Frederike reflects on a lifetime of art
The Cape Gallery has launched another solo exhibition by renowned artist Frederike Stokhuyzen, 87, sharing over six decades of her timeless paintings, until Saturday March 8.
Known for her paintings of landscapes, rockscapes, flora, fauna, Frederike has travelled around South Africa and abroad extensively with her husband of 62 years, John White, capturing scenes of nature that would catch her eye.
As soon as she saw a scene, she stopped, sat in the passenger side of the car or on a camping chair under an umbrella and created sketches or a drawing of the scenery, or a drawing, while John took pictures for references.
“I would see something and say ‘Oh stop the car, I want to paint that!’ On the spot. And I have never yet painted something that I haven’t seen.”
She later took these drawings back to her Camps Bay studio to fill in the details using a palette knife and oil paints, which she says is makes her patterns more spontaneous, and smooth.
“It’s a good medium. Acrylic has harsh colours and dries quickly, so I only use genuine oils.”
The studio, inside the home she and John have lived in for 37 years, is lined with colourful paintings of mostly trees, flowers, animals and portraits that she had completed over the years.
In the centre of the studio, Frederike sits in her chair behind a canvas, oil colour palette on her right side, completing her latest painting of trees with little scrapes of a palette knife, creating different textures, shapes and patterns.
“I love painting trees most of all. Trees have a wonderful gees.”
As she got up, she reached for a black bag resting against the studio wall, which she opened and rummaged through her art supplies of pencils and brushes.
“I never go anywhere without these,” she said.
John added: “But you know, these days, it’s not so easy at our age to drive those huge distances.”
John was a car enthusiast and worked in the motor industry when he met Frederike in 1962.
Frederike was born in Pretoria in 1938, and said she always had a love for art. She could draw for as long as she can remember — her earliest proof is a picture of her holding a pencil at age 2.
Frederike fondly recalled a visit to her grandparents in Stellenbosch as a little girl. Upon arrival, her parents showed her grandfather, a professor at the university, a picture she had drawn. Her grandfather then told her to go to the garden, find a chameleon and draw it.
After an hour, she gave the drawing to her grandfather, who said, in Dutch: “Dit kind heeft talent (This child has talent).”
At school, her classmates would ask her to illustrate their anthology books, which she didn’t mind, as the school did not have art as a subject.
She said her parents were very supportive of her art and sent her to Rhodes University where she completed a BA in Fine Arts, and a teaching diploma.
“I was drew wherever I sat and they encouraged this. It was the beginning of a wonderful life.”
After university, she went to London and spent a year at the Central School of Arts, specialising in design of stained glass windows.
She then returned to Cape Town to teach fine arts at Herzlia High School in Vredehoek for a year.
It was during this time that she met John and after they had married, he had asked Frederike if she would like to be a full-time artist.
“That was the most wonderful proposition. That’s what I’ve been doing since, virtually six days a week. I love being here and its been made possible.”
John’s career took the couple to England, where Frederike still pursued art while John became her manager and biggest supporter.
After two and a half years in the UK, John said they had moved back to South Africa to Gqebergha, where the art scene was growing.
Frederike’s art career had grown substantially during this time. She has had over 40 exhibitions across South Africa, America and Europe, and has also participated in a number of group exhibitions with the Royal Institute of Oil Painters, the Royal Insititute of British Artists; the Society of Graphic Artists in London; the Paris Salon and the Society of Wildlife Artists in London.
She has also been commissioned to produce work for corporate clients.
In between, she also raised three daughters, “who are all artistic”, she said.
John was later offered a job in Cape Town and the family moved again to Camps Bay.
Frederike said her work has always sold well, but it was easier “back then, because people related to what I was painting”.
She said nowadays modern and pop art is fashionable but: “We found that people who were genuinely interested in art keep coming back. I’ve always done well.”
And while her work sold better before the lockdown in 2020, she said she loved to paint during this time, and changed her colour schemes.
“Everyone was loving it.”
When asked what keeps her going at her age, Frederike said: “I think it’s all up here”, pointing to her mind. “It’s about enjoying what you’re doing and being grateful for it — lets face it, you have to be grateful for your talent.”
Lately, she doesn’t spend as much time in her studio.
“I spend my mornings keeping alive at this ripe old age, and everyday in the afternoon after I’ve had my little lie down, I come here and paint for three hours.
“I love it. It’s so rewarding.”
The Cape Gallery at 60 Church Street is open Mondays to Fridays from 9.30am to 4pm; and Saturdays from 10am to 2pm. It is closed on public holidays.
For more information about the exhibition, call 021 423 5309 or web@capegallery.co.za