Inspired by Life... by Pauline Lourens, George Herald

His imagination takes him places. Wilderness artist Peter Pharoah draws inspiration from many things; one of them is Island Lake where his studio is located.

With his camera at the ready, he has become attuned to capturing that perfect image which may become the inspiration for his next painting.

Recently his wife Tracey, who is an advertising, marketing and web consultant, spotted two boys en route from the Wilderness Heights squatter camp to the Bundu Café with a handful of coins. She captured their animated discussion of how these unexpected riches would best be spent and Peter used it to create an artwork entitled To the Spaza which is now part of his limited edition print collection.
"It’s not often that one of my photographs makes the grade, so I was thrilled when Peter told me that he would use it for reference," she said.

One of Peter’s recent paintings entitled Bafana Bafana (which means "boys boys") captures the energy of a group of young boys kicking around a ball in Zanzibar and was painted with a view to commemorating the excitement of the 2010 Soccer World Cup tournament.

With a pioneering aviator grandfather Victor Smith, and father Hugh Pharoah, who only recently retired as 747-simulator instructor as well as two brothers who fly commercially, it is small wonder that Peter too loves flying, although he often admits that hang gliding is his first love. The couple are fortunate to have travelled extensively through Africa and South Africa and although over recent years their wings have been somewhat clipped with two school going children, Peter still likes to wing it around the country in his Jabiru J430, visiting faraway places in search of inspiration. He has recently returned from a trip to Agulhas and Augrabies.

Experimenting with textures and techniques which are applied with brushes, knives or even his fingers to achieve unconventional effects is what makes Peter’s work unique. The fiery, warm colours in many of his paintings have drawn people from colder climes to take a "special memory of Africa" home with them.
Article: Pauline Lourens

Article ID : 54