The artist

From a hairdresser's chair to the canvas

JAN started drawing in pencil at school, long before oil paint entered the picture. For years afterward, his creative outlet was a different kind of colour work entirely — a career in hairdressing, where he spent his days shaping colour and personal expression for other people, one client at a time.

In 2018, he returned to painting. He trained under artist Lucas De Witt to build his technique in oils, and hasn't stopped since. What started as a return to an old habit has become his full creative language.

Inside the process

Music often plays a central role in the studio. With headphones on and brush in hand, JAN allows mood and rhythm to guide the movement of the brush. He works intuitively rather than to a fixed plan — paintings often take weeks or months to complete, built up slowly through layers of colour and texture.

Influences

JAN's work is shaped by Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet and Salvador Dalí, alongside contemporary South African artists MIES and Lionel Smit — drawn to their bold use of colour, visible brushwork and emotional character.

What he's after

JAN describes his aim simply: to capture more than just an image — a sense of presence, atmosphere and beauty. Each piece begins with a spark, a feeling or a memory, and is worked until it holds that feeling on canvas.