Janet Botes

Art never stops reshaping itself, recreating the thoughts and ideas each of us have at any given time.

“We are shaped by our experiences, the people around us and the things we decide to make our own. I believe deeply in the human spirit as being nurturing, creative, loving, free, peaceful and compassionate. With a love for art, the environment, people and new experiences I enjoy getting involved in different projects and I work in a wide variety of disciplines and media. I am also deeply interested in philosophical and critical thoughts about our interaction with the environment, society, ourselves and religion, which offers my creative work a range of different subjects or sources for reference and inspiration.”

Artist Biography

Janet Botes was born and raised in Vanderbijlpark. After attaining a B Tech qualification (Cum Laude) from the Vaal University of Technology, Janet worked as graphic designer and part-time artist before dedicating her professional life to fine art and environmental-awareness activities.

Since 2007 she has participated in numerous group exhibitions, creative events and other art-related initiatives in Cape Town, Pretoria, Johannesburg and the Vaal Triangle. Her portfolio also includes corporate commissions and she has donated several artworks for charity auctions.

Currently based in Cape Town, South Africa.

Janet Botes is gebore in Vanderbijlpark, 'n dorp geleë langs die Vaalrivier in Gauteng, Suid-Afrika. Nadat sy 'n B TECH kwalifikasie in Grafiese Ontwerp met lof behaal het by die Vaal Universitiet van Tegnology, het sy as grafiese ontwerper en deeltydse kunstenaar gewerk totdat sy voltyds haar professionele lewe aan die skone kunste en aktiwiteite wat omgewingsbewustheid aanhelp, toegewy het.

Sedert 2007 het Janet deelgeneem in talle groepsuitstallings in Kaapstad, Pretoria, Johannesburg en die Vaaldriehoek, en het ook korporatiewe kommissies onder haar naam.Sy het ook al 'n paar kunswerke vir welsynsveilings geskenk.

Tans werkend en skeppend in Kaapstad.

Artist Statement

My art is inspired and informed by a love for nature, a belief in the importance of compassion and an eagerness to inspire others through my work. I try to support and encourage awareness, involvement and participation in creative expression, sustainable or eco-friendly art practice, as well as nature conservation.

I find peace and fulfillment in the creative process, especially when experimenting and combining different mediums - whether I'm taking photographs, drawing or working with wood... My work may seem fairly fragmented due to the diversity of materials and amount of experimentation, but on closer inspection a repetition of subject matter and overall production methods create a unity.

Subject matter usually revolves around the natural environments that we find ourselves in and our reaction or interaction with these environments. Other sources for reflection and inspiration include personal experiences and concepts around the ways we can change the world around us.

My methods often include mixed media, digital and photographic media, assemblage, or largely drawing-based compositions of landscapes and animals. My favourite traditional materials are ink, charcoal and watercolour paints - each with its own unique character and response. My artworks are developed through a very intuitive process of responding to my subject matter and materials, and each artwork is a new experience and exploration of both the subject and the tools.