Artistic expressions a top Table Mountain

Local artists have the opportunity to create art in the clouds on top of Table Mountain as part of a six-week creative initiative led by Oranjezicht painter Hermien van der Merwe.

The project invites artists to work from a temporary studio inside a space just above the cableway station, to celebrate Cape Town, Table Mountain, and its unique fynbos through live artmaking and collaboration.

Ms van der Merwe, along with two guest artists, will paint daily from the studio, 

Ms van der Merwe said that at the heart of the initiative was to celebrate Table Mountain, Cape Town, and fynbos through art. 

"By gathering artists on the mountain, we aim to create a vibrant, living studio where visitors can connect with creativity in a fresh and memorable way," she said. "They'll experience a unique blend of art, collaboration, and conservation awareness, with Table Mountain itself as both canvas and backdrop," she said. 

Ms Van der Merwe said that she can admire other artists' work but cannot do what they do. 

Guest artist Joanna Lee Miller, from Constantia, is a plein air landscape painter of mountains and seas, creating a finished artwork outdoors, in the open air.

She said she arrived on top of the mountain, "when you could still see some of the mountain, and as I started painting, the clouds came in really quickly and now there is nothing, literally nothing behind me".

"I had a spectacular morning, and that is what I love, capturing the changing conditions," she said. 

Elaine Coaton, from Pinelands, said that it has been challenging as the weather changed from sunshine to the mountain being covered in clouds. 

"It is the most beautiful place to be able to put your paintbrush on your canvas," she said. 

"I mostly paint bits of nature that make me feel happy or that make me go wow, often mountains and trees. Things that are beautiful to me," said Ms Coaton.

Various artists, including ceramicists, watercolourists, contemporary modern artists, young and older artists, successful and beginner artists, some acrylic painters, and some who do etching and lino cutting, will all form part of the creative community until Sunday, November 30.  

Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company's executive for marketing, Collette van Aswegen, said that they have had a long history of collaboration with Ms Van der Merwe.

Her prints are in its shops, and some of her murals are also on display.

"We love her work and how she captures the whole idea of ‘telling the story of the mountain’ through her art," she said.

Ms Van Aswegen said the art on the mountain coincides with their birthday month, October. 

"It fits beautifully into our celebrations this month as we mark 96 years of operating. It is also a fun way of getting people into spaces they may not always see," she said.

Visitors can enjoy something unique this month, as they engage with artists and a view from the top of the mountain.