started working with oils more in 2021 and have brought it into my practice, which I am really enjoying. 

Where are you currently creating?

I have a great studio at home; I moved back into a home studio when I was about to give birth as I knew I wouldn’t be able to commute to work with newborn twins. We moved into my childhood home recently except now I am here with my family. It has been a beautiful circular experience, coming home and creating where I once played as a child. 

How has life influenced your style since our last interview?

Life is busy, to say the least. I have managed to find a good rhythm postpartum and have since launched two collections. Obviously, my time is more limited; there is a lot more intention when I go into the studio. The collections which I have launched are a lot more considered and take longer to get out; which can be a good thing but doesn’t always lend itself to much time for play, which is where I think my work thrives. I have been painting with oils more recently, more whites and impasto mark making. 

Do you have any cool projects on the go currently?

I have recently gotten a space at Side Street Studios on Albert Road in Woodstock. It is on the ground floor with big open windows so you can peek right in at all the magic. The space is now my showroom and store where I sell my work. It is also where I meet clients if they want to have a commission piece created. I love painting from home but I have always wanted a more professional space where I can operate and run the store from. I have worked hard and it feels good to see that hard work pay off. You can book an appointment to view my work at amyayanda@gmail.com

Can you tell us how your music is going and how your art and your music connect?

Music is slow but I have somehow found time to write while I rehearse now and then. I have also been taking lessons in production (an evening online class while the babies are all asleep) which allows me to record anything I write to make demos. I will take these into the studio when I finally get my life together to go record. We are also setting dates to rehearse as a full band again which is honestly just a lot of fun being together in the same room again playing music. 

Are there any new or up-and-coming local artists we need to keep an eye on?

Marolize Southwood has her exhibition launching this Thursday at 99 Loop which I am excited to check out. I am also really in love with Lichen and Leaf’s new range created under Gwynn Studios, really excited to purchase one of her amazing pieces. 

What does a regular (LOL what is regular) day look like for you?

Well, I am up all odd hours of the morning with babies waking up but they usually settle again with some milk. If we are lucky we get a good six-hour stretch. Breakfast time is 6:30 unless we are lucky enough to sleep in! I drop Frances at school and either head to the gym or if I have an early appointment I head to the new office. I order any prints that need ordering, send out any shipments that need shipping. I leave the office around 2 and go to collect Frances from school, it leaves me with time to start on some afternoon painting. I make myself a cup of tea/coffee (depending on how hectic the day has been) and start painting until 4 pm. Our nanny goes home and I start dinner or order in depending on my energy levels. We eat dinner together around 5:30, we bath the twins and get them into bed by 6:30. Once they are down with their milk I get the dog and we go walk for half an hour. Get home, evening paint session, shower, bed by 9:30/10:30. 

Do your children share your passion for art?

Frances loved building things, she loves to paint too but her concentration really sits with cutting and glueing and making truly incredible little inventions from nothing. Atlas and Jude are still very much in their throwing and putting things in mouth phase so it’s way too soon to tell.

Does your art still have strong maternal and familial themes?

I am always returning to the same subject matter. There is a lot that is not constant in my life but returning to familiar themes always seem to ground me, it’s something I won’t ever perfect but will change and grow as I do throughout my life as a creator. 

What are your goals for the next year?

To study again, and to grow more flowers. 

Visit Amy’s website here and follow her on Instagram @amyayanda.

Looking for more local art? Sign up to our weekly newsletter, here, or take a look at this list of local exhibitions to see in 2022.

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Russian paper artist Tania Lissova creates intricate paper cutouts of floral arrangements and pot plants.

Taking botanical illustration in a new direction, Tania’s hand-cut miniature flowers are glued together with immaculate precision. 

She prefers using a sharp blade for her work rather than traditional scissors, as the former give a smooth and clean edge to her work – a skill she learned through studying architecture. 

From daisies and peonies to sunflowers and daffodils, Tania’s cute creations are available through her online Etsy shop.

Here are some of our favourites.

Follow her instagram, here.

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From a local children’s library and a trendy backpack to colourful installations, these are the top VISI picks of the week series – week 358.

1. Walmer Estate Primary Library

The Otto Foundation is a non-profit organisation that aims to inspire kids’ love for literacy and reading. One of its latest projects is a library at Walmer Estate Primary School in Cape Town. The Protea Library was designed in collaboration with a variety of local artisans and makers, including local textile design brand, Skinny laMinx. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CHfRwqZBIAF/

Image credit: ottofoundation.org / @skinnylaminx on Instagram

2. Bonolo Chepape and Cole Ndelu Collaborate on Makers Landing Visual Identity

The V&A Waterfront has created a new food destination that aims to celebrate and showcase South African food and diversity. The creative market-shop-school space is located in the reimagined Cape Town Cruise Terminal and is set to open to the public in December. After a call for entries, graphic designer Bonolo Chepape of Lulasclan and contemporary artist Cole Ndelu were the finalists chosen to work with creative agency OFyt (Old Friends Young Talent) to create the Makers Landing corporate identity. Watch the video below to find out more:

Video courtesy of V&A Waterfront

3. BOS Fruit Icys

The makers of BOS Ice Tea have released a healthy and delicious summer treat to beat the heat this season. The Fruit Icys are a freeze-at-home dairy-free fruit ice confection. The colourful packaging denotes the three available flavours: cherry, grape and tropical, which are combined with BOS’s signature organic rooibos. The BOS Fruit Icys retail at R69.99 and are available in store and via the BOS online shop.

