The well-known photographer and founder of the Exposure Gallery and Lomography shop is now busying himself with surface design under his brand “Robin Sprong”. Right now, he’s calling on talented photographers and designers to join him in creating hot designs for wall and surface coverings. See more at visi.co.za(http://visi.co.za/content/article/1118/robin-sprong)
RSW would like to welcome Liesel Kershoff a very talented landscape photographer from Caledon. Liesel has an exclusive range with RSW of scenes from all over South Africa that include Knysna forests, the Cedarberg, the Overberg, coastal and fynbos fields. Her images are evoking and somewhat emotional and would make a quality and homely addition to any home or office environment.
RSW is proud to introduce Ingrid Frauenstein with her Posiebelle, our newest addition to the website and wallpaper range. Ingrid is currently a graphic Designer in Port Elizabeth.
“I have always made and designed things ever since I can remember. Popsieblle has been a project that I have been working on for about 4 years. She is my imagination in full colour. I taught at the Vancouver Film School in Canada and there the first inklings of character design started - one of my students had created a wonderful illustrated creature and I was hooked.
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Walter Battiss was born in Somerset East to an English
Methodist family in 1906, and became one of South
Africa’s first and most important abstract painters.
He first became interested in archaeology and primitive
art as a young boy after moving to Koffiefontein in 1917,
and drew and painted since childhood.
Say it with a song and decorate your walls with iconic lines from your favourite music legends. Inspired by the latest trend in typography décor, local designer Imogen Eades, has created a range of wooden canvas art, printed with famous lyrics, in a retro distressed finish. Inspiring and meaningful, this artwork is a great gift for music-lovers!
Rudolph enjoys photography in his leasure time. He holds a licenciate (LPSSA) as a member of the Photographic Society of South Africa. He has an exceptional gift for looking at reality from a different angle; of seeing creatively. This imbues his work with a unique artistic simplicity. He is inspired by nature, creating images of its inherent beauty, which he enjoys sharing with others.
A British textile designer and a graduate of the Royal
College of Art splits her time between London and Cape Town.
Her unique multi-layered and textured artworks are created using a
combination of traditional techniques such as screen-printing, hand drawing,
painting and collage, and modern digital technologies.
Textures and patterns in nature and the inherent properties of paint and
ink inspire Tiphaine’s designs, which are transferred onto luxurious fabrics
and papers. Tiphaine favours a handcrafted aesthetic, and relishes the
imperfections that feature in each piece. The designs are used in a wide
variety of end products, including fashion, upholstery, wallpaper and art prints.
Ross Hillier’s work embodies the soulful, free, and so often envied life of a wandering spirit. He was raised in Cape Town, and as a child learned to shoot a 35mm camera given to him by his father; his work shows that the inspiration and imagination never left him. He is addicted to traveling. He loves the ocean. He is a drummer.
This body of work is a small collection of lands he has explored and moments he has captured, all done with with the sole purpose to create, to influence, and to inspire.
All images are available for Wallpapers, Canvas’s or Fine Art Prints. (c) Ross Hillier
Durban bred, Joburg based photographer Justin McGee makes anything but typical images.
His dad, renowned Durban photographer Patrick McGee, gave him his first camera at 15 which had belonged to his father before him. Justin began shooting predominantly black and white landscapes of graphics after which his main focus became brands & bands. Justin shoots anything – food, sets, cars – but what he is best at is people.
Learning a lot from assisting Cape Town photographers and portrait/fashion photographer and Dazed & Confused co-founder, Rankin, he has a similar gift for bringing out the interesting in his subjects making for unusual (in the best way) photographs.
Justins collection can be printed on on Canvas, Tex Frames, Posters, Block Mount or framed fine art prints.
Having dedicated much of the last 5 years to walking and observing in and around Table Mountain
National park, my artwork emerged from consistent enquiry into the evolution of human
consciousness and its relationship to the natural world. The resulting body of work intends to
provide tools to connect to a collective perception of nature and find new ways to enjoy and share
the natural habitats that sustain us.
