State accountant becomes artist to chase her true dream

08 August 2018 587

Cecilia Maartens’ spellbinding paintings have for two consecutive years been among the top op entries in the Phatshoane Henney New Breed Art Competition, and her work has also been included in the firm’s permanent art collection.

What one would not expect then, is that while she has an astounding artistic ability, she is also highly proficient at crunching numbers. In fact, she worked as state accountant until she decided to give up her day job of 17 years to pursue her artistic ideals instead.

Maartens explains that she has since childhood loved art and music but also arithmetic and mathematics - and in truth believes that the one complements the other. “The short time when I had been a music teacher before we moved from Parys to Bloemfontein was one of the most fulfilling periods in my life. At that same time the art lecturer Joy Rousseau informally tutored me in oil painting which was an enriching experience and I felt extremely privileged.”

Life in Bloemfontein was different however, and in 1988 she started working at the Provincial Administration handling tenders and contracts, promoted to the expenditure section due to her interest and understanding of financial systems, and eventually to the Finance department as state accountant. “I continued to develop my artistic abilities informally as a hobby. Although I could not spend much time (only weekends and evenings) on artmaking it was therapeutic and contributed to the enjoyment of my work as state accountant.”

A turning point came in 2009 when a door to qualifying studies in Accounting closed. She opted to develop her passion for art instead and enrolled for the University Diploma in Visual Arts at UNISA, which she completed in February 2011. Two years before her early retirement in 2015, she enrolled for the Master’s degree in Visual Arts at the University of the Free State as she wanted to learn even more.” I soon realised that the pressure to perform well in both worlds impacted on my energy and time and I felt compelled to make a decision: I took a step in faith to pursue a full time art career.”

And it has certainly paid off. She entered the first Phatshoane Henney New Breed Art competition in 2016 with her first two completed oil paintings created for the Master’s degree exhibition and was overwhelmed when one of the paintings was selected for the competition exhibition. The following year her oil painting Remembering, forgetting and imagining, was completed and selected for the 2017 Sasol New Signatures Competition. Next her oil painting Waiting for the next move and two pieces from the series Innere Klänge, created with found material, were selected for the 2017 Phatshoane Henney New Breed Art Competition, after which her acrylic paintings, Intensities, consisting of nine individual pieces, was selected for 2018 Sasol New Signatures. “I am appreciative for the recognition of my art as well as the support received on this venture.”

In the meantime her work has been noticed and she was approached to join the Free State Art Collective, which may well open more doors for showcasing her art. “The feedback I received on my work from members of the public encouraged me to pursue my dream of learning and creating artworks. I treasure the incorporation of some of my work in Phatshoane Henney Attorneys’s art collection and I hope they will reap the fruits of their commitment to art in the Free State!”

Click here to visit her online profile and view her competition entries. 

 

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