THE SENSE OF RAIN by Sarah Alissandra Mackie
1 March - 4 April 2018
"Because my art is completely natural... In the way I paint, in the freedom of my choice both of subject and materials, I've chosen to focus on the rain. The rain is the essence of nature and of freedom. It gives birth to nature just as my paint brush dips into watercolours and creates form .... So the rain creates a sense of life, of rebirth, and generates in all of us the sense of our life, our naturalness our interconnectness with one another and our creative source.
The Sense of rain is as beautiful as being in love because when one feels a longing for something this precious... when one senses the imminent arrival of rain... We again remember and appreciate the simple things that make life happy and worth living ... It's like the face of a beloved one, like a beautiful piece of art.
"When the well is dry, we know the worth of rain” William Wordsworth
Sarah's paintings, oil on canvas, watercolours and impressions on silk, express her deep appreciation of nature. Her fluid style expresses itself in her Cape fynbos pieces woven together with aspects of proteacea, erica, agapanthus as well as impressions of the natural landscape and ancient San Art. There is an uplifting and spiritual quality about Sarah's work both in the choice of her subject matter and the application thereof. Her intention is to convey a celebration of both indigenous and personal experience.
Sarah is an artist of world–wide acclaim. Her paintings reflect the quality of "magic", so evocative of the African continent. She studied art and illustration at The Michaelis School of Fine Art, University of Cape Town, from 1983 to 1986. Since then she has travelled Southern Africa extensively, collecting material for her work, particularly in the sphere of rock art, African history and legend. Sarah received further guidance and encouragement from local Cape artist, "Ginger" Townley Johnson, author of "Major Rock Art of Southern Africa".
This led to her commission by Wits University to paint San Rock Art for the display at Museum Africa in Johannesburg, completed in 1996.
From 1991 to 1999, Sarah ran her own retail outlet at The V&A Waterfront, selling her paintings of Southern African Rock Art and indigenous flora. She was commissioned by the Mayor of Cape Town to paint a Rock Art piece for Nelson Mandela to present to Queen Elizabeth in 1996. Sarah also created many other diplomatic gifts of this nature for the South African Government to present to visiting Presidents and diplomats.
Sarah's Art work was recently on exhibition in the African section of the Royal Summer Collection exhibition at Buckingham Palace, 2017.
Exhibitions
Murals, Museum Africa, Johannesburg commissioned by Wits University 1995.
SA Dept trade and Industry, Grand Central Station, New York, 1996.
Solo Exhibition, RCYC Cape Town, 1996.
and several exhibitions at V& A Waterfront, 1994 to 1999.
World Aware Art Exhibition London, 1995
Solo exhibition of indigenous flowers and rock art, 'Evita's Perron' Darling- 2002.
Sophia Gallery Simon's Town - 2004
Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, 1997 to 2018
Royal Summer Collection Art Exhibition, London - 2017