As the eye and the technique integrate further, separate strands of interest have become apparent.
I started with landscape portals, hewn from notably vibrant natural settings. These intend to be
symbolic sanctuaries that yield a sense of stillness and balance that the viewer can drift into and if
necessary, shelter from the distortions of modern life.
With the design based work, which mostly emerged from the same enchanted backdrop, the role of
the artist is more apparent, seeking to imbue everyday design mediums with a natural essence. With
this work the challenge is to create impact with a minimal approach, as opposed to the landscapes,
which attempt to create a focal point within large amounts of detail.
Gradually I am learning learnt that if you look at a plant, tree or rock closely enough, peel back its
physical layers, study it without intellectualising, we begin to connect to its essence and enter a
collective level of awareness. It’s a ritualistic process that sits at the core of my art.
In an age where the magic of photography is undeniably taken for granted, Dylan Culhane aims to challenge the tendency to equate photography with realism. His work features meticulous, layering of organic and architectural elements as multiple exposures on celluloid in the way a painter might build up brush-strokes of oil upon canvas. Drawing on a variety of graphic influences including MC Escher, Japanese sumi-e painting and OpArt, Culhane’s work is distinctive in that wherever possible he resists the lure of digital manipulation, using oft-forgotten in-camera techniques to create provocative images more akin to illustration, painting, or digital design than photography. Steering clear of any single subject opens up the final product to an array of interpretations.
He has exhibited internationally including solo photography shows Symbiosis at The Premises Gallery, Johannesburg (2008), Photoklecksography at Exposure Gallery, Cape Town (2008), Driven to Abstraction at Exposure Gallery, Cape Town (2007). His paintings have been exhibited at Galerie Plett, Zeist, The Netherlands (2000), and Fresh at Hout Bay Gallery, Cape Town (1999). Culhane was previously editor of VICE magazine South Africa and currently curates at MUSEUM Photographic Art Gallery in Cape Town.
Liesel Kershoff may use a camera and a tripod to make her images, but in spirit she is more like painter. Like Banes and Pierneef, who would take their easels out into the veld, Liesel spends many hours in remote locations, watching the light and waiting for the right moment to press the shutter button. And, like a landscape painter, there is a degree of subjective interpretation in her work’ - Jon Minster (Weg/Go! March 2011)
All images and content © Copyright Liesel Kershoff. All rights reserved
Illustrator and talented designer Carmen Zeirvogel has been working in the industry for many years and creates out of this world wall designs. Soft, sentimental, Lady like and form. Whispers and childhood.
Tretchikoff was a self taught artist who painted realistic figures, portraits and still lifes. Most of his many works were inspired by Malaysian or Chinese subjects that had influenced Tretchikoff during his early years spent in Manchuria. He is considered to be the “King of Kitsch” and one of the most commercially successful artists of all time. His ‘Chinese Girl’ is one of the best selling art prints to date.
Donna Solovei is a little thing. But her work – illustration-based creations adapted to suit different mediums, is pretty big. Hers is a playful, intricate world bursting with life while remaining delicate in its expression. Donna’s most recent obsession has been the merging and melding of animals – an imaginative world of might be’s and could’ve beens where two become one. There is a certain kind of sensitivity to aesthetics in Donna’s work; she employs natural lines, influenced by the textures and shapes of the world around us, to depict her characters. Creating awareness in her own way, Donna’s love for animals is depicted in her drawings. Even as more animal species become endangered, Donna goes beyond the expected to create impossible new breeds on paper – Hycupines and Pythopards roam free in the jungles of this artist’s mind. Wide-eyed in wonder, she puts up on the walls, the things that don’t exist but that she pines to see come to life in the world. Donna has studied at both Chelsea College of Art and Camberwell College of Art in London and has a BA(hons) degree in Illustration.
