A Pretty Talent Blog: January 2015

Saturday, 24 January 2015

Meet the Artist - Lilla

The Artist, Lilla

Marlize Visagie is the name behind the artist, Lilla. Lilla is a nickname her older sister gave her as a baby which stuck with her through life.

Lilla studied art at school where the impressionists had a great influence over her, especially William Turner and Vincent van Gogh. She matriculated from Hoër Meisieskool Helpmekaar, Johannesburg, in 1986. She started her studies in Art at Pretoria Technikon the following year. As is often the case, life took her down different roads and for a while she stopped practising art altogether. It was only around 2012/3 that she decided to take up both brush and pen again, devoting time to her writing and painting.

Lilla’s renewed explorations in art started with landscapes in acrylic. She was not about to leave well enough be, though. She attended workshops and studied by herself, devoting much time and energy to her rediscovered passion. It was renowned artist Lute Vink who convinced her to take up oil painting, and she has never looked back. “I love the qualities of oil colours and how forgiving the medium is.”

Lilla is inspired by South African artists Greg Schultz, Lute Vink, Tony Durrheim, Willie Jacobs, Charmaine Gelderblom, Hester Hattingh, Koos Bronkhorst, Stan Polson en Roelof Rossouw. International artists she draws inspiration from include Ralph Heynen, Jimmy Longacre, Paul van Ginkel, Kelli Folsom, Darren Baker, Tom Dorr en Donna Shiver.

Lilla’s love of writing has already been mentioned and she is known for expressing herself through poetry in her native Afrikaans. In 2014, she collobarated with two more poets, Alida Marais and Mitz Malan to publish an anthology of poems, titled Carpe Monana. Twelve of Lilla’s poems were included and the release date for the publication is expected to be in early February 2015. All funds generated through sales will be donated to CANSA SA.

Lilla is from Centurion, Pretoria, where her only child will be finishing her high school career this year. She is actively involved in a feeding scheme at her daughter’s school, making sure that less privileged children are fed and taken care of.

Lilla takes great pride in her daughter who has provincial colours in marksmanship and will be competing at an international level in August of this year during a competition in Britain.

Being the wife of an expat working abroad, Lilla had experienced the need for support first-hand. She started a support group for this group in Centurion and on Facebook. The Centurion group has regular meetings to encourage and assist each other.

After painting and writing, Lilla’s greatest passion is for travelling and she has been to Uganda, Kenia, the USA and

England

Follow this link to see Lilla’s portfolio in the Gallery:

http://aprettytalent.com/collections/gallery/products/marlize-visagie

SOUL

(A translation of the poem SIEL, by Lilla/Marlize Visagie)

I capture you in words,

full stops and commas.

I paint you

in colours on my canvas,

the light and shadows of my life

captured in well-contemplated

sentences on paper,

in nuances of colour on fabric.

I struggle.

I drown.

You are only three feet away

and say I have to learn to swim ...

Copyright: Marlize Visagie

Die Kunstenaar, Lilla

“My naam is Marlize Visagie maar ek skilder onder die naam Lilla. Dit is 'n troetelnaam wat my ousus vir my as baba gegee het en almal in my familie/vriendekring noem my dus ook so.

Ek het kuns as vak op skool gehad en die Impressioniste soos William Turner en Van Gogh het n groot indruk op my gemaak. Ek het 1986 by Hoër Meisieskool Helpmekaar in Johannesburg gematrikuleer en in 1987 my eerste basiese jaar in Kuns aan die destydse Pretoria Technikon voltooi. My lewe het toe ander paadjies gedraf en ek het heeltemal opgehou skilder. Ongeveer 2 jaar gelede het die behoefte om te skryf en skilder my egter weer oorweldig en het ek weer met Akriel verf en landskappe begin eksperimenteer. Intussen het ek hier en daar vir n werkswinkel gegaan en myself verder weer begin leer deur te lees en ander kunstenaars se werke in diepte te bestudeer. 'n Paar maande gelede het Lute Vink my egter oortuig om Olieverf aan te durf en ek het nog nooit weer terug gekyk nie. Ek is verlief op olieverf se kwaliteite en vergewensgesindheid!

SA kunstenaars wie se werk my na aan die hart lê is onder andere Greg Schultz, Lute Vink, Tony Durrheim, Willie Jacobs, Charmaine Gelderblom, Hester Hattingh, Koos Bronkhorst, Stan Polson en Roelof Rossouw.

