Aviva Maree

Aviva paints figurative oils from observing scenes of everyday life.  The female figure takes centre stage.  Aviva admires the inner strength with which women work with pride and contentment to survive to provide for their children.  This subject matter gives Aviva's work a universal and timeless quality.

Eye-catching and inspiring, Aviva's paintings capture South African women purely and with empathy.  Harmonious compositions, bold brush work and refreshing use of colour, make the paintings come alive.  Baskets, fishing nets and shoulder bags are some of the symbols Aviva uses for labour, hope and stages of life, like moving on or coming home.  The paintings themselves tell a story, inspiring the viewer to keep coming back to look again.  Memories are recalled, experiences relived and emotions shared.  Aviva's paintings have something very real about them.  It touches hearts.

Aviva Maree is a self-taught South African artist, having lived in Pretoria and rural parts of Limpopo Province.  Since 2000 she is based in Knysna.  She is represented by selected art galleries in South Africa and has had ten successful solo exhibitions over the past decade.

Aviva's recent paintings embrace the close connection between women and the fruits of nature, emphasising human dependency on Mother Earth.  Whether cutting flowers, collecting shells or picking fruit, the women in Aviva's paintings are living each day to the full, as if spring has just sprung.  Aviva's name means springtime.  These women inspire the viewer to appreciate a life firml rooted in the earth and lived in simplicity.