About

Nicole Cronje is a talented upcoming artist residing in the beautiful city of Cape Town, South Africa. Self taught with a background in Fashion Design, she worked in the Fashion industry for two years and as a Make-Up Artist in London and South Africa for a further two years.

Nicole began her career as an Illustrator fulltime in the beginning of 2008.

Her work is whimsical, lighthearted and feminine, the style of which is clearly influenced by her background in Fashion. Her subject matter is diverse although each piece reflects her love for detail, pattern and the drawn line. Her artwork’s basis: to conjure up a feeling of happiness, peace and beauty.

Inspirations include artistic greats such as Gustav Klimt, Aubrey Beardsley and textile wonder, William Morris. The artworks found on the covers of Vogue magazines in the early 1900’s are a tremendous influence.

Nicole has a fascination with pattern and intricate design. She collects photographs and swatches of textiles, architectural detailing and printed wallpaper. Continually researching concepts for new artworks, Nicole derives great joy in visiting the wonderful cultural scene in and around Cape Town. With African design and craft being so rooted in graphic pattern it is an unending resource to her creative process.

The majority of her work is black ink on paper. In some work, silver, copper and gold-leaf is used to give shimmering backgrounds to the focal point. Acrylic paint is used where colour is evident.

In a world continually demanding of new technologies to replace human error, Nicole remains loyal to the work of the human hand. Spending her time in the age old craft of sketching and drawing, she appreciates the beauty that can be found in a simple drawn line, stemming from human imagination and creative force.

Nicole’s art can be found in galleries in and around Cape Town. It is also available to purchase on this website.