He started a small design studio – Chandler House – and his work is largely associated with 18th, 19th and 20th Cape Visual and Domestic History. He is currently interested with Arts and Craft philosophies and has ambitions to contribute towards a revival of the Cape and its history of Decorative Arts. He believes strongly in having pieces made with integrity, using materials that are as locally sourced as possible and using local craftsmen and manufacturers. This not only results in helping the local industry, but also results in pieces that share a spirit with the people who make them – something which is sadly lacking from cheap, mass-produced, imported wares.
*Chandler also founded Serpentine in 2011 with Claudette Davis of African Home. This line of design uses local crafts in new and interesting ways. Since its inception, Serpentine has been very well-received both locally and internationally and the dream of reviving interest in local crafts seems to be turning into a reality.
Jade Klara lovingly creates soft focus worlds where you’ll find silly and scary things. She grew up in South Africa whose cultural aesthetic inspires her as well as kawaii, ecology and story tales. She completed her BA at UCT in 2003 and has since held many exhibitions in Cape Town as well as a few in London and Los Angeles. Her drawings are made to make you smile.
A Cape Town based designer, working in the fields of textiles, product design and illustration. Having studied design, in part, at both the Design Academy Eindhoven and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, she is currently completing her Bachelor of Technology in Surface Design.
A long dreamed-about project came to life when Kelly Silberman and Marike Rood met; and through a creative friendship, collaborated to form Fable. Their designs strive to evoke imagination, offer playful sophistication and add beauty to the home. The newly launched fabric & wallpaper ranges are fresh, yet subtle and often influenced by childhood memories. Using base cloth that is inherently natural and feels luxurious, in combination with contemporary design, brings a subtle balance between modern day life and old world ideas. The beauty of the fabrics is so compelling that it brought about a flourish of new products like the wallpaper range by RSW. Fable thrive on working with local Capetonian artisans using locally sourced materials. “To be surrounded by these artisans has opened our eyes to the wonder that lies in local South African manufacturing.” This select range of products; two fabric collections and a select wallpaper range were showcased at the Design Indaba 2011.
Louis specializes in FOOD and TRAVEL photography. He has an insatiable appetite for travel, and will gladly consider commissions from anywhere on the planet, including all genres of photography. Louis is currently working on the 5th season of the BBC Lifestyle production ‘Cooked in Africa’, produced and presented by Justin Bonello.
Victoria Verbaan & the Smoking Daxi was born as a result of this great desire to build a brand that is fun and uplifting. The range currently includes fine art limited edition prints, tote-style bags, rugs, gifting and 2 fabric collections. Being able to interpret the artwork across a variety of products has been very rewarding and its wonderful to now be introducing a wallpaper range with Robin Sprong!
My work is the place where I have fun. It’s fairytale and fiction. Contradiction. Fashion, nature, emotion…without being too serious. I look at a lot of content. Anything, anywhere, anytime… books, blogs, magazines, a face, colours, nature, cheap bits and bobs, the shop front window at Bergdorf. The alarming quality of Surrealism and of course Roald Dahl who has been a good friend for as long as I can remember. I love the challenge of my work and without it I’d be lost.
I have illustrated for Marie Claire Magazine, Vodaworld Magazine, Earthcote, Cambridge Publishing, Woolworths amongst others.
The smoking daxi…
Harry is our much loved and adored miniature daschund. He is very near the TOP TOP of that inspiration list. You’ll often see him popping up in my paintings and illustrations.
The Isle of Trees is an imaginary place. But what grows here is real. Namely, innovative and practical design ideas.” Isle of Trees is a concept inspired by nature, and implements the movements of sustainability and recycling into the creation of unique furniture pieces and now a wallpaper range with Robin Sprong. As well as being eco-friendly, the designs are functional and beautiful, from the adjustable shelving, to fold away tables. Isle of Trees now uses the same mind set and principals with the wallpaper range, bringing simple and unique design to any wall.
