Rhen Hanekom

 Rhen Hanekom hails from Stellenbosch in the heart of the Cape Winelands. Her fine arts training started at the PJ Olivier Art Centre where she attended classes after school. Here, Rhen’s love of drawing and painting grew as an important form of expression for her. 

She studied fine art at Boland College in Paarl under South African artist and architect, Hannes Van Zyl, and finished top of her class. 

Rhen also completed a degree in Management Accounting at the University of Stellenbosch and worked for 15 years as a financial manager. 

While working full time she continued to paint, mainly in acrylics. 

She attended workshops presented by internationally acclaimed artist Rene Snyman in 2017 & 2018 and developed an affinity for oil painting. Her love of painting led her to leave her career in finance in 2019. 

As a realist painter, Rhen renders light and shadow with a well informed application of colour, and she aims to capture the essence of a moment. For her, atmosphere is the most important ingredient in a painting. 

She works mainly in oil on canvas and with a variety of subjects including figures, landscapes and still lifes. 

Rhen is a full time artist residing in Melkbosstrand where she works from her studio at home.