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Born 1950 | Johannesburg, South Africa
Colin was born in 1950 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Although Colin has had no formal training, he spent many hours learning and developing his talent from his mother who was an artist. Colin further learned his skill and developed his phenomenal talent by associating with many of the great artists around during the 1970's and '80's.
This was no coincidence since he worked as General Manager of the framing company that most galleries used to frame their works. Often the artists would drop in to see Colin and consult with him as to aesthetic combinations of framing to best suit their work. For his part, Colin would ask questions as to why and how a particular artist would paint a certain way to gain a particular effect. He would then discuss his new found knowledge with his mother. Indeed, his mother was responsible for getting Colin going again on the painting front, so in awe was he of the artists' work that literally passed through his hands.
It is an old adage that few can remember the source of: "Paint a mile of art a year and after 15 years you will be on the way to be a good ‘journeyman artist’ or a destitute tramp, should there be no talent there in the first place!" Colin certainly has the talent. This he and others realised as sales and prices grew along with commissions. And by the way, this took but 5 years, already now some 20 years back. It has only been since 2002 that Colin decided to paint full time as a dedicated artist after first confronting his "Demons" of indecision. Part of the problem was the illustrious gallery of South African artists whom he felt was sitting on his shoulders every time he picked up a brush.
The difference now is that members of the gallery are actually encouraging him! There's no better acclaim than from past masters. So who are these past masters and influencers? In no order of merit we quote Errol Boyley, Gerrit Roon, Titta Fasciotti, Mel Brigg, Jeanette Dykeman, Wessels Marais, Christiaan Nice, Francois Koch, Wallace Hulley and Paul Augustein to mention some and not all. Some have painted their all for us and have passed on. In Colin we have those threads of acquaintance with their work as influence and embodiment in a brushstroke or palette knife application.
Like his mentors, Colin seeks inspiration in the broad canvass of the South African landscape and its peoples just going about their daily chores. Whether on shore or at sea or on land, Colin will project scenes and moods back to us in a way which make us feel we knew it all along. But we didn’t did we… not before we saw things through the artist's eyes.
In style we can place Colin and his work firmly in the camp of modern South African Post Impressionism. His increasing use of Impasto techniques gives further depth to his studies. To date there have been no exhibitions of Colin's work due mainly to demand. As most of his works have sold worldwide, it would be very difficult to hold a retrospective.
Collect and collect would be the advice. He is getting better and better as time and canvas painted go on.
