{"id":90943,"date":"2017-04-12T14:53:15","date_gmt":"2017-04-12T12:53:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/painters-unusual-canvas-strikes-a-chord-with-art-enthusiasts\/"},"modified":"2017-04-12T14:53:15","modified_gmt":"2017-04-12T12:53:15","slug":"painters-unusual-canvas-strikes-a-chord-with-art-enthusiasts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/painters-unusual-canvas-strikes-a-chord-with-art-enthusiasts\/","title":{"rendered":"Painter\u2019s unusual canvas strikes a chord with art enthusiasts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Painter\u2019s unusual canvas strikes a chord with art enthusiasts<\/a>: <\/p>\n

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Artist Janine Every at work on her latest commission \u2013 a 3m lightweight concrete installation that straddles the boundary between structural and decorative art. Her use of this unusual \u201ccanvas\u201d is setting a new trend in artistic circles. Photo: Supplied<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

(Port Elizabeth) \u2013 Multi-talented Port Elizabeth painter Janine Every is making waves in art circles with an unusual new canvas that blurs the lines between architecture, interior design and installation art.<\/p>\n

Swapping the traditional art canvas for a large-format surface that is manufactured to her exact specifications, Every\u2019s artworks possess an added earthy texture, which she thought unachievable \u2013 until now.<\/p>\n

Over the past year, Every has been experimenting with oils and acrylics on lightweight concrete, a unique polystyrene and concrete composite product manufactured by sustainable solutions company Rhino Group \u2013 and primarily marketed to developers and architects.<\/p>\n

Cast in large slabs \u2013 larger than is ordinarily possible with canvas \u2013 Every\u2019s naturally textured artworks cover a range of subjects from black-and-white portraits to wildlife and even colourful abstracts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you think concrete, you think sculpture, not painting. With lightweight concrete as my canvas, every piece is completely different. It has opened up a whole new area of art for me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Every\u2019s first lightweight concrete commission, and largest to date, was a 2.3m by 2m portrait, inspired by Antoinette Reinecke\u2019s award-winning \u201cGogo\u201d photograph. Using lightweight concrete as her medium was the brainchild of Rhino Group managing director Brian van Niekerk, and as a result the artwork now hangs in House Rhino, the group\u2019s sustainable living showcase home located at Crossways Farm Village just outside Port Elizabeth.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love the texture of lightweight concrete. It adds a totally different dimension from what I can achieve on canvas,\u201d said Every. \u201cI can paint on it, drill into it with a pencil drill or build on top of it with wet concrete for a three-dimensional effect.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said the surface texture could also be cast according to the client\u2019s preference and subject matter, whether it be smooth, cracked, woodgrain or more aerated.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s even great for outdoor entertainment areas. Nobody would put a canvas outside but lightweight concrete is extremely durable and it weathers well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since exhibiting a few pieces at Port Elizabeth venues like The Friendly Stranger and Grass Roof restaurants, Every has received a steady stream of commissions from private and corporate clients looking to add a rustic modern finish to their spaces, with one of her works even sent abroad to Germany.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot everybody is open to this new trend, as they don\u2019t really understand what lightweight concrete is,\u201d added Every.<\/p>\n

Unlike regular concrete, which weighs in at a density of at least 1 500 kilograms per cubic metre, lightweight concrete has a density of just 300kg\/m3 and contains a high percentage of recycled polystyrene, which would otherwise end up in landfills as it does not biodegrade.<\/p>\n

As a building material, lightweight concrete is used for walling, where it assists with soundproofing and thermal insulation, and filling underfloor voids. Some of Rhino Group\u2019s major projects include walling for the 90 000m2 Baywest Mall and flooring for Cape Town\u2019s new Radisson Red hotel at the V&A Waterfront.<\/p>\n

\u201cRhino Group are with me throughout the process \u2013 from casting the slabs to bolting them to my studio wall and finally installing the finished artwork in the client\u2019s space,\u201d said Every.<\/p>\n

Van Niekerk said the partnership had been a perfect fit from the outset.<\/p>\n

\u201cInitially, we were just looking at doing wall cladding but Janine\u2019s incredible talent has showcased the diversity of lightweight concrete as both a a structural and decorative product. These artworks do large spaces justice and can be hung inside or outside to create a very special backdrop effect.\u201d<\/p>\n

A self-taught artist, Every said working in this new medium had given her a unique identity.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love that this is different. There are so many great artists around and I needed something that set me apart. I\u2019m not sure who else is working in lightweight concrete as it\u2019s a new product in itself, but I definitely don\u2019t feel alone or daunted \u2013 rather excited to be pioneering in this.\u201d<\/p>\n

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