South African visual artist Janet Botes

Janet Botes

South Africa | 5 artworks for sale

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  • Rondevlei Garden Route Dam - Digital Collage by Janet Botes Rondevlei Garden Route Dam
    Digital Collage / 98 x 62 cm
    R14 500
  • Franschhoek Overberg - Digital Collage by Janet Botes Franschhoek Overberg
    Digital Collage / 132 x 44 cm
    R16 000
  • Across The Bay - Digital Collage by Janet Botes Across The Bay
    Digital Collage / 138 x 138 cm
    R22 000
  • New Heights - Digital Collage by Janet Botes New Heights
    Digital Collage / 140 x 56 cm
    R16 000
  • My Mountains - Digital Collage by Janet Botes My Mountains
    Digital Collage / 120 x 25 cm
    R12 000
  • Contemplating A Stone - Drawing by Janet Botes
    Contemplating A Stone
    Drawing / 42 x 59 cm
  • My Mountains II - Painting by Janet Botes
    My Mountains II
    Painting / 79 x 22 cm
  • The Flow Of The Land - Painting by Janet Botes
    The Flow Of The Land
    Painting / 84 x 84 cm
  • Nuances: Upington Rain Prayer Ed. 1/5 - Digital Art by Janet Botes
    Nuances: Upington Rain Prayer Ed. 1/5
    Digital Art / 104 x 80 cm
  • Nuances: Forces Of The Soil - Fine Art Editions by Janet Botes
    Nuances: Forces Of The Soil
    Fine Art Editions / 150 x 100 cm
  • Nuances: Stellenberg Helderberg - Fine Art Editions by Janet Botes
    Nuances: Stellenberg Helderberg
    Fine Art Editions / 130 x 60 cm
  • In Elke Oomblik Is Waarheid - Mixed Media by Janet Botes
    In Elke Oomblik Is Waarheid
    Mixed Media / 57 x 45 cm
  • Transformed Landscape/Innerscape - Mixed Media by Janet Botes
    Transformed Landscape/Innerscape
    Mixed Media / 65 x 65 cm
  • Nuances: Look Far Ahead - Fine Art Editions by Janet Botes
    Nuances: Look Far Ahead
    Fine Art Editions / 62 x 80 cm
  • Landscaping Of The Ancients - Printmaking by Janet Botes
    Landscaping Of The Ancients
    Printmaking / 150 x 29 cm
  • Nuances: In Every Drop Of Water .. - Printmaking by Janet Botes
    Nuances: In Every Drop Of Water ..
    Printmaking / 55 x 80 cm
  • Swellendam Marloth - Printmaking by Janet Botes
    Swellendam Marloth
    Printmaking / 65 x 65 cm
  • Nuances: Fly Home - Printmaking by Janet Botes
    Nuances: Fly Home
    Printmaking / 80 x 85 cm
  • Nuanced Land - Printmaking by Janet Botes
    Nuanced Land
    Printmaking / 65 x 65 cm
  • Cascade - Mixed Media by Janet Botes
    Cascade
    Mixed Media / 66 x 90 cm
  • Nuances: Hantam Hartland - Printmaking by Janet Botes
    Nuances: Hantam Hartland
    Printmaking / 120 x 63 cm
  • Thinking In Line With Myself - Mixed Media Painting by Janet Botes
    Thinking In Line With Myself
    Mixed Media Painting / 34 x 63 cm
  • Sea Breeze - Limited Edition Print by Janet Botes
    Sea Breeze
    Limited Edition Print / 65 x 65 cm
  • Nuances: George Sedgefield - Printmaking by Janet Botes
    Nuances: George Sedgefield
    Printmaking / 80 x 80 cm
  • In Die Vertes Van Gister - Limited edition print by Janet Botes
    In Die Vertes Van Gister
    Limited edition print / 77 x 42 cm
  • Poetry Of The Landscape - Painting by Janet Botes
    Poetry Of The Landscape
    Painting / 60 x 26 cm
  • Memory Of This - Limited edition print by Janet Botes
    Memory Of This
    Limited edition print / 65 x 49 cm
Janet's work is guided by an intense appreciation for the natural world and our place as part of the web of life. 

