Antoinette van der Merwe was born 7 October 1969 and grew up in Rustenburg, North West. She matriculated at Bergsig High School with Art as a main subject. Her love to paint was encouraged when she moved from Rustenburg to Hartbeespoort Dam in 2001. Here she enrolled at the Pieter Millard School of Art. She studied impressionism for almost 3 years with the well known and beloved Pieter Millard, a popular name amongst art lovers. Pieter Millard was a student of the late master, Adriaan Boshoff.
Only after Ernie Nice, the son of the well known Christiaan Nice, an art investor and dealer encouraged her to paint full time; she started to paint on a daily basis. In that time Art House Gallery opened its doors at Hartbeespoort Dam. Here paintings of well known artists were sold by auction and all Antoinette van der Merwe's work was sold every time. This is where art dealers become interested in her work and she gave up her career as business women to start painting full time.
The expert framer and artist Adriaan Boshoff jnr adds value to her paintings with his magnificent frames that compliments her art. "I am so privileged to have so many well known artists around me", she said.
Her work has been inspired by Manet, Renoir and by South African Impressionists Hugo Naude, Gregoire Boonzaier, Frans Oerder, Alexander Rose-Innes and Adriaan Boshoff.
With mainly oils as a medium her paintings have a South African theme - land and seascapes, figure studies, still life, etc. Her ability to apply short brush strokes with the balance between light and colour has caught the eye. In her paintings the interplay of light and shade are portrayed in happy lively colours, which create a peaceful atmosphere. This is intensified by the alternative use of palette knife and paintbrush in a well planned impasto technique." What amazes me is that true light and colour as well as emotion have been given to us by the Great Artist of all creation" "If you look at everyday scenes in nature, the sun shows you exactly where light and shadow needs to be painted and when you paint figures they show you which emotion to capture"
As a newcomer her work has already been very popular amongst art investors and dealers. The University of Pretoria recently bought one of her paintings and her work can be seen in galleries in Cape Town, Hermanus, Somerset-West, Swellendam, , Knysna, George, Brooklyn, Fourways as well as Hartbeespoort Dam.
The painting is oil on board and measures 40,5 x 39.5cm.
