Today at the Slee gallery psychology and art students from the University of Stellenbosch could listen to a presentation of the meaning of  Tertia’s art.

The sculptures in the gallery offer a healing message and form the backdrop for discussions on inner healing. It became a safe place for people to interact and learn through art.

The small sculptures can stand on their own, in a home or office space.
Or on a large scale be placed as a group in a garden or urban space to offer a communal safe space where people can be vulnerable, cry and laugh with others. Humans are in need of healing so that they can themselves become healers.
It is important to be reminded of the power humans have relationally to transform and impact others, and therefore the world.
The healing emanates from contemplating rather than regret, tenderness, forgiveness, and acceptance rather than abandonment and loneliness. Concepts like companionship, commitment, and care.
 It is envisioned that when exhibited as a group, a visit to the healing garden will be a healing experience.

In a globally connected society aka "the global village" the "small world phenomenon" is manifest. Also known as "six degrees of separation" it is possible to understand that one person who experienced healing can love and heal another, who can love and heal another and so on. When many people see this power of interpersonal human relationships, and show many others they can all together indeed change the way we see the world. Just like the ripples of a pebble dropped into a pond, their new way of seeing can indeed reverberate throughout humanity.  Not only that, but by seeing that, and experiencing that healing knowledge, their healing can actually change the world.

Anyone interested in bringing a group to discuss inner healing through art can contact Tertia 0729470571

HUMANS

The series employs an elongated expression of the human form. The purpose of this is to place emphasis on the emotive, relational, and spiritual aspects of the human experience. At a time when so many people lost so much I wanted to explore the value of those things that cannot be taken away. That which endures. To explore the healing that we can have because we are human.

The small sculptures can stand on their own, in a home or office space. Or in a larger scale be placed as a group in a garden or urban space to offer a communal safe space where people can be vulnerable, cry and laugh with others. Humans are in need of healing so that they can themselves become healers.

It is important to be reminded of the power humans have relationally to transform and impact others, and therefore the world.

The healing emanates from contemplating, tenderness, nurture, forgiveness, acceptance, comfort, togetherness, companionship, commitment and care. It is envisioned that when exhibited as a group, a visit to the healing garden will be a healing experience. Visitors will draw on the involvement to offer healing to others. In the setting of the healing garden communal experiences like drawing and sculpture classes, and talks on health and wellness, will gather people towards positive change.

Limited edition of 1/12

For more information and prices please contact me via email:

tertia.kleinhans@gmail.com or 0729470571

Commission work: 

For: Family Oberholzer

The title of the work :

" In the shadow of Your wings."

Made with the original strings, hammers and tuning pins of my client's 1939 Grotrian Steinweg piano that was salvaged during refurbishment of the piano. The title is is a reference to a Bible scripture about the caring protection of God. The work also makes reference to the wings of an eagle.

Commission work: 

For: Beach House Langebaan 

Sculpture: Three seagulls

The sculpture depicts three seagulls in different stages of flight: ascending, landing and in full flight. The mediums used are stone resin and stainless steel.   

In this sculpture the emphasis is not primarily on the art of the  solid forms, but the negative elements of this sculpture—the voids and hollows within and between its solid forms—plays an integral part. The spatial aspects have almost become dominant. It is not considered a kinetic sculpture, though there is a slight movement visible that enhances the birds in flight theme.

The sculpture is set in the perfect setting. 

In the middle of the house is a small atrium that allows the viewer to appreciate the sculpture from all angles and gives it a kind of reality, a vivid physical presence, that also changes according to the natural light during the day and the man made and natural light at night. 

My clients were absolutely wonderful in letting me understand their request but allowing me to be the artist.

Tertia was born in South Africa in 1964. She studied Fine Arts at Stellenbosch University. In the first four year degree course she studied under Paul Emsley and majored in Painting and History of Art. In the practical teaching, strong emphasis was placed on disciplined portrait and figure studies as well as still-lives.

From this foundation, Tertia expanded her artistic vision after completing her Baccalaureate in Fine arts in 1987. She continued to study art through a two year Honours Degree. Her paintings were influenced by the 20th-century avant-garde surrealist movement in art and literature which sought to release the creative potential of the unconscious mind, for example by the irrational juxtaposition of images. Dreams play a integral part in her life.

In 1986 she got married to Pierre Kleinhans who obtained a LLB degree at Stellenbosch University during that same time.

She developed a keen interest in sculpture and  began to experiment on her own. The intuitive and tactile quality of clay appealed to her.

During this time she also illustrated her first book while teaching art at Springfield Convent. In the evenings she taught a course in illustration techniques at Rust en Vrede Art Gallery in Durbaville. But it was in the solitary moments on the farm where she could experiment more with clay that she felt at peace. She started to move away from functional ceramics to figurative sculptural work.

Her husband, Pierre, founded his own company and she supported and encouraged him to follow his dream to start his own business. At the age of 29 she felt it was time to start with a family and in 1993 their first child, Rick, was born. She remained busy doing art even when her children was small.

Two years and ten months later, Klara was born.

In 1999 the family moved to Belgium as Pierre’s business expanded to Europe.

The family traveled extensively while living in Belgium. They visited Germany, Italy, France, Holland, the United Kingdom, Spain, Thailand, Australia, Israel and the United States of America.