Internasionaal waardeer ek werke van Ralph Heynen, Jimmy Longacre, Paul van Ginkel, Kelli Folsom, Darren Baker, Tom Dorr en Donna Shiver.

Ek het 'n diep liefde vir Afrikaans en skryf graag poësie. Gedurende 2014 het ek, Alida Marais en Mitz Malan besluit om 'n digbundel saamgestel uit ons drie se digwerk, die lig te laat sien. 'n Digbundel genaamd Carpe Monana waarin 12 van my gedigte opgeneem is tesame met hulle werke word dus vroeg in Februarie vrygestel en alle fondse wat uit die verkoop van die bundel gegenereer word, sal ten bate van KANSA SA wees. (Ek heg een van my gedigte aan).

Ek woon in Centurion, en het een dogter wat tans in Matriek in Hoërskool Eldoraigne is. Ek is jaarliks betrokke by 'n kos/geskenk pakkie projek wat ons saamstel vir minder bevoorregte kinders by die skool.

My dogter het die laaste vier jaar haar Provinsiale Noord-Gauteng klere verwerf in Luggeweer skiet en in 2014 ook haar Nasionale Skole Skiet klere verwerf. Sy was ook dan een van die span kapteine van die Nasionale Skole Skiet span wat gedurende Augustus aan die British Junior International's in Brittanje gaan deelneem het.

Ek het 'n ontsaglike passie vir mense en aangesien my man een van vele Expats is wat oorsee werk, het ek ook in Centurion 'n Facebook ondersteuningsgroep gestig vir al die vrouens van Expats. Ons kom op gereelde basis bymekaar vir koffie en kuier en ondersteun mekaar emosioneel en andersins gedurende die tye wat ons manne in die Buiteland werksaam is.

Naas skilder en skryf is reis sekerlik my grootste passie en was ek al in Uganda, Kenia, die VSA en Engeland.”

SIEL

Ek skryf jou in woorde,

punte en komma's.

Ek teken en skilder jou

in verf op doek,

my lewe se sonlig en skadu's

opgevang in diep deurdenkte

sinne op papier,

in nuanses van kleur op materiaal.

Ek spartel.

Ek verdrink.

En jy staan 3 voet weg

en sê ek moet leer swem..

KOPIEREG Marlize Visagie

Vlog hierdie skakel om Lilla se volledige portefeulje in die Gallery te sien:

http://aprettytalent.com/collections/gallery/products/marlize-visagie

Tuesday, 20 January 2015

Step-by-Step: Decoupage a Tissue box & make an accompanying card

It is the first month of a new year filled with wonderful opportunities. It is also the beginning of a whole new year filled with upcoming birthdays. That is why I thought I’d get an early start on giving you some great DIY gift ideas. Not only are these cost effective, but they are also fun to make. And of your recipients are anything like me, they will appreciate the time and effort that went into the gift and love it the more for it. It is always a great idea to give a one-of-a-kind gift, rather than a mass-produced factory item. (Though I would not decline the gift of a car ;-) In fact, I might make an exception in this case, and say that I’d prefer the factory produced version.)

Jokes aside, I thought I’d show you step-by-step how to make a decoupage tissue box holder and accompanying card. In fact, I figured I’d double up on my time and make two while I’m at it. This way you could see how easy it was to get completely different results following the same steps and using basically the same materials.

Making the tissue box holder

Step 1: Gather your materials

3 sheets of 12” x 12” scrapbook paper in the colours of your choice;
Tissue box holder;
Craft knife/craft set (optional)
Ruler (metal, if you intend to use a craft knife – it will shave off plastic);
Acrylic Gel Medium;
Paint (Craft Paint, or Acrylic Paint will work well);
Scissors;
Craft glue (I prefer Tombow Multi Liquid Glue);
Pencil
Paint brushes – 1 fine and 1 larger (not pictured)
Coffee (or tea of that is your preference). I should say optional for this item, but in my case that would be a lie.

When selecting the paint I was going to use, I had not made up my mind which way I would go yet. That is why there is such an array of colour choices. You really only need two colours, (or even only one). I used black on the sides/frames of the tissue box holder and green or purple, respectively, for the insides of the boxes.

Step 2: Trace and cut your design on the paper

The next step is to draw your layout on your papers. Place your paper face down on the table. Position the box precisely on the paper and draw the design, using a pencil. You can use the box as a ruler.

