Born and raised in Bellville, Cape Town, Arend Louw has a personality as colourful as his paintings. After completing a degree in Theology, Arend spent the next few years travelling so as to explore and expand his worldview. Wanting to return to his roots, he took up residence on his family’s farm near Aurora. Located in the Sandveld region of the Cape West Coast, Arend takes inspiration from the quiet and solace from the serenity provided by the area – a detail that is evident in the focus he exercises over his art.
Each work is motivated by Arend’s surroundings; his use of photography is in direct symbiosis with the paintings he creates, thus capturing the finer nuances of small town life. As Arend explains: “The themes of my paintings are personal and yet universal. They are the scenes of everyday life. I am inspired by the effect that natural light has on a scene; a landscape or object can be transformed by the highlights and shadows that fall upon it.