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Hester Coetzee is an artist who embraces the flow of creativity with every brushstroke. Her approach to art is intuitive, allowing each piece to unfold naturally as she paints.
Artistic Vision
Her work is a blend of colours, textures, and emotions. Hester’s subjects range from portraits and flowers to marine life, often weaving elements of surrealism into her compositions. Through her art, she tells stories of love, joy, peace, and light.
For Hester, each painting serves as a reminder of the unlimited potential inside all of us, showing that wonderful things happen when we let go and allow our true essence to emerge.
Dries and Susan started painting after retiring. Since then, they have sold hundreds of paintings. They enjoy working with oil paints but also like experimenting with other materials. Dries also does woodturning and mosaic work, while Susan teaches painting classes. They love sharing their talents with others.
Isabel-Anne is a self-taught artist with a long career in the business world, working as a management consultant, lecturer, and executive coach. She has a Master's in Clinical Psychology and another in Business Administration or Leadership. Despite her career in science and business, she has always felt like an artist at heart.
She grew up on a farm in the Free State as the only daughter among six brothers and has lived in Gauteng and Cape Town. For the past few years, she has been living her dream as a full-time artist in Franskraal, Western Cape.
Shared Visual Poetry
Though her early work focused on capturing realistic forms with precision, Isabel-Anne has evolved her style, working more freely in an impressionistic manner. She often uses a limited oil paint palette, drawing inspiration from Tonalism. To her, a good painting should evoke emotion, something a photograph might capture more realistically but without the depth of feeling she seeks to convey.
Isabel-Anne’s work mainly features landscapes with mountains, trees, valleys, and canola fields, often taking on accidental shapes. Clouds, in particular, fascinate her - they can be calm or dramatically swirling, depending on her creative mood.
She believes the story of a painting unfolds both in the artist’s creative process and in the viewer’s mind, which is why she often avoids giving titles to her works. For her, art is a shared visual poetry, where the viewer’s emotions and imagination create unique meaning for each piece.
Her invitation: "I encourage you to pause and experience the emotion of a piece. Listen to its story. If it speaks to you, pay attention to how it connects with your own feelings and thoughts."
Martha van der Westhuizen is an artist and photographer living in Franskraal, Gansbaai.
She completed high school at Jan van Riebeeck High School in Cape Town and then studied Graphic Design at Stellenbosch University. Martha began her career as a graphic designer and photographer for an architectural firm in Cape Town.
Later, she opened her own photography studio, specializing in architectural, portrait, and fashion photography.
Artistic Journey
Martha's life took her abroad for extended periods, where she explored various art forms such as watercolour painting and traditional French picture framing. She earned a diploma in framing from the Le Vesinet Art School. After returning to South Africa, she attended art classes, focusing mainly on acrylics, and her work blended abstract and realism. She has participated in group exhibitions at the Alette Wessels Kunskamer in Pretoria and the Pretoria Art Association. In 2019, she was honoured with a solo exhibition at The Pretoria Kunskamer.
Photography as Artistic Expression
Martha's photography is an important part of her artistic expression, covering a wide range of subjects from portraits to landscapes and macro photography. Recently, her work has shifted toward minimalist photography, inspired by the landscape, seascape, and local fynbos around her home.
Franskraal, where she has settled with her family, has been a holiday destination since the 1960s. After renovating a small Elgin timber bungalow to suit their needs, the area's natural beauty continues to provide Martha with ample inspiration for her minimalist style of photography.
Meet Connie, a talented artist who brings her imagination to life with beads and feathers. Her intricate embroidery creates vibrant, Steampunk-inspired jewellery pieces that are both unique and full of character.
Inspiration and Philosophy
Connie's creativity is fuelled by music, the colours of nature, and the harmony they create together. As she says, "Each bead has a colour and emotion... finding its rightful place in the right jewellery piece."
Featured Creations
Experience the Magic
Discover Connie's extraordinary talent and let her beaded masterpieces transport you to a world of beauty and wonder.
Natalie-Dominique Louw is an artist based in Franskraal, near Gansbaai, known for her expressive and diverse works. Her art is inspired by life itself, reflecting the subjects and themes that capture her imagination. She uses a wide range of mediums, from traditional oils, acrylics, and watercolours to more unconventional materials like wine, tea, coffee, and makeup, creating unique textures and effects in her pieces.
Creative Approach
For Natalie-Dominique, each artwork is a journey into the heart of her inspirations. Whether it’s a portrait or an abstract scene, she brings her subjects to life with careful detail and a personal touch. Her experimentation with different stains and materials adds a layer of depth to her work, making each piece truly one-of-a-kind.
