About Sonelle
I am Sonelle de Klerk, a South African visual artist whose practice is rooted in observation, memory and the quiet beauty of the natural world.
After studying Fine Art and spending more than two decades working internationally in the arts, education, marketing, design and events, I returned to South Africa to establish VanniKloof Studio at Leliekloof, a working, holiday farm and creative space in the Stormberg region of the Eastern Cape.
My artistic journey has not followed a straight path. There were years when life required me to step away from painting, but returning to art has become a return to myself. Today my work reflects a more intentional way of seeing, finding meaning in nature, landscapes, weathered surfaces and the overlooked moments that often pass unnoticed.
I don't paint because the world is always beautiful. I paint because beauty is worth paying attention to.
Artist Statement
My work explores the quiet relationship between place, memory and attention.
Working primarily in acrylic, ink, pen and mixed media on canvas, I create paintings that emerge from careful observation of landscapes, animals and natural rhythms encountered both at home in South Africa’s Stormberg's and through my travels across the world.
From the mountains of Nepal and the deserts of Morocco, to the coastlines of the United Kingdom, the vast landscapes of the United States and the layered cultures of Asia; each place leaves behind a visual and emotional imprint that finds its way into my studio practice.
Rather than documenting nature as it appears, my paintings seek to record the experience of paying attention to it. Layers of mark-making, texture and colour become a visual record of time spent observing, allowing familiar subjects to reveal unexpected beauty.
Each original work is created by hand in my studio and forms part of an ongoing exploration into observation, belonging and our relationship with the natural world. Whether depicting a leopard in contemplation, a shifting landscape or traces of memory held within a place, every piece invites the viewer to pause and look a little longer.
Because beauty begins with paying attention.
Brief Bio
Sonelle de Klerk
Education
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PGCE in Arts & Culture
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B.Tech Fine Art
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National Diploma in Fine Art
Professional Membership
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Member, South African National Association for the Visual Arts (SANAVA)
Selected Exhibitions
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Solo Exhibition, China (Sold Out)
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Edward Hopper House, Nyack, New York, USA
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Artist Residency, Torre Canavese, Italy
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Group exhibitions throughout South Africa and internationally
Professional Experience
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International marketing, design and events professional with over twenty years' experience.
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Founder of VanniKloof Studio, South Africa.
Current Practice
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Contemporary mixed media artist working from Leliekloof in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.
Contact
Thank you for your interest in my work.
Whether you are a collector, curator, gallery, writer, collaborator or simply wish to learn more about my practice, I would love to hear from you.
Enquiries are welcome regarding original artwork, exhibitions, commissions, speaking engagements, workshops and collaborations.
I work from VanniKloof Studio at Leliekloof in the Stormbergs, Eastern Cape, South Africa.
Please get in touch directly via email, and I will respond as soon as possible.
Email: sdk.fineart@gmail.com
WhatsApp: +27 (0)72 828 9266
© 2026 Sonelle de Klerk. Designed by VanniKloof Studio. All Rights Reserved