Nelléne Louw rejects living a dull life and speaks a language of a thousand bold colours that brightens up life and the world around her.
Nelléne Louw (77) brings colour to the world with her special acrylic flow art skills and she shares how her positivity has spread through what she creates, bringing depth, vibrance and vigour to life.
Nelléne not only dabbles in the world of art but she is a successful businesswoman, a phenomenal mother of three, grandmother of seven and great-grandmother of five. The renowned artist, who grew up in the south of Johannesburg, ventured into art wholeheartedly during lockdown.
Nelléne harnessed her artistic talent by experimenting with acrylic flow art and has perfected her artistic ability since then. Her passion for all things art began at the age of six years old. She would create beautiful pieces of art that her mother would hang up on display in their home.
When she stepped into adulthood, Nelléne pursued nursing and later met her husband, Henk Louw. She put her career and artistic craft on hold and devoted her precious time to her family and raising her three children. Nelléne loves her family dearly, expressing: ‘Family means everything to me.’
After raising her children, the talented artist was struck with a keen interest to create art again. She started at Thaba Eco Hotel, nestled in the Klipriversberg Nature Reserve area. She was tasked with putting her paintbrush and creativity to work and painted pictures of African pots on canvases for the restaurant and hotel rooms. The authentic African paintings were inspired by the name of the hotel.
A beacon of hope
Nelléne’s story is inspirational. She is a woman of great determination and her ability to fill the world with beauty is a testament to how one’s talent is not limited to anything, especially not one’s age.
Her life is also a testament to strength as she survived breast cancer twice. ‘Half my life I spent fighting cancer. I was 38 then and I am 77 now, free of cancer,’ explains Nelléne. As a cancer survivor, Nelléne understands how tough the battle is and devotes her time off to helping those with cancer.
She helps them by encouraging, giving hope and spreading her positive energy to remind patients that cancer can be fought. Nelléne has also helped celebrities fight the cancer battle. ‘Believing in Jesus Christ and radiating positivity energy is an important part of overcoming adversity. As a cancer survivor, I understand the tremendous impact the disease has on many aspects of the person’s life and having someone offer any kind of encouragement gives you hope to overcome,’ said Nelléne.
Christmas time is family time
Nelléne values time with her family and her favourite Christmas tradition is having lunch with her family at her house. ‘Christmas season is a wonderful time and my fondest Christmas memory is being with my family,’ highlighted Nelléne. She believes that faith and love keep a family together. ‘A family that prays together stays together.’
During the holiday season, Nelléne and her family enjoyed seaside holidays but now they enjoy coming together for lunches or dinners.
This Christmas, her whole family is getting together at her house to have a delicious lunch. They do not believe in gift-giving because being together as a family is a great gift to them.
The flow unlocked during lockdown
Nelléne went into art wholeheartedly during lockdown. Lockdown was a dispiriting time for many people on a global scale.
Apart from many losing their jobs, many people lost their loved ones and keeping a positive attitude towards life was a rather challenging task during this time. However, this incredible artist chose to focus on the positive and saw an opportunity to brighten things up. ‘I always say lockdown, unlocked my brain,’ highlighted Nelléne.
There was leftover paint from Nelléne’s previous work at Thaba Eco Hotel. Strategically, she used that paint and started painting on small canvases. The small canvases could no longer contain Nelléne’s magnificent creative expression so she began painting on bigger canvases. However, painting on bigger canvases required a bigger space.
Nelléne transformed the garage of her home into a functional workspace.
‘I intended to bring beamy colours of shades and hues to the gloomy lockdown experience,’ highlights Nelléne. Colour is what gives our world extra vibrancy and Nelléne used colour as a powerful tool to bring vibrant change.
Understanding her art
Nelléne works specifically with the art medium called abstract textured art, also known as acrylic art flow. This method is used worldwide and is created by pouring prepared colours of paint onto a canvas and allowing the paint to do the rest of the work which results in a unique piece each time.
This phenomenal artist expresses that she is placed in an advantageous position with the support of Thaba Eco Hotel, where she has the opportunity to create paintings for all the rooms of the hotel.
She lives a life full of blessings. There are many projects at hand which allow Nelléne to perfect her craft daily and she emphasised that she would like to keep busy for a long time.
This remarkable artist delights in the end result of each piece. ‘The results of the colours are different each time, you never know what will happen and you can never duplicate a painting. I’ve noticed that people are worn out by common paintings of nature, animals or landscapes. People are becoming accustomed to abstract art – they enjoy visualising and interpreting the painting for themselves.
‘People often share with me that each time they glance at the painting, they see something different,’ said Nelléne.
She finds great joy in experimenting with the bold and colourful as she draws inspiration from those around her, highlighting her late husband was her biggest fan. Her children, friends and extended family love what she does and that inspires her to continue creating beautiful pieces of art.
She describes her family as precious, loving, understanding and very supportive with a heart for the less fortunate. Nelléne’s creative process starts with inspiration and with a colour pallet that transforms into a majestic work of art.
She works with three categories of creating: firstly, her paintings match the colour scheme of the space, the second category is following the colour requirements of her clients, making use of a colour pallet, and the third is her own unique, creative touch to the canvas where she explores with colours and technique.
This creative process can either take hours or days to execute as it is not an easy process.
Her artworks are showcased in lifestyle centres in Johannesburg South, internationally in countries such as America and England and homes across South Africa.
A bright and colourful future
The contemporary abstract artist continues creating works of art. She always dreamt of having her work displayed in a gallery and her dream has come to fulfillment. Nelléne’s masterpieces will be displayed at The Gallery in Kramerville, Sandton.
She also has many exciting projects on the horizon with her most recent work being a painting for a home in Cape Town. Nelléne hopes to continue spreading the beauty of bold colours across the globe for people to see and enjoy.
Off the cuff:
- Do you prefer travel, art or food?
I have travelled extensively, but art is my passion.
- The one thing nobody or very few people know about you?
I’ve designed clothing for boutique clothing stores.
- Rain vs sunshine?
Sunshine.
- Your ultimate spoil?
A nice bottle of perfume.
- Wardrobe must-haves?
Always a good black number.
- Your motto in life?
Hospitality is everything.
Text: Desnay Peterson.
Photo: Marissa May from Marissa May Photography.
Wardrobe and set styling: Estelle Venter from Marissa May Photography and Tehillah Lutz from Tiny Cuddles Shop.
Hair and makeup: Nicolene Strydom from Extraordinaire Makeup and Hair
