Published 01 March 2019 in Publications
Art Times
Everyone should be lucky enough to meet 3 or 4 people during their lifetime that just puts you at ease, For me, these types of people tend to be great story tellers, they have a very interesting testimony about their lives, they are humble, they create space where you just want to hear more of what they have to say. Zimbabwean born artist, Johan Smith, is such a person.
We were privileged to meet up with Johan while discussing his upcoming Alice Art Gallery Exhibition. While completing an agriculture degree at the University of Stellenbosch, 1987, he took up ceramics part time under the mentorship of Christine Smith of Dorp Street Gallery.
"To my surprise I did very well with ceramic work - even achieved accolades and won some awards with my works, For me my ceramics has always been a means to draw. You know ceramics is not easy and very time consuming, I still remember my turning point like it was yesterday. I cured 38 ties as part of a collage and when done one of the tiles cracked through. I thought there must bee an easier way! The very next day I started with ink and paper, for me this was a great medium to work with."
This medium provided Johan with greater control and a much more colourful means to express himself. For a long time, I would drive from Bethlehem to Bloemfontein for Saturday market, then through to Rosebank on Sunday and that evening to Alice Art Gallery to sell what was left.
Monday to Friday I would work on the next consignment. Those were crazy days"
During 1995 Johan had to decide on his next life path *I had to choose between completing an honours degree in agriculture or take this uncontrollable thirst for creating art all the way."
In 1999 Johan changed medium again, this time to oil on board. Its these works that quickly set Johan apart and clearly established him as an artist to be recognised.
*I camo back from a trip to Europe. On the plane back to then Jan Smuts Airport l felt quite depressed and couldn't understand why? Those days you still embarked the plane on the tarmac.
As I disembarked the plane and looked up at the yellow sunrise in front of me, I knew - everyone needs to be able to experience an African sunrise or sunset. Our sky is larger than anywhere I've been. It's open and clear and oh so many colours!"
Johan started painting the Sky- sunset, sunrise, and approaching Free State thunderstorm, the sky after a rain storm and the tranquility of a full moon evening. Johan speaks of his inner landscape, it's not a real place but the viewer can recognize and identify with the area. *There are elements In these landscapes that are very deer to me. Some come from my childhood and some from my children's. It is important to me that the viewer must be able to identity with the work. I can only hope they had similar experiences as was my privilege."
Elements Johan enjoys adding to his works are: the large sky, a good portion of the canvass is donated to this - the African sky is big and imposing. The foreground typically has a fence that represents those days running on the farm and having to climb through the camps to get to the sheep Sometimes he ads black birds on the fence, this to him is a representation of family. The strong yellow fields remind him of wheat ready to be harvested. It reflects the suns rays and therefore life itself. Often a second camp would be present with a "draadhek" reflecting on the effort one has to apply in life in order to go to the next stage. Those gates were always a struggle to open and close. The sheep which again reflects on life and nature, abundantly giving to man what it needs. These very bright foreground colours offsets the blue mountains in the background. The contrasts hints to a large valley or cliff before the mountains begins. "Golden gate is close to my home and to me the Clarens area could be one of the most beautiful areas in the world - it has to be part of my landscape, it is part of me.