MICHAEL HEYNS (b. 1946)
Saalbekooievaar
1980
painting
size unknown
BIOGRAPHY
Born in Potchefstroom, Heyns qualified with a BA (Fine Arts) from Pretoria University in 1967 and, in the same year, was awarded the New Signatures prize through the then SA Association of Arts.
In his paintings, drawings, printworks, ceramics and clay sculptures, Heyns explores concepts of birth, life, growth, illness and pain, underpinned by an obsession with, and an eternal quest for, beauty. His subject matter includes commonly explored flower/s, flower pots and vessels, fish, butterflies and other plant and animal lives, imbued with notions of impermanence and fragility, alluding to his own increasing vulnerability over the passing years. His depictions of the human figure, often in combination with the above, are reflective of his preferred existence of solitude.
In 2007, he self-published the coffee table book Kronologies/Chronological (updated in 2011), offering a glimpse into his life with his wife, Susan.