Art Appreciation – an expose of Ana Lampen

by Fourways Gardens journalist Francesca Beattie

​Ana Lampen was interviewed for the Fourways Gardens Residential Estate Magazine for July 2020. Here is the article with photos.

​Ana Lampen captures the essence of her subjects within her portraits. Here are the responses to our interview questions.

Brief biography: where/how/when did you start?

I have always had a love of art. I didn’t actually do art in school, and when I went to university, I was ‘encouraged’ (persuaded) to go into the science field. That didn’t work out and I eventually summoned the courage to do art. I studied Fine Art many years ago, majoring in sculpture and printmaking. I did a bit of ceramics during this time too. I then took a break from art as I started a family, and became a full- time mom and housewife, and also assisted my husband in starting his business.

For the next 20 years, I did very little in the field of art, although I found various creative outlets in doing odds and ends around the house (sewing, embroidery, knitting pillowcases and carpets, and even made a few lampshades!), but I always had the intention of taking it up again.

Your journey in art: how did you develop your style? How did it evolve?

I am not quite sure what my style is yet, I’m working on it! After such a long time of not being able to focus or work on my art full time, when I did decide to dedicate some time to it and to start working at it again, I started by attending some courses and lessons to hone and develop my skills, as well as to learn to work with new techniques, subject matter and mediums. I was particularly interested in working in colour and doing detailed work (as I hadn’t done this before), so I did a bit of water colour, a bit of calligraphy, and then started colour pencil classes with Pearl de Chalain (pearIdechaIaingmaiI.com), who also lives in Fourways Gardens. I fell in love with working with colour and detailed pencil work.

Where do you exhibit your work?

In the house and to my family mostly!

What are you currently working on?
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I’m currently doing a lot of animal portraits in colour pencils.

Your future goals/wish list:

I would love to be able to work on my art full time and to extend my work to do oil paintings and more gestural pieces.

What inspires you?

The sky, nature and silence.

Your favourite subjects and medium(s)?

My favourite subject is portraiture - attempting to capture the essence of a person within an artwork

Currently I am doing a lot of work using coloured pencils, but I also love working with charcoal (my old favourite) and pastels, and I can’t wait to start working in oils.

Your favourite technique(s)?

I love the layering required when working with coloured pencils. Putting layers down, taking them off, and building your layers and colours like that. Detailed pencil work requires a lot of layering and you can have up to 20 layers before you get the right colour!

Which other artists’ work do you enjoy?

I love Wim Botha, Willem Boshoff and, of course, William Kentridge. My favourite portrait artists are Candace Charlton and Kern Evans.

Tips and advice on the use/working in your favourite medium:

Choose a good picture to work from, good quality paper and colour-fast pencils, and then have a lot of patience!

General/useful tips from your experience for aspirant artists:

The process and journey of creating art is a very individual one and experienced differently. You have to love art, to have a passion for it, as well as to have a lot of patience and perseverance!

Are you willing to accept commissions?

Absolutely!

Where can you be contacted?
 
I can be contacted on my email [email protected]. I am also in the process of setting up a Facebook page, coming soon!