"Organic Colour Field – Mint, Orange and Payne's Grey" Painting

The day Jakobus Smit visited Gregoire Boonzaier in his studio at Onrus, he knew he wanted to be a fine arts painter. Growing up in South Africa, Smit spent countless hours marveling at the paintings in his grandparents' home—avid collectors whose walls featured works by Oerder, Laubser, Pierneef, Stern, and Boonzaier himself. Though his father strongly encouraged a more practical path, Smit studied Design and Visual Communication and has worked in the design industry producing advertising artwork for 30 years. Throughout this time, fine arts practice has remained central to his life. Working primarily in oil on canvas, charcoal and mixed-medium printmaking, Smit explores the relationships between mark making, composition, and color.