Commissions and Exhibitions
Natalie-Dominique offers portrait sketches and is open to commissions. Her artwork is regularly displayed at Overstrand Meubels and featured at the First Thursday events at Afrikanos, where visitors can view and purchase her works.
Read more about Natalie-Dominique Louw here.
Emile Cronje is a well-known South African artist whose work is popular among art collectors worldwide. He specialises in capturing typical South African scenes using vibrant colours across various media.
Emile lives in Franskraal with his wife, Estelle, and their son, Armand. Surrounded by the beautiful landscapes of mountains and the sea, he finds daily inspiration in nature.
Carine Badenhorst is an artist dedicated to supporting troubled minds and souls through the power of art. She offers art therapy in conjunction with empathetic life coaching, providing courses, workshops, and one-on-one sessions as a way to give back to the community.
In December 2024, Carine will be joining the Franskraal Art Route for the first time. This exciting new venture allows her to share her talents and connect with others through the healing process of art.
Cheryl Abrahams is a dedicated artist and social worker who moved from Belhar, Cape Town, to the serene town of Franskraal, Gansbaai, with her husband, Clinton, in October 2021. With over 30 years of marriage, three daughters, two sons-in-law, and two grandchildren, Cheryl and her family have found their forever home surrounded by the natural beauty they cherish.
Cheryl has worked as a qualified social worker for more than 12 years and is also a registered Social Worker in Private Practice. Driven by her passion for helping others, she founded the Helping Hands Support Center, a non-profit organization that provides support services to the Gansbaai area and beyond.
Beyond her social work, Cheryl’s creativity shines through her love for crafts. Known for her “you name it, I can make it” attitude, she enjoys painting, drawing, and decoupaging. As a businesswoman and teacher, she offers decoupage workshops where participants design unique plates, guided by Cheryl’s expertise. Using only clear or unglazed plates, Cheryl provides a therapeutic experience that allows others to explore their creativity and craft a beautiful piece with their own hands.
Cheryl invites everyone to visit CraftyCher’s Den on the ART ROUTE in Franskraal, Gansbaai. There, visitors can discover local artistry, therapeutic crafts, and explore their own creative talents under Cheryl’s warm guidance.
Lindy is a self-taught artist who discovered her passion for painting after retiring from a successful career as a claims manager. Twelve years ago, she moved to Franskraal, seeking a fresh creative outlet. At the suggestion of a friend, she tried her hand at painting - a spark that ignited an unexpected and fulfilling journey into the world of art.
With initial guidance from her friend and online tutorials, Lindy immersed herself in oil painting. She was captivated by the medium’s richness and versatility, finding solace and inspiration in the creative process.
Artistic Achievements
• Created over 100 original paintings
• Completed 14 commissioned pieces for friends and family
• Donated artwork to local schools for fundraising auctions
• Restored damaged paintings, helping preserve cherished memories
Artistic Philosophy
Lindy believes that each painting holds sentimental value and tells a unique story. Her goal is to capture life’s beauty, emotions, and essence on canvas, creating timeless pieces that resonate with others.
Inspiration
• The natural beauty of Franskraal
• Personal experiences and emotions
• The works of other influential artists
Lindy paints under the name Lindy’s Art Studio, continually exploring and refining her craft as she brings her artistic visions to life.
Mimmie Pienaar is a skilled fine artist and qualified art teacher, living close to the sea, which greatly inspires her work. She works in a variety of mediums, including painting, drawing, and ceramic sculpture. Mimmie's art is influenced by the natural beauty of her surroundings, with the sea being a constant source of inspiration. As an experienced art teacher, she shares her passion and skills with others, creating artwork that reflects the world around her.
Elmarie Stofberg is a creative at heart, constantly inspired to create with words, visuals, or concepts. Her passion for words led her to earn a BA degree in languages and a master's degree in Linguistics. In 2021, she released her debut collection of poems featuring ekphrastic verses, which remains one of her proudest achievements.
Although she always dreamed of painting, Elmarie only began exploring this art form in 2010 during a chance painting lesson at an art workshop. From that moment, she embraced painting wholeheartedly, constantly learning and growing as an artist. Today, her work is displayed in various galleries, and she often participates in group exhibitions.
Elmarie’s art is inspired by finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. She deconstructs objects, landscapes, and emotions into pure form and color. Her goal is to inspire viewers to see the beauty in everyday things and to appreciate the world around them in a new way.
She works in mixed media, including acrylic paint, charcoal, pastels, graphite, colored pencils, and collage. Her process often incorporates natural materials like grass, seeds, leaves, sticks, or stones from the environment that inspires her work.
Elmarie’s passion for creativity and her unique perspective make her art a celebration of the beauty found in unexpected places.
