HELENA WAGENAAR

Helena grew up on a farm outside Paarl, in the Western Cape. She was always an outdoors’ girl with lots of imagination. From a very early age, started drawing, mostly copying her elder sister, Marashene’s work. Drawing then came to her naturally, especially when she did it as a school subject with the late David Botha, who was her teacher. She then perused a career in Intensive Care nursing, which she really enjoyed, and never touched a pencil or brush for the next 25 years. It was only when she married her eastern cape cattle farmer, Leon, that she resumed her art, which then came with more difficulty, (being out of touch and training) she then painted all her stories from nursing and also memories, since being in such a remote part of the world, these distant memories and stories started to sustain her. Each painting tells a story.

The title should stimulate the viewer’s own imagination and creativity. Helena loves the simplicity of a picture, color and technique. She considers her style to be expressionist. She has exhibited 8 times at Art in the Park, Pietermaritzburg already, twice at KKNK-Oudtshoorn, once at Volksblad Fees- Bloem, 3 times at the Aardklop fees- Potchefstroom and has exhibited with 3 other artists at Jane se Kunshuis, Paarl in 2003 and once with Este Mostert at the Crouse Art Gallery, Morning-side, and KZN.

Helena now, still loves the country side and remains creative. She is influenced greatly by all South African artists, mainly women especially Eleonor Esmonde White, Kaffie Pretorius, Este Mostert, Maggie Loubsher, Irma Stern, the odd man, Johannes Meintjies. She cannot get enough of art. Helena loves the works too of Hannetjie de Klerk, Jan Vemeirn and Sandi Beukes.

Artwork of Helena Wagenaar exhibited at Crouse Art Gallery. Original art of more than 60 top South African Artists – Since 1999.