Elaine Marx

I started painting in 1990.
Painting and creating is often a means of escaping from the ‘real’ world into a world of colour and texture. At the start of a piece, I am never certain of the outcome, the painting evolves and creates itself into completion. If I am not entirely satisfied with the outcome, I destroy the painting and start again.
I enjoy bringing some of my childhood memories into a painting, and often when I paint, I get a feeling of nostalgia, whether it is a dramatic sky in a landscape, childhood memories of simple living or a musician enjoying the moment. The open spaces of South African landscapes are a great inspiration.
Oil paint is my preferred medium, as it allows freedom of expression. Various techniques such as palette knife or layering can easily be achieved through oil paints.
Creating is part of my life and I am grateful for the opportunity of being a full time artist.

Elaine Marx owns an Art School in Benoni, Near Johannesburg, South Africa. She was born and bred in Benoni and has also lived in Pinetown, Kwazulu Natal.
Some of Marx's best memories as a young child, is the smell of a new colouring book and pencils.
Several of her family members are artists.
During her teaching studies, art was her favourite subject. Marx finds inspiration in people and places, in South Africa and abroad. "A beautiful place can easily create the urge to put my impression of it on a canvas", she says. She prefers to work in oils, and her technique has been developed over the last 30 years, She has attended classes and workshops with a number of Art Teachers after completing her four year teaching studies. She has had the privilege to study with Rita Wilkes, Voges Meyer, Norbert Schling and Paul Botes.
Rembrandt and Claude Monet are her main influences. Marx says that she loves to try to figure out the ways in which these artists worked to be able to enhance her own methods. She is a member of the Benoni Art Route, the Paint and Palette group, The group Artists working together and the Benoni Art Society
In 2008 and 2009, she won a national Art Competition and a regional Art Competition, respectively. In...

Elaine Marx owns an Art School in Benoni, Near Johannesburg, South Africa.
She was born and bred in Benoni, however, she has spent a great deal of her adult life in Kwazulu Natal, in Pinetown, near Durban.
Some of Marx's best memories as a young child, growing up in South Africa, is the smell of a new colouring book and pencils. Several of her family members are artists.
During her studies as a teacher, art was her favourite subject.
Marx finds inspiration in people and places, in South Africa and abroad. " A beautiful place can easily create the urge to put my impression of it on a canvas", she says.
Her preferred medium is oils, and her technique has been developed over the last 30 years, visiting a number of Art Schools after completing her four year teaching studies. She has had the privilege to study with Rita Wilkes, Voges Meyer, Norbert Schling and Paul Botes.
Rembrandt and Claude Monet are her main influences. Marx says that she often tries to analyze the ways in which these artists worked to be able to enhance her own methods. She is a member of the Benoni Art Route, the Paint and Palette group, The group Artists working together and the Benoni Art Society.
In 2008 and 2009, she won a national Art Competition and a ...