Creating a splash on canvas

A Karl Staub piece to make you smile.

Spier's Liquid on Canvas sees artists paint with classic red varietals to create a work that celebrates the inherent art in wine. Nine resulting works compiled by five local artists from varying cultural backgrounds are included in the range.

Mbuso Ndlovu, born in northern KZN, is an art director who “scribbled” from an early age. Mbuso's approach was to splash Spier wines to create a free form image, which he then used as the basis of his canvas art.

Colwyn Thomas, a graduate of the Michaelis School of Fine Art, was drawn to the “unlimited nature of the topic” in relation to the “limited material”. “It felt like an immense collaboration in a way,” Colwyn says, “with the people involved in making the wines”.

For Mark Davis (his entry is the thumbnail image accompanying this article), the “myriad shades” of red were an inspiration. “Art is a nice break from reality,” Mark says. “I become totally absorbed…”

Art director Karl Staub, who was never formally trained, used his work to express a blend of mischievousness and fun. “If the works have made you smile”, Karl says, “then I've done my job”.

The fifth and final artist is Norman O'Flynn, a sculptor, painter and curator amongst other pursuits. A graduate of fine art, Norman has held five solo art exhibitions since 2003. Norman was attracted to Liquid on Canvas for “the challenge of using an unlikely medium”.

The selected works can be viewed on the Spier Wines website, http://www.spierwines.co.za. By voting for their favourite pieces by SMS, consumers can win a trip for two to the world's most famous galleries. The total value of the prize is R100,000.