Heide and Soetdorings use spray paint for the first time at Canvas

A new technique of painting was introduced to Canvas this year when two collaborating residences, Heide and Soetdorings, used spray paint for theur art pieces.

The annual event took place on 15 and 16 March 2022 at the North-West University’s (NWU) Potchefstroom campus amphitheatre. This was the first time in history that residences used spray paint to create their art, instead of acrylic paint and brushes.

Canvas is a big event for all the residences on the Potchefstroom campus. Each residence is assigned a certain block atop the amphitheatre where they can paint, or spray paint as seen this year, their murals. At this year’s Canvas event, the residences had from 16:00 on 15 March until 08:00 on 16 March to complete their pieces.

Heide and Soetdorings used the spray painting technique with the goal of producing an anaglyph art piece. An anaglyph is anything designed to give a two-dimensional appearance at first glance yet transforms into a three-dimensional picture when viewed through specific glasses. The lenses of the glasses must consist of chromatically opposite colours, like red and blue, for the two-dimensional design to look three-dimensional. The colours within the design, like the paint, must also consist of different colours for it to be considered an anaglyph.

Red and blue colours were used by Heide and Soetdoring for their anaglyph. Then, when looking through the two different coloured lenses, the art piece transformed into a three-dimensional work of art.

Amoré van der Linde (20), house committee (HC) member for arts at Heide women’s residence, said that it was a big risk to use spray paint this year, but that it would be worth it. “I want to use this opportunity to show that there are other techniques which we haven’t even thought of that can better the Canvas art pieces,” she said.

Van der Linde was especially excited about the result of the anaglyph art piece and said that the moment you place the lenses in front of your eyes and “see the end result”, was exciting.

Ané Janse van Rensburg (21)*, one of Heide’s main painters at this year’s Canvas event, explained that the two collaborating residences decided on using spray paint because this year’s theme is “peaceful chaos”, which will be easily portrayed through an anaglyph art piece.

“The piece will look very chaotic at the start, but once you look through the lenses everything will make sense,” she said. Janse van Rensburg said that the art piece was designed by two sisters from Heide women’s residence.

According to Janse van Rensburg, the new technique will be a challenge for the painters of the ‘SOET-ig-HEID’ (the sleep name of the two residences) collaboration, but they are ready for it. “Canvas is one of the core memories you unlock at the NWU Potchefstroom campus and so the experience will be enjoyable,” she said.

Zylia Schultz (20), a BA Communication student who attended the Canvas event, said that the atmosphere at the NWU amphitheatre was creative, happy, and youthful. “A lot of people came to enjoy and spectate the event,” Schultz said.