Freedom in expression

Tanya Fourie is a talented young painter whose works of art can be found on display at the Honeydew Urban Market. Her paintings range from moody and melancholic to cheerful, bright colours.

Tanya shared that she started painting when she was in school. “I started in high school and then I did a bit of InTech; I haven’t stopped,” she began.

The Honeydew resident said art and creativity run in her family, sharing that her sister is also very artistic. “She’s a designer. I just went the painting route because there is far more freedom.” She is often inspired in the moment and there is no one thing that compels her to pick up a paint brush.

“I like to use ideas I get from my imagination. It depends what that is. When I am in front of a canvas, I go into my own world and I start painting. I prefer people to see my work from their own perspective – when they look at my painting, I prefer for them to say what they see. I have a very hard time remembering what I was thinking about when I was painting a specific piece,” Tanya smiled.

She said precision is key in many professions and there is hardly a margin for error, whereas with art there is no right or wrong. “You could shade the way you want, and it will come out the way you want it to. I’m free from thinking.” Though she loves painting, Tanya also draws and makes floral crowns which she sells at the market.

She counts Spanish artist, Salvador Dali as one of her inspirations, “Because despite a lot of people pushing rules in art, he is proof that there are no rules. You can do whatever you want.”