About Cirkine

Cirkine Russouw (b1962) has spent the majority of her life dedicated to exploring the depth of her creative expression. She graduated from the University of Stellenbosch in 1984,  with a degree in Fine Arts under the guidance of Louis Jansen van Vuuren and Paul Emsley.

In 1985 Cirkine decided to share her passion for art with others, and for the next 8 years taught art both in schools as well as privately. While living in Mosselbay she also spent a few years leading the local Environmental Art Project.  Describing her work as “realism with a touch of humour” Cirkine invites viewers to see the world through her eyes. Focusing on landscapes and portraits of people and places close to her, each piece of art is a personal and intimate undertaking. Working mainly in oil paints on canvas, Cirkine conveys a deep command of colour, technique, and form in her paintings. Her artworks thread between the real and surreal, creating scenes of familiarity with a dreamlike nature.

Since 1990 Cirkine has continuously exhibited throughout South Africa and her work has been taken up into private and public collections at home and abroad. She has also received a number of prestigious accolades throughout her career, including the Top 40 Sanlam Portrait Award in 2015.