Arie Coetze

his inspiration is the exuberant colour of yellow wheat fields, blue rolling mountains, the emptiness of the countryside, the wide open skies filled with thunderous summer clouds and the friendly people of south africa. all this is visible in his work. after winning his first art prize in a local art competition at the age of 11, it became a life long dream to be an artist. throughout his education and later as a teacher, he worked in various painting styles, printing and sculpting to discover the genre in which he would be most comfortable.

after several small exhibitions and displays in local restaurants and shops, he developed a more expressive and impressionistic style. his work, employing emotionally charged thick brushwork, takes inspiration from the simplicity and naivety of van gogh, and from rembrandt’s exquisite use of light and shadow; bright colours streak energetically across the canvas. some works adopt a calmer, subtler use of colour but the richness of pure pigment and heavy application is often uncontrollable.