Our popular annual Winter Gala runs from 30 June – 14 August. Once again the exhibition features an extensive range of paintings, ceramics and sculptures by more than thirty leading South African artists. Come and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere, personalised service and roaring wood fire as you view our selection of fine art. The Gallery’s adjoining shop also offers an array of gifts, crafts and Carrol Boyes functional art.

The Hout Street Gallery is open seven days a week, on

Monday - Saturday
from 08:30am - 5:00 pm

and on Sunday
from 10:00am - 5:00 pm.

270 Main Street, Paarl
Telephone: +27 (0) 21 872 5030
Fax: +27 (0) 21 872 7133

E-mail: zetler@icon.co.za
Web: www.houtstreetgallery.co.za

Thanks to everyone who was able to join us for our 35th Summer Salon. It is always a pleasure to see old friends, meet new faces and stay in touch online with friends in further flung places who are not able to physically visit until the next time they are in South Africa.

Now, with the scorching hot days turning into crisp, cool autumn nights, we are looking forward to the coziness of winter with our annual Winter Gala and popular Drakenstein Heritage Foundation Lecture Series.  Don’t forget that the Winter Gala starts slightly earlier this year on 30 June.

Acclaimed artist Ryno Swart has been a friend of the Gallery for many years and we are delighted to include his work again in the forthcoming Winter Gala. He has recently opened a charming gallery in Simonstown, which I urge you to visit.  As a treasured friend, he has inspired me greatly over the years and I share a few thoughts below about my own journey with him.  Hope to see you soon and we welcome your comments, so please keep in touch.

Regards
David

In conversation with David Zetler about Ryno Swart

I met Ryno for the first time in 1986, when I attended his painting classes at the Ruth Prowse Art Centre. Despite my theoretical knowledge of art, I was keen to develop a practical understanding of painting and drawing. I was thrown into the deep end of a group of most accomplished artists who wielded their brushes with aplomb.

I was the complete amateur who, until that moment, had never experienced the perfume of turpentine. I was treated kindly from the beginning, with no reference at all to my unwieldy and tentative ways.

I remember, amongst others in the classes, Caerli Hare, George Taylor-Botha, Karina Behr and John Robert, who were streets above me, and who displayed marked talent.

Ryno set up still lives as we worked in a circle, always attempting to obtain the best vantage point. When he set up his famous "Red Teapot", we all heaved a collective sigh at the sight of this unforgiving object. But we learnt to view it and see it and set down our vision with a fresh eye as to line, volume and tone.

Quotes from artists were a continuous backdrop to our labours such as his well-known readings of Ruskin - "You must control that hand of yours…".

An artist first and foremost, Ryno is arguably one of South Africa's best known and loved art teachers. Through the years he has guided many now professional artists in their own right and he continues to teach amateurs and professionals alike. His practical knowledge of painting and drawing is profound, and he delights in herding groups of artists on painting courses abroad. These are immensely popular, and include trips to Greece, Italy and France.

I have presented Ryno's work in the Gallery for the last 25 years and have grown to know his models through his paintings, such as Stephanie, Samantha, Maria, Ruby and Chantel.

I admire him for his integrity towards art, his intellectual ability and his sheer virtuosity – he paints subjects ranging from the nude, to the still life, scenes from the ballet, and a bird in Venice.

"Leave your mistakes" and " half close your eyes to cut out detail" are some of his sayings, often repeated for inspiration. I was particularly struck by a sentence in one of his monthly newsletters, which he writes with such intensity and sensitivity - I quote this in full:

"Our greatest problem lies in our desire to show the maximum amount of detail which moves a picture towards a continuous tone, where everything is equally visible and nothing stands out. Too many tones break up the surface tension of the painting, and destroy its design and quality, in particular the organization of lights and darks."

This epitomises his vision and knowledge of what is right and should be sought after by the serious artist.