MARENA PRETORIUS  (KAFFIE)

 Born 1941 Lambert’s Bay , Cape Province

A painter of landscapes, seascapes, still life and figures. Works in oil. Uses the fish as a symbol of simplicity, the seabird as a symbol of space and freedom and the goat as a symbol of earthiness.

Kaffie Pretorius was born in 1941 in the West Coast fishing village of Lamberts Bay, South Africa. After finishing her schooling at Bloemhof High School in Stellenbosch she completed her studies as a teacher at the University of Stellenbosch, where she met her husband, Dr Rene Pretorius, a nuclear scientist. They have three children, Andre, Mariana and Christelle. She has worked at several art schools, ampngst them an art school in Los Angeles during 1976. Back in Stellenbosch she also studied for a year under Andre van Zyl of the Michaelis School of Fine Arts in Cape Town. In 1989 she spent four months painting in Amsterdam. After a number of group exhibitions she held her first solo exhibition in Stellenbosch during 1985. Further solo exhibitions followed in 1987, 1989 and 1992. Kaffie’s paintings combine an earthiness with intuition and emotion. Her work depicts the people and environment of the West Coast where she grew up.

Studies:

1976          Los Angeles Art School, USA

1983          Under Andre van Zyl in Cape Town

Profile:

From 1985 a member of the SAAA. Teaches art privately in Stellenbosch. 1983 illustrated Rona Rupert’s “ Ambraal hoe gaan dit nog?” , Tafelberg, Cape Town. Has travelled in both Europe and America.

Exhibitions:

She has participated in several group exhibitions from 1982 in SA; 1985 Edrich Gallery, Stellenbosch, first of two solo exhibitions.