David Krut Publishing,
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Rhona Gorvy’s artistic career developed out of her curiosity and desire to know more. More about different making techniques, more about different artistic disciplines, more about materials and more about her subject matter which, since she began making art in her fortys, has been underpinned by two main themes: the psyche and humanity.

I met Rhona after she agreed to let me come and speak to her about her letterpress, which she very generously gave to David Krut and Jillian Ross for use in the David Krut Print Workshop. I’ve been very fond of the little orange press since it arrived. As far as machinery goes it’s a cheeky little thing which just begs to be used, like a small child wanting attention. However, after meeting Rhona, I’m now aware that this machine is an artefact in itself, a replica of which was part of an exhibit at MuseumAfrica! And to think Rhona got it at an auction with the intention of converting it into an etching press (something she soon realised wasn’t possible, no matter how much of her self-taught engineering skills she employed!).

This story is a perfect example of the way in which Rhona has worked throughout her artistic career. Having never formally studied art she has always been aware of her lack of academic training. Experimentation is a key element of her working process, as her decisions as an artist are constantly challenged, while exposing her to new art-making possibilities. She admits this could often be very stressful, but at the same time very freeing. This explains not only the diversity in disciplines with which Rhona Gorvy has engaged (her portfolio of work includes drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture), but the contrast between her works as well. It is often possible to recognise a specific artist’s work, even across different disciplines, however, when looking at Gorvy’s prints some pieces look like they belong to a different artist alltogether. While her themes may be constant, her style varies greatly, and her imagery ranges from the figure (well known prints and series such as “Battered Baby”, “Dream and Abuse”, “Shell Woman” and “The Indomitable”) to abstract compositions comprising geometric forms and symbols adapted from the disciplines of mathematics and music (The Joy of Learning and Overture, both colographs). When I mentioned the diversity of the work to Rhona she explained, “That’s people. That’s a world of people.”

Rhona’s background is an important factor when discussing her work as an artist. She came from a musical family (hence Overture), and as a child wanted to write poetry and illustrate her writing. Poetry has been an important tool for Rhona throughout her life, some of her written works directly relating to her art (Horse of Courage, Horse of Hope, a painting from 1988, has an accompanying poem). After school she studied speech therapy and worked in this field for ten years. Her career choice brings us back to the recurrent themes in her art, the psyche and humanity. Having a strong affinity for helping people, Rhona trained as a speech therapist, giving her a great deal of pleasure and insight. She has even explained how drawing sometimes came into her practice as a tool for individuals who struggled to communicate. This intrigue with people is the catalyst for much of her artwork.

Art became something Rhona could focus on when she was in her forties and had decided to dedicate more time to her family. As a full-time mother and housewife, her time was limited, but she lived opposite Zoltan Borbereki, who had been the head of sculpture in Budapest, and went to him for drawing classes. This was an important foundation for Rhona who explains “[drawing] leads onto other things, it’s spontaneous, an expressive medium.” Drawing allowed Rhona to respond to something immediately, which is important not only as she had limited time to spend on her art, but because it means as an artist you can be less precious about what you sketch and more honest in your reaction. Drawings created using a full ink bottle (Rhona has two of these works in her home, one of a dog and one entitled King and Queen) illustrate this best, as you have to be quick and confident in your mark making to keep up with the dripping ink.

Attending drawing classes at the George Boys School of visual arts was the first official artistic training Rhona Gorvy received back in 1966. For the next four years, Rhona was enrolled on a part-time basis with students of varying levels of technical skill. Though Boys’ work was primarily abstract oil painting, he encouraged Rhona to pursue her own interests, which were figurative line drawings. As a part-time student in the life-drawing classes, Rhona wasn’t always granted the time she needed to satisfy her desire to learn. She became interested in sculpture, something Borbereki had suggested she explore early on, after seeing some of her drawings. However, time was again a major constraint, and the only class Rhona could attend was in ceramics. She showed some of the pieces she had managed to create in the class to Boys who was so impressed with what she had produced he entered a piece entitled Father and Son into the Republic Arts Festival, Pretoria in 1966. Rhona was surprised to say the least, having never been trained as a sculptor, but this was a clear indication of her artistic sensibilities and genuine talent.

During her drawing classes, George Boyes had introduced Rhona to etching. She was immediately intrigued, especially by the processes involved in creating an image on a copper plate. Instantly drawn to the medium, she enrolled in a printing course at Wits ran by Guisseppi Cataneo in 1971. After her second class she took a series of drawings into Cataneo to have created as prints. He was thrilled by what he saw and told her, “I want you to take off two months, I want you to go overseas, wherever you can find the best printing studio possible, to have these drawings put into etching form to show the world.” Over time Cataneo looked at several of Rhona’s series (drawing in series is a technique the artist has returned to on numerous occasions as it allows her to build up an idea), including “Battered Baby”, and wanted her to recreate them all as prints. He was amazed that someone like Rhona, a happily married mother, could produce such striking work, and declared, “this is real art. This is the art of now and the art of tomorrow.”

Etching is a process in which you have to be deeply involved, which was difficult for Rhona as she had family commitments. “Battered Baby” is a series of thirty drawings, which took Rhona twenty years to complete from the first image created to the last word written. After taking several classes, Rhona wanted to do the printing herself. Travelling with all her materials to the classes was a burden and she enjoys the hands-on aspect of making art. Besides the excitement she got from the etching process, she enjoyed the surprise element in printmaking, as until you see the first print you can never be sure what it is going to look like. However, in order to work on her own prints Rhona had to find a press. The first “etching press” she bought was actually a washing mangle which she tried to convert into an etching press. Needless to say, this was not a success. Her second acquisition was more successful; it was the letterpress which now resides proudly in the David Krut Print Workshop. After endless research and attempts to convert into an etching press, she decided to use it to print linocuts. To this day Rhona is still very fond of the letterpress, “To have a press of your own is wonderful”.  Her attachment to it was part of her decision to donate it to Jill and David. When she decided to move houses three years ago she did not have enough room in her new home to accommodate the letterpress and the etching press she finally acquired (she had it made by a colleague of hers in Pretoria, Mr Pringle, who made sewing machines!). People were keen to buy the letterpress for scrap metal or to use as part of a display, however Rhona wanted it to be used as a “means of creativity and satisfaction for people”. She felt Jill had the right intention, as well as creativity and dedication as a printer, and would make a good owner for the press. It had been a thing of excitement and imagination for her and she felt that together David and Jill could use the press in a way which would do it justice. Since its arrival at DKW, it has been used by the renowned New-York printmaking collaborative Cannonball Press, and by South African artists to create woodblock prints. The press has provided DKW with a wealth of new printing possibilities, which I’m sure will be brought to realisation in the years ahead.

Keywords: Artists, Arts-and-Culture, News