It’s a testament to the artistic skill of painter Heike Allerton-Davies that she portrays both strength and vulnerability in the female nudes she features. “The female form often seems quite fragile but at the same time shameless and brave. I use this beauty in a way that shows women as powerful but also vulnerable.”

Heike states quite clearly that hers is not Feminist Art. She draws inspiration from a feeling, a sense of something she wants to say and uses the medium of acrylic drawing ink to create a distinctive effect. The ink almost has a life of its own, as she finds after leaving a painting overnight and seeing how the ink has created unexpected surprises and patterns. In contrast to the wild and unpredictable ink she often adds a rich, warm background of gold leaf. Three of her small ink and gold-leaf paintings (one of them illustrated here) are on sale at the Cape Grace shop right now and are small enough to pack into any suitcase. Her more usual works are in the region of 1.5m x 2m and are powerful statement pieces to grace any large space.

Heike’s work sells for anywhere between R1200 for the kind of small canvas on display at Cape Grace sourced from the collection at Imagenius of 117 Long Street, Cape Town, to R38,000 for a large artwork. As an increasingly popular artist (as denoted by the sales of her last exhibition), Heike’s work is an investment because she still has a long career ahead of her and her popularity will undoubtedly gain momentum as she proves her longevity in the art market.

Much of her work is bought by overseas buyers, which is a cue for South Africans to get in on the act. Go along to Cape Grace now and see Heike’s three artworks displayed in and around the reception/shop and if they are already sold, make it known you came by and we will re-stock.

In due course you will be able to see Heike’s female nude painting, ‘Fallen’, on the label of a very special Hamilton Russell wine. And she will be hand-painting three porcelain perfume bottles in a limited edition of just 20 for the bespoke perfumer Frazer Parfum in Cape Town. We will blog more about both of these later.

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