Jane Digby’s 2-in-1 exhibition a huge success

The opening night of Jane Digby’s 2-in-1 art exhibition at Simbithi Country Club last week was chock-a-block – proving that KZN residents do in fact leave the house when it’s raining.

Upstairs in a cordoned-off area was Digby’s A Hymn to Her exhibition, a sobering reflection on her journey with breast cancer over the past two years.

Other artists featured in this special exhibition were Dee Donaldson, Sue Whitmore and Tayla Blacklaw. A Hymn to Her also featured poetry and prose by Jane Digby, Mandy Mulders, Di Mather and Allyson Milne. Mandy Cloete contributed to furniture design and manufacturing.

Digby began working on A Hymn to Her when her daughter, Tayla, asked to do her matric art project on her.

“I did not know it would culminate in an exhibition. Tayla started taking photos and I started painting, and it all sort of began from there,” said Digby.

She said the name of the exhibition was inspired by Hymn to Her, a song by The Pretenders, which attendees could listen to on headphones while taking in the artworks.

Ninety percent of the paintings in the second exhibition, If Not Now, When? were done this year, said Digby.

“It’s a celebration of life,” she in her opening night speech.

“I am sharing with you my purpose, my life, my passion for painting and South Africa.”

The exhibition ran from Wednesday, August 28 to Sunday, September 1. Digby was thrilled with the turnout, and estimates that about 700 people visited the exhibitions.

“The entire weekend was just constant flow. The walkabouts were particularly well-attended,” she said.

She thanked the North Coast community for coming out to support her.

“The response has been incredible,” she said.