Martin Knobel, owner of Digital Xposure Photography in Cape Town, has, for the past fifteen years, specialised in photographic work relating mainly to Products, People, Annual Reports and Landscapes. All images are retouched and colour enhanced ready for print. He also uses photo manipulation on his images in order to obtain an extra, unique, look.
Rob Tarlton has a love for pattern and a strong desire to get deeper into the world of print in décor is where Rob Tarlton found the fervour to start a range of wallpapers. The patterns start as dreamy doodles and then get worked on with walls and specific types of spaces in mind. Maginaper is the name of the range and is a portmanteau made up of Imagination and Paper. The wallpaper designs convey a love of international design trends, with a hearty mix of local flavour thrown in. In these original designs you can expect an exciting blend of patterns made up of abstract shapes and recognisable cultural icons, from cows to windmills, all coming together in a wonderful kaleidoscope of colour that will add a funky edge to any wall or blank surface.
She is a graphic-orientated & colour-fixated designer from South Africa. She graduated with a Masters of Architecture at the University of Cape Town in 2009 and completed the RSP Master at the European Design Labs in Madrid under director Jaime Hayon in 2010.
Soil Design represents the combined skills of two sisters who have worked, laughed and played together long before either of them found their chosen career. Kara is a designer who has spent the past seven years honing her skills on some aspirational brands including The Foschini Group, SAB Miller and Cape Town Tourism, as well as many smaller boutique clients. Mieke is an illustrator with an eye for detail and a bewildering range of styles that has seen her employed by various agencies and private companies to bring her unique way of looking at the world to their brands. Over the course of their careers they have collaborated with amazing results. They share a love of simplicity and an aesthetic sense that comes from a lifetime of shared experiences; add to this a touch of sibling rivalry and a deep understanding of each other’s thoughts and ideas, and you have Soil Design.
Based in the Helderberg since 2007, the small, dedicated and creative talents of Marne and Elouise. Together we form Mitat and this name has come to symbolise bespoke home décor products!! Key to our focus, is our design and screen-printing of each piece of fabric. Hand printed fabrics differ from one piece to another and the many small variations bring an individuality to each item. Simplicity and individuality are the key ingredients to Mitat – as we reach into the community for the most talented and gifted seamstresses, and to the finest and most skilled craftsmen. Although Mitat designs all of its products, the skill, artisanship and love that is captured in each home decor product, is the result of the collective and creative effort of the community in which Mitat function.
Inspired by life, created by hand!
Maid in Africa is a husband and wife duo that create hand-painted fabrics with signature designs, which they then use to make one-of-a-kind garments, tablecloths, bags, postcards and now Wallpaper. Years ago, Andrew and Micha were motivated to help create an extra income for their domestic worker, Priscilla, while they were both still working elsewhere. With their knowledge of silk screening, their ability to sew and Priscilla’s help, Maid In Africa was born. Inspired by the concept of educating by design, Maid In Africa is still in the business of employing the less privileged, and are currently working from Gardens in Cape Town while their two stores in Swakopmund and Windhoek are also still in operation.
Maid in Africa is a husband and wife duo that create hand-painted fabrics with signature designs, which they then use to make one-of-a-kind garments, tablecloths, bags, postcards and now Wallpaper. Years ago, Andrew and Micha were motivated to help create an extra income for their domestic worker, Priscilla, while they were both still working elsewhere. With their knowledge of silk screening, their ability to sew and Priscilla’s help, Maid In Africa was born. Inspired by the concept of educating by design, Maid In Africa is still in the business of employing the less privileged, and are currently working from Gardens in Cape Town while their two stores in Swakopmund and Windhoek are also still in operation.
Johan specializes in Aerial, Commercial & Travel photography & serve many South African and International clients. His work has been published internationally in a wide range of media. Johan loves to travel & has done work in many locations including the Amazon, Brazil, Afghanistan, Peru, Scotland, Jordan & Iraq to name a few. Photography is his life & passion
Technology is making design more exciting, with color, wallpaper, textures, fabrics that could never have been created without the technology.