Artmongering stifles creativity

Hanti Pretorius
HENLEY-ON-KLIP. – Vanessa Whalley was born in Zambia. Her family settled in Northcliff. She studied Architecture and did contract drafting for a while.
Her first encounter with art was in preschool. A teacher gave her the option of a few play stations and she chose the art corner.
During her married life she and her husband travelled abroad several times.
Throughout her travels she started a journal and captured the experiences, places and people.
She will never be found without a black pencil in her hand. She recently switched over to oil paint and enjoy doing large format florals with proteas as a favorite. Vanessa feels that collaboration in creative fields are vital and is proud to pursue her talent. Vanessa teaches at a local school. “The children amaze me with their fresh perspective and freedom to tackle challenging pieces.” says Vanessa. For her it is a challenge to unlock the creativity in kids.
She opens her house monthly to ladies who gather together and have an informal art evening. Teaching is a natural way of living and the evenings are very productive. Her aim is to shatter the ceiling of their own thoughts and to create what is within.
By word of mouth this event became popular. Vanessa is not an ordinary artist. She feels that the overflow of creativity will be watered down if it is all about selling art. The thrill in art is to allow creativity to be expressed.
Vanessa loves black line work, black ink combos, watercolour and recently oil painting. She experiments with glazing techniques and is fascinated by the shadow and light effects of oil paint. Locally, she participates in Mardi Gras and Christmas markets. She feels at home in Henley-on-Klip and says that it is an inspiring and creative community.
Vanessa can be contacted on 083 648 3213 or send and email to vanessabwhalley@gmail.com or follow her work on instagram@vanessawhalley_art.