Jill Saunders

Jonel Scholtz’s work captures moments of tranquillity, which contrast with vibrant compositional elements. She uses unusual color combinations, and depicts scenes from unexpected angles, all contributing to give her work a magic realist feel. In Sunday Afternoon Scholtz uses the classic portrait as a vehicle to explore form, color and shape. These elements are explicitly the subject of the painting and given equal emphasis. The dynamic relationship between the forms is emphasized by the intensive outlines and blended color forms. Recently her palette has become increasingly serene. Bright passages of color are vigorously applied in seemingly spontaneous brushstrokes. However in actuality Scholtz plans her compositions very deliberately according to formal principles, the work creates a type of visual sound through patches of lines and color—the work is made to listen to. The juxtaposition of the illusory and the manifestly tangible extends the range of our reading of the work time and again. It is a tour de force. The power that lies within Scholtz’s work is the fusion of such competing extremes as figuration and narrative, illusionism and truth.

The intimacy of drawing is something that is felt immediately when looking through Scholtz’s artwork. The viewer is placed in an environment, a mood, by Scholtz’s paintings. She creates domestic scenes in hues conveying intensely subjective and evocative interior spaces. From her home in the North West region of South Africa Scholtz explores the place of the individual and the domesticity of life. It reveals the ritual of a commonplace event, and highlights an emotional realization of the passing of time through the generations, and environments. Broadly colored yet intricately detailed, each work renders a realistic depiction of urban life that conveys an atmosphere of energy and warmth.
Scholtz uses line and form, not so much as a means of representation, but in a more abstract way, to express feelings and moods; retaining the notion that the artist role is to suggest, not define. Scholtz’s work has manifested a singular personal vision, drawing on a diverse cross-section of cultures and styles to realize her wide range of visual and conceptual ideas. She is an intuitive artist who has developed a new and unique contribution to the art and culture of her times. Her extensive travels have been a major influence, releasing her from the usual conventions of art making. Her method is contemplative, meditative, and sanguine. She maintains a fantastical, exotic vision, even when dealing with the commonplace.

http://www.jonelscholtz.co.za/