Thomas, a man for all seasons

GEORGE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS - A new Scava (South Cape Association for Visual Arts) art exhibition at the George Museum Art Gallery opened to the public on Monday 1 October. A staggering number of entries came in from inspired regional artists and 247 pieces of art from 75 artists are displayed.

For the first time, in addition to a large collection of paintings, the public are wowed by several 3D art pieces. The layman would call these "sculpture" or "ceramic" pieces.

There are also several examples of fibre and fabric art on show.

One of the stars of this year's art competition is Thomas Vermeulen from De Rust, who won prizes in two categories: for his intricate rendering of Tree Top Strelitzia Nicolaii in the still life section, and for his exotic piece Cactus Storage Jar in the ceramic category. Thomas also submitted many pieces of fabric art in the same section, all prize-worthy.

Vermeulen has been a loyal Scava member for years, contributing interesting pieces to their four annual exhibitions in the art gallery of the George Museum. He travels in from De Rust to attend lectures, meetings and events.

Thomas is also a teacher and mentor to the less privileged. He encourages his students to soar, and tries to position their art so that they will benefit financially.

Vermeulen has retired from the academic world. He was departmental head and senior lecturer in Ceramics at the Central University of Technology of the Free State. He holds a master's degree from the University of Natal.

Cactus - ceramic storage pot.

He also lectured at the Durban Teachers Training College and taught art at school level. Besides this, he is also a professional photographer and writes and illustrates children's books.

He had a brief brush with the world of dance when he received a bursary from the University of Cape Town to study ballet.

Vermeulen's work has been exhibited in one-man and group exhibitions. As a student he won a bronze medal at the World Show in Tokyo, Japan, and he has received bronzes at the Fuji Awards.

Other artists to look out for at the Visual Expressions Exhibition are Hein Botha, who is showing his bushman fable-inspired pieces, and Chris Spies, whose solo painting is big, colourful, striking and totally original. This one painting demands hours and hours of contemplation and study. Its technique is totally his own.

These three artists are a joy to behold. Don't wait - rush over to the George Museum Art Gallery to view their work.

Tree Top Strelitzia Nicolaii.