{"id":741,"count":7,"description":"I am a self-taught artist based in Cape Town, drawn to the expressive power of oil and acrylic painting. My journey with art began in childhood, sparked by early encouragement and a memorable second-place finish in an international art competition while I was still in primary school. Though I trained formally as a social worker and hold a Master\u2019s degree in Social Work, art has remained a quiet but persistent companion\u2014one that I returned to with renewed passion in 2018.\r\nMy work is deeply influenced by nature as well as my years in social work, where I witnessed the raw beauty and complexity of the human spirit. Painting allows me to process these emotional landscapes and offer a visual space for reflection and healing. Each canvas\r\nbecomes a dialogue: between nature and emotion, between memory and presence, between the seen and the felt.\r\nNature is my greatest teacher. I find endless inspiration in its compositions, palettes, and rhythms. Painting en plein air\u2014immersed in the outdoors\u2014brings a sense of immediacy and aliveness to my work. Hiking trails, ocean waves, and quiet landscapes often find their way\r\ninto my paintings, not just as subjects but as emotional anchors.\r\nI work primarily in oils and acrylics, with a particular fondness for palette knife techniques that allow texture and spontaneity to emerge. My practice includes landscapes and portraits,\r\neach approached with the same intention: to evoke connection, to honor emotion, and to invite viewers into a space where art becomes a remedy.\r\n\r\nExhibition History\r\n\u25cf SASA and CAS exhibitions at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens (2018, 2019)\r\n\u25cf \u201cArt in the Park\u201d in Rondebosch by SASA (2018)\r\n\u25cf Chardonnay Deli (2019, 2020)\r\n\u25cf Artvark Gallery, Kalkbay (2020)\r\n\u25cf Zeitz MOCAA - Home is Where the Art is: Art is Where the Home is; at the V&A\r\nWaterfront, Cape Town (2020)\r\n\u25cf Cafe Nood - Little Cafe Gallery (2022)\r\n\u25cf Hofmeyer Hall in Stellenbosch (2021)\r\n\u25cf PJ Olivier School of Art in Stellenbosch (2021 & 2022)\r\n\u25cf Lanzerac, Stellenbosch - 2022 (wine art exhibition)\r\n\u25cf Muratie Wine Farm art auction (2023)\r\n\u25cf Merit Exhibition by SASA (2024)\r\n\u25cf Noordhoek Art Point - The Blues Exhibition (2025)","link":"https:\/\/www.kunyeartfoundation.org\/?product_cat=elsa-marie-fourie","name":"Elsa-Marie Fourie","slug":"elsa-marie-fourie","taxonomy":"product_cat","parent":43,"meta":[],"menu_order":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kunyeartfoundation.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/product_cat\/741","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kunyeartfoundation.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/product_cat"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kunyeartfoundation.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/taxonomies\/product_cat"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kunyeartfoundation.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/product_cat\/43"}],"wp:post_type":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kunyeartfoundation.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fproduct&product_cat=741"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}