Each side of the box is going to be covered with 3 different papers. You therefore do not need the full length of any side in any of the papers. Make certain that you cut the sections long enough to allow for an overlap in the papers.

When you are done with the design, cut the shapes out (it does help to name them as you go). Position them on your box to make sure that everything fits neatly. Trim off excess if needed.

I did not like the centre pieces of my front and top sides, and trimmed both according to my liking. This was easy to do, since I have allowed plenty of overlap for both.

The top of the box:

The front of the box:

The left and right sides of the box:

The back of the box:

Step 3: Paint your box

The first step is to paint the rims/borders of your box, using your fine brush. I chose black, but you can make it any colour you like. Even though no-one will ever see the bottom, I paint that as well.

Once you are done with the edges, you can paint the inside of your box, using your larger brush. An argument can be made that you will never see this, since a tissue box will be there, but I like to keep things neatly finished and therefore I paint it. This is entirely your choice. Let the paint dry thoroughly before moving on to the next step.

Step 4: Decoupage the box

It is now time to start putting the pretty papers onto the box. I washed my larger brush until the water ran clear and then I used the same brush to paint the Acrylic Gel Medium with. Paint only a section at a time. Paste the paper that fits on that section. Then paint over that paper with the same Acrylic Gel Medium. Guard against bubbles, stretching the paper, or tearing the wet paper. Once dry, the Acrylic Gel Medium will be completely transparent. Do not fear the white of the wet medium. You will only be able to do 2 or 3 sides at a time, other wise you will have nowhere to hold on to. Allow the sides to ‘touch-dry’ before doing the remainder of the sides. This is an excellent time to have another cup of coffee, since the medium dries quite quickly.

Leave your completed box to dry thoroughly before going on to the last and optional step.

Optional step: Decorate your box to your liking

Everyone has their own ideas about how to pretty things up. I tend to be a bit minimalistic and practical. I don’t want something in the house which is going to be difficult to keep dust-free. If not for that, I would have added ribbons and feathers and the works. Instead I opted for a few bling items, which I attached with my magnificent Tombow glue, and left it at that.

Making the accompanying card

Step 1: Gather your materials

For the brown card, I used a blank card (selection available in store). For the purple card, I used a piece of paper of which the sides were different colours. I simply cut the paper to the required size and folded it down the centre.

Step 2: Design your card

For the next step, I closely examined the bits of scrap paper that was left over from my decoupage project. Some pieces were already ideally sized and shaped. Other pieces were in need of some trimming. I cut ‘n fitted all the pieces together before using double-sided tape to fix them to the cards.

Warning: If you start pasting the pieces down too soon, you will not be able to change your mind about the order of things half way through the process.

The Purple card did not need much since the colours were strong enough to carry it through. I simply stuck one paper design down on the front. I added a second design a little skew, and the last layer was put on double-sided foam squares and tape to give a 3-Dimensional effect to the card.

The brown card was started on a pure white background and in need of a lot of TLC. I chose the paper that would become my main design and pasted pieces down on the front (pictured left) and the back (pictured right).

I then pasted an accent piece onto the front with a second paper design (pictured left). When I opened the card, I was confronted with stark white. Not wanting to infringe on the writing space (I write long letters in cards), I opted to paste small pieces of paper down to break the monotony, without taking up too much space (pictured right).

Step 3: Finishing touches – decorate your card

Now came the fun part. Putting the finishing touches (decorations) to a card is always great fun. I decorated the monotonous green of the inside of the purple card by sticking down an off-cut piece of paper and a tiny little paper flower I found among my embellishments.

The outside of the card was quickly and easily finished by adding another strategically placed paper flower and a bling flower in the centre of a flower design on the paper.

The brown card took a bit more work. I noticed a lovely flower design on one of the paper off-cuts. I carefully cut this out, mounted it on double-sided squares and added it to the front. I loved this and went in search of more flowers to add.

I found another off-cut with lots of different flowers and carefully cut them all out.

The next step was to put double-sided foam squares on the backs of the flowers before pasting them down on the front of the card, effectively creating a flower garden.

I was thrilled by how this turned out, but I still had to put the very final touches on, and that meant adding the same bling to the card that I had used on the tissue box cover. Before, I attached them with Towbow glue, because it was on an item that was going to be handled a lot. This time I made use of the adhesive on the backs, since the card could not be expected to endure the same amount of handling.

All that was left was the cleaning up and packing away. By this time, my boxes had sufficiently dried and I could bring the cards and the gifts together. Here are the final products.