whimsical – Amy Jane vdb

Beefeater Series

Posted on July 22, 2020December 24, 2020 by Amy Jane

This piece is a work in progress of a beefeater chopping some onions and tearing up (because, onions). My beefeaters series is my way of facing the bizarre traditions and rituals that are part of my British heritage. Beefeaters, to me, have become a tongue-in-cheek symbol of colonialism – they are the guards of all the so-called civilised, enlightened, proper, well-behaved ways of life. But they’re just smoke and mirror and beneath the facade of their ridiculous costumes, they’re just ordinary creatures of everyday habits.

This series is available at Out of the Cube online gallery.

Flights of Fancy

Posted on July 22, 2020July 22, 2020 by Amy Jane

A collaboration in whimsy by Amy Jane van den Bergh and Elizabeth Tristram

Whimsy (n) whim.sy | \ ˈhwim-zē

WHIM, CAPRICE
The quality or state of being whimsical or fanciful
A fanciful or fantastic device, object, or creation especially in writing or art

Both Fine Art graduates from Rhodes University, Elizabeth Tristram and Amy Jane van den Bergh have been working together over the past few years. “Flights of Fancy” is a collaborative exhibition between the two artists.

Each of the artworks began with Elizabeth’s watercolour succulents – a theme she enjoys exploring. Then, Amy Jane, whose art practice is focused on birds, screen printed the whimsical, playful figures over the completed paintings.

Watercolour captivates me, I fell in love with the delicacy and looseness required for watercolour work
Elizabeth Tristram

“I like my work to be playful and imaginatively illustrative”
Amy Jane VDB

What started as an exploration of the artists’ individual themes resulted in a collaborative body of work that celebrates playfulness and whimsy. This exhibition presents a refreshing perspective, to be relished by anyone who recognises that art is not always a serious business. It showcases the light-hearted nature of illustration, and the joy of creating, and of being artists.