Clarabelle Van Niekerk

My work lives in the quiet space between memory and becoming, where fragments of a life—texture, image, gesture—gather into something whole again. I am drawn to subtle inner shifts, especially in women, where strength and vulnerability meet and something long buried begins to surface. The figures I create often hold symbolic or animal presences that feel instinctive and protective, like a deeper self made visible. My practice has recently expanded into clay, where form can be held and felt, deepening my exploration of fragility, balance, and structure. Whether in paint or pottery, I am not seeking perfection, but truth—a quiet return to something essential that was never truly lost.

Born 1952 South Africa.
MFA
Studied at the University of Oranje Vrystaat, Bloemfontein, South Africa.
UNISA, Johannesburg South Africa
Integrating Art, Music and Poetry into Education: Edinboro University, Edinboro USA

SOUTHWESTERN ART, Taos, New Mexico, USA

ASHWOOD DUNWOODY GALLERY, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

GLASSGROWERS GALLERY, Erie, PA, USA

GRIFFON GALLERY, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

THE KENNEDY GALLERY, Key West, Florida, USA
COTTAGE EDITIONS, Carmel, California, USA

THE LONG TABLE GALLERY, Victoria, Australia
RAWSTYLE, Santa Monica, California, USA

CARPE RACI, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

MUSEUM OF FINE ART, Erie, PA, USA
MEADVILLE FINE ART GALLERY, Meadville, Pennsylvania, USA
THE SEWICKLEY GALLERY, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

EUROP'ART GALLERY, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

ADAM'S ART GALLERY, New York, USA

ALBRIGHT-KNOX ART GALLERY, Buffalo, New York, USA

BOVIDIAN GALLERY, Bloemfontein, South Africa