Marittie De Villiers
Contemporary Visual Works | Thoughtfully Expressionistic Portraiture
MarittIe De Villiers / About The Artist
Marittie de Villiers graduated from Potchefstroom University with a B.A. in Communications and majored in Psychology, Journalism & Marketing.
Her work is greatly informed by personal experiences, her travels and the resonant impact of exploration into alternate cultures and lifestyles. She is fascinated by the human face and the familiarity in emotive expressions as a cross-cultural mark of the human experience. This interest in others continues to inspire her original works.
De Villiers approaches each new project with an open mind, allowing the subject to frame her technique and style. The process is undefined, and creative impulse and intuition will direct her vision onto canvas.
Biography
1986
Started working at the Herald as a journalist.
1990-1999
Worked in the corporate field after moving to Cape Town.
1999
- Marittie meets her future husband and they work on finishing a steel sailing yacht called Moya.
- Marittie and her husband set sail from Cape Town to destinations unknown.
1999-2003
Marittie and her husband visit South America, the Caribbean, the Bahamas, and set sail through the Gulf Sea to the USA.
2000
Shana is born in St. Maarten and when Shana is just 2 months old, they head for the USA.
2001
The family head back to the Caribbean and a second daughter is born in Grenada.
2003
- Marittie and her family of two girls, husband, and two cats return to South Africa.
- On returning to SA, Marittie starts to paint and exhibit her art immediately on a full-time basis.
2012
Marittie files for divorce, her and the girls move to Pretoria.
2013
Marittie visits Italy and decides while in Venice that she misses the sea. At the end of that year, they move to Gordon’s bay in Cape Town.
2014
Marittie goes to Greece for a rest during October.
2018
At present Marittie and her girl’s live in Somerset West where she paints from her studio.
Artist Statement
I am a painter who is obsessed with the first thing a baby sees, the face of his/her mother. Through a face flows communication, love and the expression of life. As an artist, it is important for me to communicate how I experience life, I do this by painting portraits.
It has never been a business decision looking at my environment and art culture or other artists. My perspective on life is expressed through painting the strength and power in people, on the whole the human experience…… and being powerful with a gentle, kindness.
Presently I am experimenting with the individual, men and woman in a world where fitting in with the collective consciousness as is described as the norm. I feel that every individual has to follow their own heart and passion bravely.
I am a free spirit and do not accept the rules without question. I don’t endeavour to follow suit and above all, I am not an ego based artist-looking to follow trends or other artist’s ways. I am true to myself in seeing the beauty in life, the passion for good, and ignoring the banal and “ugly” because I just don’t see the purpose of that.
Marittie’s work has been featured in the following publications:
House and Leisure – January 2016
Win a home with Steyn City on Mnet – 2016
Premier Lounge Magazine – July 2018
Rapport Newspaper – 3 March 2019; Marittie did a painting by mixing the remains of a murdered farmer with paint.