Durban - Patience, for Richards Bay artist Joe Marais, is one of the key attributes in creating his internationally renowned works of art.
He spends days on end, seated near game reserve watering holes, watching the animals, sketching them and taking photographs.
“When I work on my paintings, it’s not just a random picture. It’s painted after many hours observing the animal. So when someone buys one of my pieces, I can tell you at what time I saw the animal, whether it was sunrise or sunset, the weather there is a whole story that goes into a piece, and that makes it special,”
Some of his works are on exhibit at The Blue Caterpillar Art Gallery, based at Butterflies for Africa in Pietermaritzburg. The exhibition will run until the end of July.
Marais said he travelled frequently to southern African countries such as Botswana and Zimbabwe, to capture images of animals in their natural habitats. “I love the Okavango Delta in Botswana.”
He has exhibited in New York, Washington and Nevada, Canada, London and Mauritius. “The market overseas
loves African wildlife. This is why tourists love to have a painting to keep in their homes because it reminds them of a special time.
“ I can never paint enough.”
Most are done on site at Cafe d’Art Gallery.