ARTY SEPTEMBER: ISABELLE SCHELTJENS, CRAIG ALAN & GAVIN RAIN / MASTERS OF NEO-POINTILLISM

PORTRAITS

POINTILLISM WITH GLASS

Here in my head -  mixed media  -  one of a kind original artwork - 140 x 105 cm 

Latch -  mixed media  -  one of a kind original artwork - 166 x 125 cm 

Isabelle Scheltjens has put an original and contemporary touch on classical pointillism. She developed a new way of portrait making, whereby thousands of pieces of glass in specific patterns optically form an image. Pointillists used small, distinct dots of pure colour on their canvases, placed in close proximity so that they would blur into new colours. Isabelle applies a similar technique, using layers of coloured glass instead of paint. She immersed herself in the understanding of colour and creates her portraits with maniacal intensity – featuring intricate detail, lighting and shadows.

THE "POPULUS SERIES"

MIXED MEDIA ON WOOD AND RESIN

Color Chromatic - mixed media on board with resin - one of a kind original artwork - 122 x 122 x 10 cm

The Underdog II - mixed media on board with resin - one of a kind original artwork - 91 x 91 x 10 cm

Craig Alan is an American artist with a restless eye, pushing the boundaries of visual expression without constraints. At first glance the paintings look like aerial photographs, though a closer inspection reveals that they are painstakingly hand-painted. The images had their genesis in some photos Alan was taking of a wedding party from a high-rise balcony. “Later on that evening I noticed, in one shot, the group of people appeared to have formed an eye. That’s all it took to get the gears moving fast, that one photo is what started it all,” according to Alan.

“Each piece will contain a range of 400 to 1,800 people in it depending on the type of work it is,” says Alan. The creative process is labor intensive: “I can spend anywhere up to 150 working hours and beyond on one section of a painting depending on the size however, I like to work on more than one painting at a time, I like the challenge, and it sparks new ideas.”

PORTRAITS

ACRYLIC ON CANVAS

Charlize - acrylic on canvas - one of a kind original artwork - 120 x 120 cm  

Gavin Rain is a South-African artist born in 1971. He studied art and neuropsychology at the university of Cape Town in the 80’s and 90’s. Rain has been painting his whole life, but started with pointillism around 2003 - 2004. 

"This method of working took me a year or two to develop. It then took me another year or two to improve. In fact I’m still working on it. Most of the art, at least for me, is in the preparation. The decisions I make before I even go near a paintbrush. In fact, by the time I DO go near one the painting is already done in my mind."