Briefcase in hand, former businesswoman, Emma Robb morphed into an artist when she moved to the Dolphin Coast 21 years ago.
“When I still ran my print and design business, I was always smartly dressed and my briefcase neatly polished. Now we are both covered in colourful blobs of paint,” said Robb, who ran her own company for 19 years in Gauteng.
Now her paintings hang in homes around the world from New York to New Zealand.
“Selling my first painting gave me more joy than all of the awards I won with my business. It is such a compliment to know someone has my painting in their home.”
Painting with oil is her medium of choice, although she does work with other mediums from time to time.
“Oil is so forgiving. If you make a mistake, you just paint over it. Sometimes I even use my fingers if I get frustrated with the brush. I work with charcoal every now and then, but if you make a mistake, you have had it. There is no correcting it and it is very messy.”
The bubbly Robb said she loves painting portraits of animals and especially people.
“Portraits are tricky and can go horribly wrong. The eyes say everything. If you get the eyes right, the rest will fall into place.”
The walls in her home are covered in paintings, originals of course.
“I would rather hang a child’s painting on my wall than a print. It kills me to see people paying money for prints. It is so impersonal and artificial.”
In an attempt to revive the love for original art and to give exposure to Ballito’s artists, Robb started Art Buddies. The group of 12 artists exhibit together every three months at the Ballito Bay Mall.
“It is so difficult for artists to get their work out there in the public eye. We put our art on the internet, but it is not the same thing. Being able to exhibit our work in malls and public spaces gives it life.”
Beside supporting local artists, you will also give back to charity, as Art Buddies donates a percentage of their sales to Hospice.
To join the Art Buddies or for more info about their next exhibition, contact Robb on 082 447 8353.
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