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To buy this artwork:
Contact René Scribante at rene@scribante.com or 083 627 6757
Janet was born in the Eastern Cape and spent her childhood in Mthatha, Transkei before moving to Graaff Reinet where she matriculated in 1979 from Union High School. After obtaining her MBChB from the Stellenbosch University in 1985, she practiced as a doctor in various countries, in both rural and urban settings.
A self-taught artist, Janet has been privileged to have met and formed close friendships, and been mentored by many diverse, skilled and talented artists in the Klein Karoo since moving there in 2000. She began painting in earnest in 2003 and exhibiting from 2005. She founded the Artists of Oudtshoorn co-operative in 2005, opened ArtKaroo Gallery in 2007, which ran in a public space for 10 years with frequent curated exhibitions.
At present, ArtKaroo Gallery operates online and with pop-ups. Janet has continued her involvement in the art scene in the Southern Cape: curating group exhibitions for the Klein Karoo Klassique and the KKNK, at ArtKaroo; exhibiting at local galleries in the Garden Route, Riebeek Kasteel and with SCAVA. Her work can also be viewed alongside other Klein Karoo artists at the Karoo Antiques complex, 43 Baron van Reede Road, Oudtshoorn.
Finding endless inspiration in nature and the nature of people, Janet embodies figurative symbolism in her art, spanning nature studies, portraits and landscapes. The aloe is a leitmotif of her work, and she recently embarked on a collection of paintings honouring insect life: “My beloved Inhabitants”. She utilises oil, acrylics, pastels or her current chosen medium: alcohol inks on canvas, stone paper or board.
arthouse@artkaroo.co.za • www.artkaroo.co.za • Instagram: @janetdixon • janetdixonblog.wordpress.com/
Wingbeats is my meditation on rhythm, presence, and interconnection in the Klein Karoo. Composed of four small canvases painted in alcohol inks that together form a unified whole, the work centres on the quiet power of four small-winged creatures whose tiny lives pulse through this arid landscape and merge into the greater frequency.
A bee, a double-collared Southern sunbird, a Kammanassie Giant Copper butterfly, and a fruit bat—each chosen for their ecological role and the unique sonic trace of their wings. The buzz, the hum, the flutter, the whisper—subtle rhythms creating an invisible song threading through the Klein Karoo countryside, pollinating, nourishing, and sustaining life in unseen but vital ways.
At the heart of the composition stands an aloe, my Leitmotif, an emblem of healing, resilience, and rooted beauty in our wild terrain. The aloe gathers the winged beings around it, as a central pulse point—around which they gravitate, in their endless cycle of flight, vibration, demise and renewal.
I would like to invite the viewer to slow down, listen inwardly, tune in and reconnect with ancient frequencies often drowned out by modern noise. Can you feel the vibrations? You are also an integral part of this.
