Gretha Quinlan, born in 1962 in Paarl, is the youngest daughter of surrealist artist Appie Van Wyk and botanical artist, Elise Bodley. Self-taught, having worked in the textile industry as a colour separation artist, as a set painter and prop maker for theatre and film, and as a commissioned artist for numerous murals, her focus shifted to her own work which led to numerous exhibitions.
Natural forms and geometries, as seen in the floral and marine worlds, have held prominent influence in her paintings, and later manifested in her sculptural work. Gretha’s pioneering work as a chandler, using salt as a medium to form her iconic wax luminaries, has permitted her creative freedom and under-pinned her search for her craft’s bespoke light.
Her latest work reflects her journey and experience as an artist with nearly 40 years spent with a paintbrush in hand, and over 23 years of candle-making, merging her love of form and light in her most recent foray into salt.
Salt of the Earth is the third exhibition of Gretha Quinlan’s Salt and Wax Luminaries.