01. Finding Inspiration

We are all extremely excited here in the studio today. We are kickstarting a new series on our YouTube Channel. It’s called…

Get her to New York

In this series, we will be following our founder Lillian Gray as she prepares for her exhibition in New York. Our first episode is about Visual Research. We get to follow Lillian and her 5-year-old daughter Clara to Stellenbosch.

They visit beautiful wine estates Delaire Graff and Tokara for inspiration. They also hike up Jonkershoek mountains to experience the mountain up close and personal.

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With the hastag #gethertonewyork.

Finding inspiration in Stellenbosch

Hi, I am Lillian Gray a South African Fine Artist. This weekend I travelled to Stellenbosch to come and do some visual research for my upcoming art exhibition in New York 

My 5-year-old girl, Clara and I, left busy Johannesburg for Stellenbosch. We were on a mission. We wanted to chase sunsets, explore mountains and see art.  Our goal – to find inspiration for my up and coming art exhibition in New York. 

We arrived on a rather wet day…not great for capturing sunny landscapes.  

Many of you might be wondering why I chose Stellenbosch. I attended School here, I studied here, its a place of nostalgia, with good and bad memories….

Stellenbosch is a celebrated wine region in South Africa and it is breathtakingly beautiful. It is also the home to beautiful art collections. 

On our hit list was the stunning Delaire Graff & Tokara, 

These two wine estates house extensive art collections. It was a beautiful serene space to dwell amongst art and be inspired. 

Viewing the mountains from a distance wasn’t enough. So we decided to get up close and personal. Hiking up Jonkershoek. It was freezing, with hectic winds. I have a new found respect for nature. But it was a great way to experience the mountain and really be in awe of its majestic power. 

Of course, we also had time for some fun. 

After 4 days I believe we have enough visual references to make this exhibition happen. It’s back to the studio to start painting!