Clea Witte South African, b. 1969

"I was born in Pretoria, South Africa in 1969, my childhood was spent with my family in the United States, Germany, Belgium and South Africa.


Having spent many years in the corporate field as a graphic designer, I started painting in 2011 and by 2012 opened my Gallery, the Trotting Trestle


My art grows with each painting, finding new ways to bring across a work of art that captures the viewer to take a moment and be in wonder of such an incredible animal. It’s my perfect world being able to combine a love for horses and my love for art.

 

My favourite medium is oil on canvas. I normally start with an acrylic undercoat. This is a fabulous medium to create textures, a rich palimpsest of marks which comes alive when adding oil glazes to bring out their depth. Other mediums include pencil, charcoal and mixed media

My passion for animals and especially horses was there as from a very young age.

My work gets inspired, driven and fuelled by the beauty of the horse. I love working in oil paint, especially on a larger scale to capture the energy and grace of the horse. Most of the work that I do are commissions, work gets done from photographs but where possible I prefer to meet the horse in person. This gives me the chance to get a feel of the horse, a better understanding of the horse’s nature, capturing it’s essence and creating a work of art. In between commissions I do work on private works that are up for sale.

I find the energy I get from working with horses is an energy that I bring to my paintings. An absolutely favourite is showing details in the eyes, after all isn’t that the window to the soul?"

 

  • Graphic Design (Ruth Prowse School of Art and Design (1995)

  • Attended workshops under Elize Bezuidenhout, Cyrel Coetzee and on numerous occasions with Dr. Gregory Kerr