Meet the Artist

Anneke Potgieter is an escape artist. Her work quietens the noise of an overwhelming world, offering viewers a brief respite. In her abstract paintings, she uses color and linework to celebrate innocence, validate the quiet, and invite introspection. Both creating and reflecting on this type of art are ways for her to establish balance and inner calm. Her current body of work consists of abstract landscapes of an atmospheric nature, rendered predominantly in oils, cold wax, and acrylics.

As a trained chef and doctor of linguistics turned artist, Anneke Potgieter has always enjoyed creating— whether with food, words, or paint. Having struggled with anxiety as an old life partner, her sense of overwhelm, both mental and physical, escalated during the recent pandemic, as it did for many others around the world. A fortuitous result of the enforced lockdown, however, was that she discovered the full potential of the physical act of creating to induce a calm, meditative state, both in the creator and in the viewer. Today, painting is a daily practice that guides her to be fully immersed in the simplicity of the present. She finds herself constantly drawn to the interplay between light and dark, and the power of suggestion. Illusions, reflected light, and deep shadows are the result. With each piece, she invites the viewer to engage with their own intimate narrative.

annekepotgieter.com | @annekepotgieterart