Portchie

After so many years, he is arguably the most successful contemporary artist in South Africa. Exploring new subjects are testimony to the creative talents of this true master of his craft. His art does not know any language and is not restricted to space. Jan Hendrik Viljoen got his Portchie- name from school, but it’s more than that, it’s a person of different varieties. In essence, he is just a small boy from a small town, Tweeling in the Free State, where he grew up with good values and good creativity. He grew up with parents who was creative with what they did in their lives. They taught him to look out, not just for himself, but for the people around him. His whole being is made up of beautiful people around him who makes him smile and he returns the smile with his unique art. It offers more than just a picture. It shows and gives more – it becomes a life experience where the audience feels a connection and an ambience of joy. Creativity is his blueprint: To create work, to create interesting things and be creative in a lot of different ways. Not just one single aspect not just painting, not just sculptures, not just cloth or jewelery. His whole fibre is made up of design. Sculptures are 3D images of figures portrayed in his paintings. The simple scenes of girls and boys playing are embroidered onto linen cushions, not only bringing joy but also create participation from savvy artisans all over the world. He sees joy in most things, he sees joy that can be derived from colour. By using colour, old images of his youth can be captured in a fresh way. An artist’s use of colour and the balancing thereof brings these images to life. Portchie’s paintings are telling stories of joyful things around us, things becoming part of his life fibre … children hop-scotching, people riding bicycles, people reading. Exhibitions are something special to Portchie. His South-African audience is wide and huge and because his work is more than brush strokes and colour and consist of joyful themes in simplicity, the international market is the obvious next step. His love for travelling made him not only a globetrotter but a witness that his chosen themes are internationally profound in its joy and modesty. Portchie introduced himself on British soil with his novice solo exhibition in London in September 2016 at the La Galleria Pall Mall, United Kingdom. Portchie made beautiful things happen. “The most important thing to an artist is to be unique and to do something only you can do in your way. If you can get that right then there’s something beautiful happening within yourself and also the people around you. I am Portchie”