Mimi van der Merwe
This year Mimi van Der Merwe celebrates over 60 years of creative genius. She has a passion for art and dedicated her life to her God given talents. She is hard working and had a remarkable and colourful career.
Mimi was born in 1934 and grew up in Malmsbury, Western Cape. After matric at Swartland High, she obtained a BA in French and English literature at the University of Stellenbosch and a diploma in Fine Arts. She then became a teacher at Hermanus High but eventually set her sight on Studying Art in Europe.
Paris called … and she answered
Mimi spread her wings in 1960 when she went to Brussels to study painting and etching at the Academy Royale. It took two weeks to reach Europe by boat.
In 1961 she specialised in etching at Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris under Professor Bersier. She obtained a bursary from the French Government and honoured the bursary by obtaining a prestige award for her work in 1962.
She came back to her beloved Cape town and taught at Basford School and Zonnebloem School in District 6, Cape Town. With help from her family, she got her first etching press from The Netherlands.
Reaching her true destiny
She married Paul Schoon in 1965 and moved to Pretoria in 1980.
Over the years Mimi took part in endless overseas and national exhibitions but realized her dream 1983 when she opened Mimi’s studio in her garage and invested in a large handmade press.
Here she continues to teach painting and print making. Over the years this incredible master led many other artists on their journey to fame and helped them establish their own style and direction in the Arts. Some of her students went on to open their own art studios.
“In 1997 the association of Arts accepted me in the Cite des Arts in Paris. There I studied in the studios of Francois Biroux and under students of SW Hayter. I was delighted to learn more about the Hayter Technique of Viscosity Printing which uses three colours simultaneously on one etching plate.”
Mimi describes herself as a lover of people and colour. She loves capturing their stories by painting them in different environments. Faces interest her because they tell stories.
In 2000, Mimi started organizing painting holidays in central France, Spain and Croatia. She wrote a handbook on printmaking techniques and is a proud member of the Association of Arts and TPG Cultural Exchange.
For more info on Mimi’s courses
012 4303442 or 072 470 6494
Email: mimivandermerwe142@gmail.com