Kotze, Hanlie
Hanlie Kotze started writing poetry at school and was always fascinated by the interpolation of what could be called word art and her visual art, now increasingly moving to acrylics from water colours. Her work is a mixture between surrealistically naive and expressionistic art, perhaps best described as almost lyrical, and she favours symbolism in all her paintings to blend with poetry.
“My work is primarily the product of my imagination.” she says.
“I wake up in the morning with an idea, perhaps feeling a bit glum and I may paint a picture of a woman flying out of a window. Art is essentially an expression of your mood and when you combine it with poetry it becomes even more so.”
Hanlie doesn’t compose realms of verse – rather the occasional phrase here, a word coupling there, just to help her capture the very mood she wants to convey by the painting. Hanlie tries to capture the very mood she wants to convey by the painting.
“Painting and poetry say the same thing”, she says. “I feel both are a reflection of your creative abilities and the marriage of the two is very natural.”
Hanlie has been painting professionally for nearly ten years and she has obviously hit on a winning combination. She is now rated among the well known South African artists and her work is beginning to reflect a real investment value.