“Work for this exhibition actually started 25 years ago. All this time I have been nursing and nurturing this idea of bringing a collection of images together showing, mostly, unheralded, and unheroic places of South Africa. The humble, the unspectacular, the largely overlooked. But each image has touched me personally. Many are located in the surrounding areas to where I live”
-Paul Blomkamp
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There are no words to describe the invisible I see. There is just the painting I paint in a sacred place. A place free from race or culture. Free from religion or philosophy. A place free from any definition of who I am.
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People are like stained-glass windows
They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within.” — Elisabeth Kübler-Ross -
Paul BlomkampSimonsberg ... old Cape Town Harbour, 2022Acrylic on canvas180 x 180 x 5 cmR 287,500.00
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Over the years I have bonded with these simple images. They have become indelibly imprinted in my soul. I have tried to work out why they have earned my love and respect. The mystery remains unsolved, but I do know how I relish producing them. They have become my family. Sadly, many of the places I have chosen to paint do not exist anymore. They must have stood proud at some stage of their existence. Their owners must have been brave and optimistic.
I have tried to capture this in this body of works.
. - Paul Blomkamp
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Never fear shadows.
They simply mean there’s a light shining somewhere nearby.” — Ruth E. Renkel -
Paul BlomkampThe Le Roux Townhouse, 2022Oil on Fabriano paper (framed)30 x 30 cm (image size)
58.5 x 58.8 x 4 cm (artwork size)Edition of 45 -
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Preserve and cherish the pale blue dot
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In Studio
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The Plate
For this large body of works, I came up with a technique (allied to etching) wherein I would use a metal plate on which the drawing was photo sensitised. On this plate the positive drawing was reversed to negative. Simply put the background of the drawing on the plate could now be etched away leaving the line drawing standing proud. This meant I now could now roll the black printing ink on and produce a relief print.This relief printing method enabled me to produce a more rugged 'strong' and robust print. Each print is then individually hand coloured. The process involves initially printing a black and white print and then laboriously hand painting it with oil colours. When the hand colouring is complete the work is then printed again with black ink. Much thanks must go to my loyal and dedicated partner and assistant Jennifer Saunders aka Jennifer Spencer Christian in helping me to produce this large volume of work.” -
A being to illuminate the invisible, Paul Blomkamp has been enamoured with the idea of transmitting energy into works of art for over 50 years. Whether it be slashes and dashes of straight lines of vivid colour, intimate scenes of domestic tedium or the holiness of light flowing through a stained-glass window, Blomkamp’s art reveals a desire to make visible that which is often obscure.
