Art Auction at The Village Art Gallery
De Rust, Western Cape.
WOW! The first ever art auction to be held in De Rust took place last night. It was organised by Brende Brits the owner of The Village Art Gallery.
Just over 50 paintings were submitted and sold. The unique thing about this auction, which was organised to raise funds for charity, was that the names of the artists were covered by the entry number. This meant that buyers were bidding on the work and not the name. And, there were some well known artists who submitted pieces for the auction.
Brende (right) chatting to Ella Heyns. Jady Heyns with back to camera.
Just a few of the big names; Glendine, Diane McLean, Ella, Neels Coetzee and Billy Strapp. Buyers really snapped up excellent pieces at way below market prices. I was standing with Jady Heyns, the well know movie producer of Hidden Camera, when he offered a lady double what she had paid for a Neels Coetzee Klein Karoo Landscape of the Rooikoppe. She had bought it for R2400.
Diane McLean fetched the highest price of R3200 for a still life; a twig of Klapperbos blooms on an old enamel plate. For non South Africans Klapperbos is the Chinese Lantern.
Diane McLean - Klapperbos on Enamel Plate
All paintings had to be 400mm x 300mm. Mediums used were pencil sketches, water colours, acrylics and oils.
The most exciting part of the evening was when the paintings submitted by our daughters, Sarah, Hannah and Emily, were auctioned. The story leading up to that point was quite traumatic for them. The pictures below depict the works in progress.
Sarah adding colour.
Kathryn, my wife, guided the three girls through each step of their paintings; practicing brush strokes and blending of colours; done first of all on paper. Then to the canvass.
Hannah applying texture.
The day after the paintings were submitted, Brende contacted us to say that the paintings could not be accepted because the auction was only open to adults, and there wasn’t a children’s section. They were quite upset and a few tears were shed but they soon puckered up when we said that we would hang their paintings in our home. What also helped was that Brende gave them vouchers for a free milkshake at the Village Trading Post.
Emily explaining to mom what she is doing!
Yesterday morning, the day of the auction, we went to collect their paintings and enjoy the milkshakes at the Trading Post. Brende informed us that she had discussed it with the auctioneer and she had agreed to do a pre-auction sale for the girls’ paintings. So last night the girls were called forward to hold up their paintings for all to see… and they sold for R270 as a set. They were more than happy to be able to make a contribution to the charity fund.
The photo below shows them holding up their works during their “private auction.” My camera’s flash decided not to work properly… sorry for the dark pic.
Emily, Hannah and Sarah - Holding Their Paintings Up For Auction.
Overall it was a wonderful evening, blessed with beautiful weather… a cool Klein Karoo night breeze, after a rather warm day. We are privileged to live in De Rust.
Add that one to your list of “Been there, Done that, Got the T-shirt.” Oh yes! Speaking of T-Shirts, you must get one of our “Town of the Year 2011.” Stock is limited.