Investigations of abstract concepts through sculpture including spiritual themes such as the juxtaposition of a religious subject in the accepted style can be seen in her work during this time.

 The couple decided not to return to South Africa, but to remain in Europe. They moved to a beautiful town in the south west of Spain, Sotogrande. Together with their Hovawart dog Lima, the family made a road trip, all the way from Belgium to Andalucia. 

While in Spain, she focussed on her own sculpture, working closely with a foundry in Malaga.

The couple made wonderful Spanish and international friends. They grew in love. The warm and colourful environment reflected in her art during the Spain period. The gift of her rich relationship with her children is also reflected in her art during this time.

In 2004 great joy and gratefulness filled their home again when their third child Daniel was born. Back in South Africa, the family had settled in Somerset West. Life was full of joy and very busy with three amazingly talented young children to nurture. Rick and Klara turned out to be very gifted in music and Tertia had to drive them to Stellenbosch for guitar and piano lessons at the music conservatory.

Rick passed matric with 6 distinctions and completed his BSc degree in Computer Science at Stellenbosch University. He got married in 2018 and is currently living in Valencia, Spain. He is the CTO and Co - Founder of Nile www.nile.ag.

Klara completed matric in 2014 and finished as one of the three top learners in Stellenbosch with an average of 92,2% and 7 distinctions. She is currently working as a developer in a tech componany. She obtained a BSc Honours degree in Operations Research and Applied Mathematics and was first in her class. She received the Top Achievers Award for the best honours year student 2019 at Stellenbosch University.

Daniel is 17 years old. He also has an exceptional musical gift and ability to compose music. Since the age of 15 he received Cum Laude results for his own compositions for piano.

In all these blessings the artist rejoices knowing that all are gifts from God.

Although Tertia had to move a number of times in her life, those events became opportunities to experience life in a very rich way. Learning from every new experience, and growing in knowledge of self and of others. To see the gold in every situation and the people around her became her life focus.

She feels that most of of her work so far is just the preparation for what lies ahead.

During the early 1990’s in South Africa, Tertia decided to focus on sculpture; including realistic figurines of real life characters from day to day life in the South African context. This was because she felt compelled to express the power of ordinary lives.

AB Thomas was such a man. Busking as a jazz trumpeter at the V & A Waterfront in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, Thomas had stolen the hearts of locals and international visitors.

In similar style she sculpted a flower seller in 1992.

She also painted people in rural settings.

The unpretentious buildings, reflecting the sharp light in the unique and arid landscape of the Karoo inspired her. Technically, she enjoyed the challenge and worked only with a pallet knife, almost sculpting the landscape with oil on the canvas. Mixing and working with the paint until the sky became transparent in light, in contrast with the deep shadows of the buildings in the landscape.

After the Karoo paintings proved popular, art collectors and galleries expressed interest in more but Tertia responded to numerous requests for paintings of flowers. She decided to use the still lives with flowers as opportunity to explore her technique more; applying the paint to the canvas with a pallet knife only. Mixing and working with the paint until the same translucent light could be seen in the still lives.

The portrait studies, although some of a much larger scale, also reflect the same light. The study of her father, and the Jonker family on holiday in 1934, was also a reflection and searching of the past times in which South Africans lived.

The idea with this sculpture was to show how people and more specifically woman, can feel overwhelmed by circumstances. The idea is to build a wall consisting of many different woman falling. This symbolises a surrender to the impossible command of God, and to abound in hope by the power of God.

Cape sugarbirds and protea flowers

Impression of a blue crane bird

In 1988 she continued to study art through a two year Honours Degree. Her Honours thesis was completed in 1989 and covered the subject: Art styles in children’s book illustrations. The full honours degree course included advanced study of History of Art. The thesis traced through the major western art styles as reflected in the styles of  international illustrators of contemporary children’s books. The practical course placed strong emphasis on different techniques in book illustration and her mentor, the well known South African illustrator Niki Daly, was a great inspiration to her.

Nikky Daly was very generous in sharing knowledge about watercolour techniques for children’s books. He believed in laying the foundation and working in traditional manners so that technology can be added but never to compromise or replace the importance of the artist.

Various techniques were taught during the illustration course at the University of Stellenbosch and Nikky Daly was a delightful inspiration and mentor for Tertia.

While busy with her Honours degree, she had the opportunity to meet with Breyten Breytenbach. He enjoyed the illustrations for the story of Boeitjie, and invited Tertia to live in Paris, and work on a series of illustrated short stories for him. But she decided not to go.

Unfortunately, during the time the family moved from one country to another, most of the illustrations she did for “Boeitjie” were lost.

After completing her studies Tertia worked  on two illustration projects while holding teaching positions. The first one for Songololo Books of her illustration mentor Niki Daly and the other for Quillery Publishers. Marshmallows Monsters and Mice were mentioned as one of the books of the year by “Book Chat” magazine in 1990.

The book is about a little girl who dreams. In the story she learns how to take authority over the monsters in the dream, and tell them to go away.

During her fine art studies at Stellenbosch University the students had a introductory course in ceramics.

They learnt about the technological process and properties of materials (like porcelain and terra cotta) used in pottery. They also explored the process of sawdust firing and glazing techniques.

Tertia’s interest in clay soon moved away from functional pieces to more sculptural shapes.