About the Artist
Artist Introduction: Lize Mari Strydom
Childhood memories and dreams are the central expression catalysts in renowned South African contemporary artist Lize-Mari Strydom’s magical canvasses, brought to life by oil and charcoal.
Based on a game farm just outside Port Elizabeth, Lize-Mari’s work is not only an extension of her cognitive thoughts, but also of her sub-conscious mind and memories that sometimes have been lying dormant for many years.
Married to progressive alternative singer, Abel Kraamsaal, this dynamic artist duo identified the family farm on the outskirts of Port Elizabeth as the ideal place to raise their five year old daughter Lilah-Grace.
Lize-Mari says through her daughter’s experience and development, she herself has a renewed experience of looking at life through the eyes of a child. She says it spontaneously conjures up images of her own childhood which she then captures on canvass almost like snap shots from the past.
She majored in black and white photography in her final fine arts year at the Vaal Triangle Technicon in South Africa. When visited by an image in her mind’s eye, she says it is complete with emotion and her biggest challenge is to accurately convey the sentiment of the feeling.
With numerous successful solo exhibitions in South Africa and across the globe, her works adorn the walls of private homes world wide and is extremely popular with corporate and private collectors alike.
According to her the reason to buy a painting should always have an emotive root. “When a painting speaks directly to you and your emotions you have reason to buy it”.