Du Toit Schabort. Digital Exhibition

I am an artist living in Cape Town, South Africa, 39 years of age. I would like to share with you my recent work - a new form of art, which I would like to call Ground Art. I am a nature person and biochemist by training. Holidays I spend hiking and mountain biking, and taking pictures and mental images of South Africa and Namibia. Geology (the science of rocks and minerals) and palaeontology (the study of dinosaur fossils) are fascinating, which I work into artworks of the landscapes I visit. The adventure becomes the painting! My growing collection of rocks is associated with a growing collection of memories from the wonderful places I have visited of lived in. I want to share this passion for what is underneath your feet - the ordinary stuff like rocks and mud, and how they can remind you of the amazing things around us, our place in the world, and how to think about what wealth means to you.

What's in the name?

Naturally, since I paint using soil and rocks ground to the suitable consistency (with a suitable amount of violence!) and mixed with a long-lasting transparent modern glue, and because the Afrikaans name for soil is 'grond', 'ground' sounds about right. It also refers to the want to return to a ground state or the roots of art, by using the natural elements of nature, without alterations or additives. Southern Africa is rich in ancient culture and is in fact believed to be the cradle of mankind, where some of the first humans walked the earth, painting with charcoal and ochre. It is also rich in minerals and gemstones. 

Du Toit Schabort