I came on Annamie's work via Etsy. This print caught my eye because I knew the location and had a photograph from a similar viewpoint. Looking at her work, I immediately wanted to include her in what was then only a planned blog as one of the Artist Profiles. I'm pleased to be able to do that now.
Annamie Pretorius was born in South Africa in 1971 and grew up in the suburbs north of Johannesburg. She is the daughter of an architect and grew up in a house filled with paintings and lino prints by her uncle. Annamie studied Architecture at the University of the Freestate, SA and qualified as an Architect in 1994. She has been living and working in Ireland since 2002, with her husband and 3 young children. Though currently working part time as an architect in the Public Sector, Annamie is slowly working towards establishing a full time career in printmaking and hope to move back to South Africa with her family in the near future.
www.flickr.com/photos/26552526@N06/
Do you consider yourself primarily to be an artist? >Yes, but in reality a lot of what I do daily is not creative at all.
Do you describe yourself as an artist to other people? >I did for the first time a few months back, it felt great.
For you, what is the best thing about being an artist? >Losing all sense of time and my surroundings when I am creating.
For you, what is the worst thing about being an artist? >Not having enough time – there are just so many other things that get in the way.
What media do you work in? >I work as a printmaker, doing both relief and intaglio hand pulled prints. I have also played around with oil pastels and oil and water paint and really enjoyed it, but I don’t think any of these will ever be my main medium, as my passion is for prints.
Have you had a formal artistic education (Degree/Diploma)? >Yes, if a degree in Architecture counts. Other than that I have completed several short courses in printmaking, both in South Africa and Ireland but have no formal training as an artist.
If not, have you considered training? >After school I seriously considered studying Graphic Design instead of Architecture, and I still think about going back to do a diploma or degree in Graphic Design or Fine Art.
If yes, but you didn’t do it, what prevented you from taking it up? >I picked Architecture thinking it would offer better career opportunities (that was just before the internet kicked off) Later it was mostly a lack of time as well as financial considerations that prevented me from going back.
What has been your best experience as an artist? >The positive feedback I received when I started selling my work on Etsy and posting on the printmaking forum at Wetcanvas.com. It came as a complete surprise.
What has been your worst experience as an artist? >Going through a few creative slumps.
Who are your artistic heroes? >My uncle, Hannes Pretorius, who was my first art ‘teacher’, a few South African artists like J.H. Pierneef, Walter Battiss and Gregoire Boonzaier, and then the usual suspects Turner, Escher, Munch, Miro Picasso, Renoir…
What barriers do you think you face in promoting your work? >I am very conscious of the fact that I have no formal art training and this does stop me from approaching local galleries and entering competitions or shows. Being a foreigner in Ireland also makes it harder to get into the art scene, I just don’t know the right people. The Internet has made it much easier to promote my work though and with the feedback and sales I get there I don’t really worry about promoting my work locally at this stage of my career. Through the web I have much more exposure as an artist in the US than in Ireland or South Africa, which is quite ironic as I’ve never even been to America.
How long did it take for you to develop a distinctive style? >I don’t think I have a distinctive style yet as I am still experimenting a lot, but some themes do keep repeating itself in my works and I guess this will lead to some kind of style in future. I don’t really think about this at all, I just do what I feel like doing at the time.
Where do you work? >At home, in a bedroom converted into a little studio. I have three tables, a small printing press, drying rack and my computer. It’s small, but nice and warm and close to the living area so I don’t feel too isolated when working.
Have you been in any shows? >No, but I like to believe that its simply because I haven’t entered yet.
Are you making a living from your creative work? >Not at all, but I make enough to buy supplies so it pays for itself.
Do you ever meet other artists? How? >In real life, rarely. The only artists I meet would be the ones doing courses with me. I have a colleague and friend who is into printmaking though and we work together and encourage each other a lot.
Are you a member of any arts grouping (on or offline)? >Yes, I participate quite frequently on Wetcanvas.com ‘s Printmaking forum. The other printmakers I met there feel like friends I’ve known for years. I am also a member of two groups on Flickr.com where we share our work and get some feedback.
If yes, has your membership helped in any way? > Oh absolutely. The other members are extremely helpful and always ready to give advice. I learned a lot from them and hope that the advice I’ve given helped a few others too. It’s always good to look at other’s work too, and the bigger the variety the better.
Do you ever go to shows, exhibitions, book launches, talks or other artistic gatherings? >Occasionally, about two or three times a year.
What was the last exhibition you saw? >A pinhole photography exhibition in a local gallery.
What other broadly ‘artistic’ activities do you enjoy (e.g. listening to or playing music, writing, singing, dancing)? >I love listening to music and have a wide-ranging taste, I also read a lot, both fiction and non-fiction, and like many people I dream of writing a novel one day.
What would be your most important piece of advice to an aspiring artist? >Don’t be scared of failing, keep going even if you think you are no good. It takes a lot of practice and hard work, and the real reward of any artistic or creative work is in the process itself. If anyone else likes it, or even buys it, it’s simply a big bonus.
Can you name a work of non-fiction that has had a major and lasting influence on how you think about the world? >Two books - Art & Fear by David Bayles & Ted Orland and War of Art by Steven Pressfield.
If you could own any painting or other work of art what would it be? >Any one of J.H. Pierneef’s (1886-1957) South African landscape paintings, particularly the one titled: Hermanus Harbour.
What are you reading at the moment (fiction or non-fiction)? >Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (again).
What otherwise popular activity do you regard as a waste of time? >Watching television – I only do when I want to waste some time.
What would be your ideal holiday? >A summer seaside holiday, camping in a secluded campsite behind the dunes, swimming and snorkelling and cooking mussels we pick off the rocks in a small fire on the beach.
What is your happiest childhood memory? >See above – we did exactly that, every summer of my childhood.
How, if at all, would you change your life were you suddenly to win or inherit an enormously large sum of money? >Stop working, move to a farm in the Karoo, South Africa and make art every day.
From March 22 to March 27 2011, it is Euro week on Etsy. According to Etsy there will be "special home pages full of products from throughout Europe, emails, events, information for doing business globally, and much more."
