Always Painting

Will Joubert Alves is a Contemporary Pop Artist and graphic designer from Gordon's Bay, Cape Town. Johannesburgers will remember me from my days of selling paintings at the Rooftop Market in Rosebank, in the late 90’s, my exhibitions consisted of huge pop art paintings, reflecting retro 50’s kitsch and Chagall-like love themes. I used to paint all weekend and on Sunday mornings would take the still very wet paintings, piled onto the roof of my car and sell them the same day, (my best paintings have been done under pressure, they represent a massive outpouring of passion for life) the response then was overwhelming and I couldn’t keep up with the orders. Many of the collectors have moved to Australia since, and I still ship orders to these loyal supporters and their families and friends over there. Another art collector, Jan Petersen whom I met at Rosebank days, has over the years imported paintings from me to his home gallery in Hamburg, Germany. I was invited to visit in 2009 and discovered I had quite a following and was taken around to homes and offices and surprised by the welcoming sight of my creations hanging there. Seeking a quieter life in 2002 I relocated to The Northern Cape, and was employed by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, to establish craft projects as part of its poverty alleviation programme. Working with disadvantaged communities, I learned an enormous amount from these humble special people, and the backdrop of Calvinia provide me with amazing photo opportunities of the landscape. Many of these images still provide me with reference material. Finally, in 2004 I made the move to Cape Town. Surviving as an artist is tough in the Mother City, there’s enormous competition and not many art buyers. I found myself getting into digital illustration as a completely self-taught freelance graphic designer. I have illustrated hundreds of titles - kid’s readers, and textbooks, creating diagrams, maps, cartoons, graphs, etc. under high pressure and tight deadlines for book publishers. Every commission, big or small is a challenge and a problem to solve in order to bring about its fruition, and I learn something new every day. Working like this has influenced my art, in that I like everything and find it difficult to stick to one theme, style or medium. But if you know me well, you will see a sensual thread of colour and passion that runs through it all.