Gerhard Prinsloo obtained a diploma in commercial art from the then Pretoria Technical College in 1973. He started signing his work with the initials GP. He then worked as a graphic artist and photographer at the South African Museum of Military History and later the National Museum of Cultural History in Pretoria. He was recruited into the South African Air Force and served for 23 years, after which he served as a technical writer and trainer at a software company for a further 23 years.
Gerhard retired in 2018 and took up his art full time again. He enjoys drawing in graphite pencil and ballpoint pen. He paints in water colours and acrylics. His subjects vary from figure studies to portraits and landscapes. He particularly likes to paint South African landscapes and animals. He believes there are so much interesting things and beauty around us, if we only care to look and notice it. We so often, in discontent, aspire or look to the future or the past for beauty or satisfaction. However, just by looking around us and living in the moment, we can enjoy what is presented to us, here and now.
This is the awareness he tries to capture in his work, particularly the beauty and tranquility in nature. Life has enough unpleasantness and challenges of its own and he endeavours to concentrate on the positive and the beauty around us. We are blessed to live in a country of sunshine, varied features and fauna and flora. Animals are our companions and co-travellers on our life journey. Most of us have interactions and special moments with animals in our lives. This selection of paintings depicts some of the moments of beauty and our companions in Africa.
