Swedish artist pays a visit
Years ago, in 1990, former Polokwane Mayor, Jack Botes, acquired an oil painting by well-known artist, Jeanine Jansson.
POLOKWANE – Years ago, in 1990, former Polokwane Mayor, Jack Botes, acquired an oil painting by well-known artist, Jeanine Jansson.
The painting is called Amarula and now hangs in the Polokwane Art Museum. Jansson has sold more than 2 500 original paintings and around 100 newspapers have interviewed her. During Jansson’s recent visit to South Africa, Review grasped the opportunity to speak to her. “I haven’t visited South Africa in 25 years,” she said.
Jansson was born in South Africa and grew up here, but after turning 16 years old, she decided to move to Sweden where she lived with friends of her parents.
“I met my husband, Anders, there and we got married. We are still married today, 43 years later. We have four children.”
This is only the fifth time Jansson has visited South Africa since moving to Sweden.
She said since her earliest memory, art has been a part of her. “I am someone who does things, I am creative. I paint what I feel, if I can feel it I paint it. While I am skilled in painting people, I prefer wildlife. Nature is always flexible,” she explained.
Jansson said she prefers to work with oil paint and the best time for her to paint is whenever she feels like it. “I do have discipline, but I need to feel good. I work on a painting over a few days or even weeks. I like to have background noise when I work.”
Her first exhibition was in 1987 and since then she has had countless others. Over the years she travelled a lot in Europe to find inspiration for her paintings.
Another trip was to the Caribbean and one of her paintings from there even featured on a cover for an Art Calendar in 2007.
“Almost 20 years ago I started using palette knives when I was making my oil paintings. My art became full of life and I liked it. Most of the time I use oil on canvas but sometimes I also paint with acrylic and aquarelle.”
A few years ago Jansson was invited to the South African Embassy in Stockholm by the Ambassador. She said it was great to receive appreciation for herself and her art.
Jansson’s inspiration is life itself. She said she was motivated to paint a painting of the blood moon after seeing it for the first time in Polokwane.
She also donated two paintings to the Polokwane Art Museum.
“My favourite quote is by L. Ron Hubbard: A culture is only as great as its dreams and its dreams are dreamed by artists.”
