Some days you realise you have been given a gift, a message, directions for a new destination… when a friend mentioned Cyril Coetzee to me when I enquired if she knew of any art teachers in my area (Rivonia Jhb), I had never heard of Cyril Coetzee. On researching him on the net, I was simply blown away by his works - especially his narrative oil paintings.

I have yet to pick up the courage to call and ask if there might be a space on his workshops for lil ‘ol me (I did Higher art for Matric about a millenium ago?) but I live in hope… his most breathtaking piece was commissioned by the University of the Witwatersrand in 1996 - it is a 28 square metre canvas for the William Cullen Library, an internationally renowned archive, and is titled T’kama-Adamastor.

A large format art book focussing on the painting was published, elaborating on the themes, the commissioning and related works… a treasure chest of symbolism.

In basic terms, as described to me, as I haven’t read the book… it is the impression seen from the eyes of the indigenous tribes of the first landings of the Dutch colonists, arriving in their boats which looked like ducks, out of which poured more little ducks… (imagery is related to their hats). What I love about his work, are the stories behind them… you can’t look at them and immediately know ‘oh, that’s a landscape’ or a nude, etc… rather you are drawn into each piece, searching for the message, your intrigue growing as you slowly unwrap meanings, some your own and some sourced from your own particular perspective of life… they are really an adventure of iconic images that seem to have been birthed in our dreams.

Yup, gonna make that call, when I get the courage… You can only ask.