"With an intuitive, exploratory approach to art, my work often process-based. It ranges from detailed ink drawings to performative actions and explorations in urban-, gallery- and outdoors spaces. 
I am interested in the nature and spirit of place just as much as our inter-relationships with these spaces and other organisms. The initial concept for an artwork often change and evolve over a period of days or weeks. A process is often also guided by spontaneous responses to my subject matter and materials, and in this sense each artwork is a new experience and exploration. What unifies my work is my underlying intention of sharing my connection and respect for the sacredness and interconnectivity of life. I am particularly guided and inspired by ecology, biodiversity, natural cycles and our place as a species within the web of life.
My work is inspired by the natural rhythms of the Earth and by taking into consideration how deep ecology, biology, the Gaia theory and our daily lives intertwine. My work is also informed by my quest to learn more about myself and the world, finding new ways of being, deepening my spiritual experience of what we call ‘reality’, and expressing this in my art. My artworks include watercolour painting, ink drawings, limited edition prints, mixed media sculptures, found object art, video work, performance art, and installation art. My workshops are aimed at helping people develop their creativity and connect deeper to Mother Earth."

B.Tech Graphic Design (Vaal University Of Technology)

Janet Botes (1984-) was born in Vanderbijlpark, South Africa, and currently works and lives on the Garden Route. She is a visual artist whose work include Land Art, Installation Art, Drawing, Painting, Mixed Media, and Digital Art - and involves her working just as much in the outdoors than in the studio. Janet was involved in coordinated monthly land art gatherings for artists based in the Western Cape, and has volunteered as a team member for Site_Specific and Anni Snyman's Karoo Geoglyph Project. She created art in South Korea in August 2015 as part of the Global Nomadic Art Project, and helped to coordinate the South African leg of the project, Stories of Rain, in 2016. She was one of the artists for the Tankwa Artscape residency in 2019 and 2021, and in 2023 held her first Garden Route solo exhibition, entitled "The Stones Speak, The Moss Whispers", partly funded by the African Culture Trust, and coinciding with the annual Wilderness Art Festival. 

Since 2007 Janet has participated in workshops in concept development, art therapy, performance art, wild foraging, and trained as a Climate Reality presenter with Al Gore. These workshops served to further her knowledge and enrich her art practice, and since 2010 she has facilitated workshops in different settings and capacities to share her knowledge and help others delve into their own inherent creativity and connection within the natural world. When she's not making art Janet supports other artists, environmental NGO's, holistic healing practitioners, and small business owners through offering graphic design services, idea generation, marketing help, networking & project/event coordination. 

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2023 "The Stones Speak, The Moss Whispers", Wilderness
2016 ORGANISM, StateoftheART Gallery, Cape Town
2014 WILD & STILL: expressions of the landscape, StateoftheART Gallery, Cape Town

SELECTED RESIDENCIES
2021 Tankwa Artscape
2016 OPENLab2016, as part of the Programme for Innovation in Artform Development (PIAD), an initiative of the Vrystaat Arts Festival and University of the Free State. Included a weeklong residency at MAP (Modern Art Projects) in Richmond
2015 Global Nomadic Art Project Korea II. Presented by Yatoo-i, South Korea.
Thupelo workshop, Ruth Prowse School of Art, Woodstock, Cape Town, South Africa
2011 Koekenaap regional artists workshop. Presented by Wesland Art Society and the Department of Cultural Affairs, Koekenaap, Matzikama District, South Africa.

 CORPORATE COLLECTIONS:
- Pricewaterhouse Coopers
- PPS Investments
- OPTIMA Training
- Heyns & Partners Inc

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2023 Reimagine / The Great Ol' Dame, George Museum, George.
2020 Myopia, William Humphreys Art Gallery
2019 12x12x12+Nature, Geumgang Nature Art Center, South Korea
2018 VERGE, Knysna Art Gallery @ Old Gaol
2017 Stream of Consciousness. Liebrecht Gallery, Somerset West
2015 Remembrance of Nature: 30 Nature Artists in the World, Geumgang Nature Art Center, Gongju, South Korea
2014 The industrial Karoo: FEAR & LOSS, curated by Katie Barnard du Toit. Oliewenhuis Art Museum,"The Reservoir", Bloemfontein.
2013 Pieces & Puzzles: Compositions of human expression inspired by nature. Lovell Gallery, Woodstock. Curated by Stephanie Schoeman.
2012 Walk This Earth Alone, Gallery @ Grande Provence, Franschhoek, Western Cape.
HumanEarth III: First Material, US Gallery, University of Stellenbosch’s Woordfees,Western Cape. Curated by Nastasha Daniels
2011 Scrapes & Scapes, Exhibition by Janet Botes & Mark Shaun Hopkins. Bodutu Gallery, Vanderbijlpark
2010 VAN-Guard Winelands Group Exhibition, Durbanville Hills, Western Cape. Curated and organized by VANSA/Visual Arts Network of South Africa.
2008 Unified: Unpretty, Unclean, Underneath, Unnatural. Eat Your Words Artspace, Vereeniging, Gauteng

Which new trends or South African artists do you find inspiring at the moment?