Images courtesy of BOS

4. Clare Celeste’s Collages

Berlin-based artist Clare Celeste transforms spaces with beautiful paper and bioplastic installations. Her vibrant pieces depict a variety of colourful flora and fauna, and have been commissioned by international clients such as Airbnb and New York Magazine. The aim behind her delicate works is to raise awareness about biodiversity and sustainability.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CE1IgipAZhX/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDTZxuyg–n/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAdB7N1le6C/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CC_IGgpKbRQ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Image credit: @clairecelesteart on Instagram

5. Desigual’s Camoflower Backpack

The Camoflower backpack from international fashion brand Desigual is a lightweight, versatile and stylish option for your next getaway. In shades of black, blue and green, the bag is a reinterpretation of the traditional concept of camouflage, instead of using foliage and flowers. It can be used to go to cool spaces like Baiona Public Library.

Images courtesy of: Desigual

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Over the years, crafting flower crowns has become a Garden Day tradition. Thinking of making one this year? Why not extend the lifespan of your beautifully crafted creation? Simoné Griessel, founder of local brand Skaam, dries, presses and preserves flowers in custom-made frames.

After taking a 70-day sabbatical through Africa, Simoné launched Skaam on Spring Day in 2019. “Spending more time in nature and being connected to our source, it felt like I was exactly where I needed to be, mentally and physically.”

She started researching ways to preserve flowers, from ironing to microwaving, but found that the best way is still using books or a flower press.

“I frame the flowers between glass sheets and my most special pieces are framed with UV-protected museum glass,” she says. “The best way to preserve flowers for as long as possible is to keep them out of direct sunlight.”

Simoné designs the frames, which are then crafted locally using hardwood, which according to Simoné, becomes more beautiful with age. “I don’t treat them with anything, as I like the raw look of the timber framing the colourful flowers.”

Simoné says that you can press most flowers – the trick is to just have as little moisture in your flower as possible before pressing to ensure no mould forms during the preservation process. “Some flowers have a thick core (i.e. a sunflower), so in this instance, press the petals and middle individually and re-arrange it once it is preserved. You would need to keep an eye on the thickest part after a week and replace the parching paper, if needed, to ensure you get rid of as much moisture as possible.”

If you want to preserve your flower crown, Simoné suggests pressing the individual flowers/petals and rearranging it on the glass before framing. Skaam also hosts three-hour workshops where you can press flowers (including flower crowns), which include all materials, drinks and snacks. Find out more here.

Garden Day will host a number of virtual events in the run up to Sunday 11 October, including flower crown-making workshops. The final programme and details can be viewed at gardenday.co.za/events.

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Cape Town-based artist and graphic designer Maritsa Odendaal creates simple yet bold prints under the name Cat Eats Bird.

Her prints pay homage to the local flora of South Africa. Her work simplifies indigenous flowers and proteas into graphic shapes, lines and blocks of black ink, juxtaposing organic shapes with angular corners.

Here are 10 of our favourites:

See more of her work at cateatsbird.com or follow her on Instagram.

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From a painting series of sunrises and a carpet collection inspired by nature to local floral bunches and an iF DESIGN AWARD winner, these are the top VISI picks of the week series – week 339.

1. Sho Shibuya’s Sunrise Paintings On The Front Page Of The New York Times

New York-based artist and graphic designer Sho Shibuya paints calming sunrises on the front pages of The New York Times. The series is titled, “Sunrises from a Small Window”.

Image credit: Sho Shibuya via @shoshibuya on Instagram

2. Petal&Post

Bespoke flower and gift studio Petal&Post offer beautiful posies for same-day delivery in Joburg and Cape Town. You can pre-order your blooms online or keep your eyes on the Posy of the Day for the latest fresh bunch.

Images courtesy of petalandpost.co.za

3. Greatjoy Ndlovu’s Kiss Me Fondly On Auction

Johannesburg-based artist Greatjoy Ndlovu’s artwork Kiss Me Fondly is on silent auction for two weeks to raise funds for cleft lip and palate surgeries. Greatjoy describes the work as “a piece centered upon a deep need harboured within each and every one of us; the need to be loved.”  To get involved in bidding via Operation Smile.

4. Belgotex: Terrain – The Edge of Change

Carpet manufacturer Belgotex has launched a new commercial tufted tile range in 20 colourways. Entitled Terrain – The Edge of Change, the collection is inspired by the outdoors, aiming to bring nature into commercial spaces. The range draws from the colours and patterns seen on the earth’s surfaces.

5. iF DESIGN AWARD Winner: Thule Spring Stroller

The Thule Spring stroller was chosen as the winner of this year’s iF DESIGN AWARD 2020, in the Discipline Product category. The stroller was selected out of 7 298 submissions, of which only 75 received gold status. The fun, flexible and versatile city stroller is the latest addition to the Thule Stroller range, and comes complete with one-hand foldability and a lightweight frame.

Browse more like VISI picks of the week series – week 339 on picks of the week 313.

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Illustrator and graphic designer Johan de Lange, aka Joh Del, creates detailed botanical illustrations of indigenous flora.

One of Johan’s most recognisable pieces is the Flowering Plants of South Africa fine art print, featuring a collection of 85 interesting and useful South African plants.

Not only a work of art, the piece also includes the plants’ scientific names, aiding in identification, and features the bugs and critters used for pollination, too. The original work took three months to complete, from research to sketching in pencil, drawing in ink and printing. “Inspired by historical botanical illustrations, I wanted to create a classic botanical chart in a fresh style that is beautiful as a work of art, but also functions as a practical chart for identifying the flowering plants,” says Johan.

Joh Del’s Etsy shop also stocks a collection of imaginative cities, birds, woodland scenes and a colouring book.

See more of his work on Instagram.

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