Louis Audie

South African based Artist Louis Audie believes that he has brought the African Sunlight into many homes, corporate offices and the boardrooms of many people with his landscapes and wildlife paintings, which are realistic but with a touch of impressionism.

Louis Audie was born in 1935 and has been painting for the past thirty years. He taught himself to paint using whatever materials he could lay his hands on and through constant effort and practice he has developed his own technique and is today known as an expert in fine art oil painting of landscapes and seascapes in the modern South Africa.

Near Graskop

His usual medium is oils, and more recently acrylics and mixed media. Among his many mentors are; W. H. Coetzer, Gerrie Snyman, and Thornley Stewart. Jointly they’ve had a powerful influence on Louis’ art life.

Being a strong believer, his secret to success has been to unlock the hidden treasures and atmosphere buried deep in the natural beauty that his Maker has chosen to reveal to him through his patient, dedicated and persistent efforts.

Sea Scape by Louis Audie

His special passion has always been to paint the abundant, vast and wide open spaces of the Karoo. The Escarpment with its mists, contrasts and dramatic scenery presents another challenge to his abilities.

Louis has been an inspiration to many others of South Africa’s renowned, successful fine artists. A number have absorbed much of his influence which is sometimes quite obvious in their work, but which has helped them to develop their own brand of expression.

Little Karoo Scene

After deciding that they could’nt handle the pressures of Johannesburg and Gauteng for another moment, Louis and his wife Sandra have recently relocated to the quiet, and charming village of Graskop to be near beautiful scenery that motivates him to express himself.

Louis continues to paint for exhibitions all over South Africa.

Far North

He displayed his work as usual at the Art in the Park exhibition in Pietermaritzburg and is building up a portfolio for the Innibos Country Festival at Nelspruit this year.

In the meantime his other passion is to demonstrate his painting techniques to groups. Teaching art the easy way is his motto with DVD’s., with a wide distribution.

Far North Elephant

He presents a lifetime opportunity for the residents of Graskop and surrounding areas to take lessons from him or purchase one of the DVDs he has produced on his interpretation of how to mix and apply colours.

Visit the Knotty Nook Gallery of Fine Art in Sabie to view his work.

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Abel Erasmus

ERASMUS Jacobus Abel: Born in Weenen, Natal, on 8 February 1845 to the voortrekker family of Jacobus Johannes Petrus Erasmus and his wife, Maria Margaredia Cadierina (nee Jordaan). His father died shortly after his birth and his mother decided to trek with a party led by Commandant General A.H. Potgieter and settled at Ohrigstad in the eastern Transvaal where she later remarried to J. de Klerk. Abel Erasmus worked on the family property until he was 19 years old when he married Gertruida Kruger. By then he was a man experienced in farming and familiar with survival and hunting in the Lowveld.

The young couple moved to Krugerspos where Erasmus earned the respect of both whites and blacks for his approach to farming and for his hunting prowess. He acquired an option on die farm ‘Geelhoutboom’ (which was later renamed ‘Macmac’ by President Burgers).

President Burgers

When gold was discovered the value of the property escalated and he sold his option at a big profit. Gold was also found on a farm he owned at Graskop which he sold to President Burgers for £1000, an enormous sum at that time. In February 1876 at the age of 31 years, and now quite wealthy, he was elected to serve on the Lydenburg Council.

Chief Sekukhuni of the Pedi tribe was becoming troublesome and, in 1876, Veldkornet Henry De Villiers gave warning that a strong Pedi “Impi” was heading towards their area. A laager was quickly formed around a store wherein the Boers took refuge. The initial stages of the defence were not well handled and Veldkornet De Villiers was forced to hand command over to Abel Erasmus who was temporarily appointed Veldkornet in his place.

Chief Sekukhuni

The laager, which contained only 33 white men and 25 blacks, was attacked by a 5000 strong “Impi”. The defenders managed to hold off the Pedi warriors who retired, making off with 2000 head of cattle belonging to the Boers. A further attack was made against Erasmus by one of Sekukhuni’s indunas who was supported by a Swazi “Impi” of 5000 warriors led by the chief, Matsafeni Mdhluli.

Erasmus was officially appointed Veldkornet and led a commando to the Blyde river valley to recover their cattle. Burgers attacked Sekukhuni’s mountain stronghold but, due to dissention amongst the Boers over his leadership, he was forced to withdraw and ultimately to abandon the campaign.

Pedi Warriors

Fortunately, a peace agreement was arranged by a missionary but the debacle was one of the factors which led to the British taking over the administration of  the Transvaal in 1877. The British brought the Pedi under control and finally, in 1879, had their chief, Sekukhuni, imprisoned in Pretoria and fined him 2000 head of cattle.

While being held in detention the Pedi chief made accusations against Abel Erasmus which the British believed. They took Erasmus into custody but he was later released without being charged. Following the First Anglo-Boer War of 1881 the victorious Boers released Sekukhuni who was promptly murdered by his half-brother.

Selati Line

The new Boer government appointed Abel Erasmus as Native Commissioner for the Lydenburg district and with his invaluable knowledge of the natives and their languages he acted as guide and interpreter for many government expeditions such as those which estab­lished the borders between the South African Republic (Transvaal), Portuguese East Africa and Swaziland. In 1892 he was able to mobilize 3000 native workers to construct the Eastern railway line between Komatipoort and Nelspruit. He was well respected by the blacks and put much effort into countering gun smuggling and the arming of the natives.

He was an outstanding hunter and was known by the blacks as ‘DUBULA DUZE’ (he who shoots from close up). He became concerned about the diminishing wildlife in the Lowveld and in November 1880 he made a submission to government calling for the establishment of a game reserve between the Crocodile and the Sabie rivers. His request was initially unsuccessful.

Brown Cattle with Yellow Muzzles

Erasmus purchased the farm ‘Orinoco’ and there he developed a unique herd of prize cattle which were uniformly brown in colour with yellow muzzles.

During the 1890s Erasmus was approached, in his role as Native Commissioner, by a Shangaan chief, Mpisane Nxumalo, for permission to settle his tribe in the Transvaal Lowveld. These people were living in Portuguese East Africa where conditions had become unsettled due to wars and disruption. In 1896 they were settled on ‘Orinoco’ and ‘New Forest’.

Erasmus on Commando

When the war broke out in 1899 Erasmus, with his commando, was sent to the Natal front.

In 1901 Steinaecker’s Horse built a fort (Fort Mpisane) on the farm, ‘New Forest’, which abutted the eastern boundary of Erasmus’ property, ‘Orinoco’.

A patrol from the outpost at Sabie Bridge ‘rustled’ his prize herd of brown cattle on ‘Orinoco’ and drove them back to Sabie Bridge. However the Fort Mpisane garrison did not appear to have much, if any, involvement in the affair.

Gen. Ben Viljoen

When Erasmus discovered that his herd had gone missing he was furious. He approached the Boer General, Ben Viljoen, (who maintained that the Mpisane garrison was nothing more than a nest of troublemakers and scoundrels). He requested that Fort Mpisane be attacked and the menace removed.

The attack occurred on 7 August 1901 and the Boers were victorious in the engage­ment although Commandant Piet Moll was severely wounded, having had his jaw shot off.

Commando that attacked Fort Mpisane

Shangaans

Gleaned from various sources
including “Steinaecker’s Horsemen” by Bill Woolmore

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