Luna Vermeulen
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
About Luna Vermeulen
A refreshingly honest and natural artist Luna is completely self taught and uniquely original. Proudly South African of Afrikaans heritage she has a gift for capturing the amazing beauty of the African wildlife along with the stunning scenery of the region. Studying Luna’s portfolio immediately communicates to the viewer a deep love of nature that has been cultivated by having spent her youth on the family’s farm.
Luna picked up her first brush at the tender age of seventeen but didn’t seriously begin her artistic pursuit until 2006. In the same year she entered her first major piece in the EPSAC New Upcoming Artist Exhibition in her home town Port Elizabeth winning the Merit Award for Best New Talent. Since then her artistic career has flourished selling numerous pieces both in South Africa and internationally, gaining quite a reputation in the process.
A portfolio of Contemporary Realism strongly reflects Luna’s early days living off the land and the close bonds formed with both fauna & flora resulting in stunning portraits and close up studies.
Having recently traveled to Australia she is now also focusing her considerable talent on the uniquely Australian wildlife and breathtaking outback landscapes and so a new chapter in her artistic career has begun.
Luna was born on the 3rd of February 1983 in Polokwane a major urban centre which lies roughly halfway between Gauteng and the Zimbabwean border.
However, due to health reasons doctors advised her parents that they move with her to a more tropical region and so when she was 4 years of age they ended up in Port Elizabeth. Also known as “The Friendly City” or “The Windy City” it is located on the shores of Algoa Bay and thus is blessed with a warm sea, benign climate, miles & miles of breathtaking coastline and stunning beaches.
Port Elizabeth is the 5th largest city in South Africa but as farming runs thick throughout the Vermeulen family’s bloodline a farm was soon purchased after their arrival allowing Luna to spend her early & teenage years about 60km outside Port Elizabeth on a 806 hectare farm nestled in the picturesque Elands River Valley.
The Elands River Valley connects with the Baviaanskloof Mega reserve so is rich with spectacular flora & natural wildlife like the odd leopard or for example South Africa's national bird the Blue Crane. It is also part of the protection area for the Martial Eagle. It was here surrounded by moody mountainous landscapes and breathtaking views that her deep love and appreciation for nature was born & cultivated. Even from an early age Luna’s heart bled for the cry of help and need that echoes through the Savanna and the hope that she might one day be able to offer some relief to the endless struggle Africa faces on a daily basis with poachers.
Talking to her she bubbles over with endless stories formed from fond memories of the farm life and all the pets that came with it. It is this love for nature that is profoundly evident as she brings each of her subjects to life on canvas. She left High School in the middle of 10th Grade but finished her Matric through home schooling. This enabled her to focus on her big love - competitive horse riding, but it was also during this period that through her mother’s encouragement to get a hobby she started painting
Education:
Luna is proudly 100% self taught
Events:
Events:
2017 Victor Harbor Art Show, South Australia
2016 Glenside Lions Club Annual Art Show, Adelaide
2015 Royal Adelaide Show - 1st Prize Blue Ribbon
2014 The Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize - Finalist
2014 Heysen Art Prize Interpretation of place - Finalist
2014 Royal Adelaide Show - 1st Prize Blue Ribbon
2014 Pepper Street Arts Centre Wild & Wonderful, Adelaide
2013 Royal Adelaide Show - 3rd Prize Winner Oils
2013 Glenside Lions Club Annual Art Show, Adelaide
2013 Adelaide Fringe Crazy For Cats Exhibition
2006 EPSAC New Upcoming Artist Exhibition
Pt Elizabeth, South Africa Winner Merit Award
Exhibitions:
Exhibited:
2017 Victor Harbor Art Show - South Australia
2016 Pepper Street Arts Centre Artist Of The Month Exhibition July, Adelaide
2016 Pepper Street Arts Centre - The Art Of Gardens Group Exhibition
2015 The Worth Gallery, Adelaide Oval Exhibition
2015 SALA Exhibition The Arkaba, Adelaide
2015 The Farm Shed, Hahndorf - Solo Exhibition
2014 Glenelg Art Gallery, Adelaide - Solo Exhibition
2014 Adelaide Zoo Santos Artspace - Solo Exhibition
2014 SALA Solo Exhibition, Thorn Clarke Winery, Barossa Valley
2014 The Geoffrey Stapleton Gallery, Adelaide
2014- The Regal Theatre, Adelaide - Solo Exhibition
2013- Glenelg Art Gallery, Adelaide
2013-14 Artworx Gallery, Goolwa
2013 Seppeltsfield ArtSpace, Barossa Valley - Solo Exhibition
2012- Pepper Street Arts Centre, Adelaide
2012-13 Juxtapose Gallery, Adelaide
2009-11 House of Gaddi’s, Pt Elizabeth, South Africa
Luna’s artwork is currently held in private collections throughout South Africa, USA, Europe and Australia.
