Festa is a 23-year-old artist currently living in Moreleta Park, Pretoria, South Africa. She has been painting since 2007, at first only part-time between her studies and work but in 2009 she made painting her full-time career. Festa specializes in landscapes, portraits and studies of country life but she is best known for her paintings of geese, sheep and tree-scapes which have brought her considerable acclaim.

Achievements and Exhibitions

Throughout 2010 Festa’s large solo exhibition featured prominently in the media, followed by various exhibitions with Four Paws Wine, Forever Resorts, heART in the Garden, Essence Art Gallery and the Chris Tugwell gallery where many of her paintings are frequently on display. Festa has also received many invitations for presentation by interesting institutions including the Museum of Young Art in Austria, WWAB Contemporary Masters and Artspace Galleries with whom she had a 2-week group exhibition in Paris and a 1-week exhibition in London.

Festa was also featured in the June ’11 Tuis / Home magazine as the artist of the month. The investment value of her work has also doubled between July 2010 and 2011. Her swift advancement in the world of art is astounding and can be directly attributed to Festa’s unique and skilful style of painting.

About Festa's paintings

Festa’s chosen medium is Oil on wooden board which she prefers to canvas because of its earthen feel which compliments her style and natural subjects. She gathers her reference material throughout rural South Africa and enjoys painting subjects which depict the beauty of her country, especially found in regions of the Drakensberg, Namaqualand and the Western Cape.

Her style is greatly influenced by Impressionism and Post-impressionism of the 19th century where the value of light, colour, visible brushstrokes and everyday subjects are retained but structure, shape and solidity are also prominent. Some of Festa’s older artworks were more inclined toward the abstract and imaginary but her love of realism combined with just enough expression kept returning to a more traditional style of painting.

If the goal of her paintings is to send a message of South Africa’s beauty out to the world, she has certainly succeeded. Festa says, ‘I paint because my vocabulary does not allow me express this message completely. I paint so that the image speaks what I cannot, like a mirror that reflects both me and the onlooker, telling and gathering more stories with every person that looks at it… Stories of peace and home.’

Feel free to view original paintings at www.johnwestart.co.za and contact West at +2782 9295124 or +2782 831 2585. We bring the art to your house or office through our mobile art gallery! Call to view your favorites.