I see an increase in artists using their art in ways that help people heal or cope, either by creating art around difficult issues and emotional experience, or by offering workshops that allow people to access deeper spaces of their own mind and body through art-making. I also find it heartening that more and more artists are having a hard look at their materials and its environmental and health impacts. 
 

Which South African deceased artist do you most admire and why?

Judith Mason’s work is just always inspiring to me. Just the other day I visited the home of a friend’s parents, and I saw a Judith Mason artwork of a wing, with layers of paper cut to add depth – an art piece of hers that I have never seen before in books or on the internet… Her use of soft lines and sensitive details that work together to create something bold and impactful is one of the things I enjoy most about her work. The juxtapositioning and metaphors in her work are equally inspiring!
 

If you could only have one piece of art in your life, what would it be?

I own a beautiful little artwork by Elrie Joubert entitled 2365 Eie Woorde which is my current favourite piece of art.
 

Pick three artists who you would be honored to exhibit with – and why?

I love the sensitive earth revering works of artists like Lindy Solomon, Leli Hoch, Hanien Conradie, Ellie Irons, Mel Chin, and Margaret LeJeune. It would be an honour for me to exhibit with any of these artists because of their deep connection to nature.
 

How did you get started? Did you always want to be an artist?

As a child I was constantly drawing, colouring in, and later also taking photos, so it seems art was destined to play a big role in my life. During my teenage years I had an incredible art teacher who exposed me to the work of Strijdom van der Merwe, Willem Boshoff, Lien Botha, Chris Diedericks, Judith Mason, and Walter Battis. She arranged field trips to galleries and her enthusiasm was contagious. Art is also a way for me to make sense of my feelings, a mode of self expression, and it’s easier for me to make sense of the world when I am creating something with my hands (and heart).
 

?What are some of the key themes you explore in your work?

I am inspired by the concepts biomimicry and deep ecology, and our place within the web of life, and the cosmos. Spirituality is a theme that I’m exploring quite a bit, which is leading me into new modes of expression – e.g. I’m using my voice much more extensively than I’ve done in previous video work or performance art. Sense of place, and journeys, are a theme that can be seen clearly in my work, as is a simple appreciation for ecology, biology and the plant kingdom.
 

What should people know about your art that they can’t tell from looking at it?
I am inspired by more things than what you see in my art. Random places and situations often inspire me. Doing shopping, taking a walk, or ironing clothes are just as ideal for sparks of inspiration than taking a hike in the mountains, on the beach or sitting under a tree. The patterns oil make on the surface of water, cracked tiles, popcorn shapes, tire treads, the colour of someone’s eyes, the speed of nail growth, and random pieces of wire found on a sidewalk…all of these can be inspiring sparks for new art, photographs, or doodles.

 
Tell us more about your creative process.
My art practice is very versatile or diverse - as I apply a lot of different techniques. My ink drawings are very detailed and intricate, while my mixed media works are textured, often abstract or semi-abstract. Some of my digital artworks lean towards photo-realism (because I use photographs in them!), while my performance art is inspired by Dada and the happenings of the 1960’s and 1970’s artists. My art is representational when I depict animals, landscapes or plant matter; but abstract and contemporary when I'm focusing more on a concept. I have been told that my art in general has a very earthy, raw and African character. This can be best seen in my colour choices - which are often browns, sepia, ochre and rusty tones. My work is very very often very intuition-driven, experimental and process-based.
 

Do you believe an artist should use their platform to influence society? Why?
I used to think so. Now I think that it’s more about giving something of yourself to others. Through art, through being true to one’s own inner compass, listening to your own intuition, and in this way (by changing yourself, being true to yourself, by healing yourself) we automatically influence society from the inside out. By living our most vibrant and courageous selves, we help to improve life for others by inspiring them & giving them hope.

Do you have a favourite or most meaningful work?

Yes, I would say ‘Forces of the Soil’ (SOLD). It’s an artwork that succeeded beyond my expectations to express what I aimed to show (which is the epic geological power of the Earth)

 

What is your greatest achievement as an artist to date?
I’m unable to pinpoint one pinnacle achievement, but I would like to say that each art residency that I have participated in have deeply impacted my art-making abilities and my core experience of being an artist. Each residency, project or collaboration allows me to embody more and more of the artist and person that I truly am.
 

What are your aspirations for the future?
Big milestones include my next solo exhibition (planned for March 202), my first published book of my art and poetry, the Tankwa Artscape 2021 residency, and using art to contribute to environmental projects like Greenpop’s Reforest Festival on the Garden Route or social projects in my community.
I am also looking forward to collaborative projects that include art retreats, workshops and large-scale installation art.

 

Learn more about Janet in our interview and short film with the artist here.