Pieter van der Westhuizen
Pieter van der Westhuizen discovered at a very young age that "the world I found myself in was not a comfortable one... At around the age of four I decided that this life was not for me. I began creating another world for myself - in pictures..." He studied art at Unisa under Sakkie Eloff, Leo Theron, Robert Hodgins and others. In 1960 he worked under Alfred Krentz and in 1971 under Erik Laubscher. During 1979-80 he attended the Nationale Hoger Institute voor Schone Kunst at the Royal Academy for Fine arts in Belgium. In 1982 and 1985 he continued his studies at the Stedelijke Akademie in Ghent and the Ryks Centrum voor Grafiek in Kasterlee, Belgium. During 1983 and 1985 he studied wood-block printing in Japan. His work comprises mainly landscapes portraits, still life, figures and abstract pictures and he works in pastel, oil, watercolour, ink, pencil, charcoal and in various graphic media.