South African Artist Peter Pharoah Began His Career in Advertising

In the early years of the Internet I found myself exploring what artists were doing in other parts of the world. In the first years of this decade I was invited to be part of a Ning community that shared their art online, with artists from countries all over the world. When I started blogging in 2007 I continued this practice of sharing other artists' work from elsewhere until Bob Boone of The Reader asked if I'd focus on our local arts community. As it turns out, this. was exceedingly rewarding. 

A few years ago I had a chance to do a few stories on a young artist from Uganda who was here in the States for a season. Steveboyyi had an amazing story, having grown up in an orphanage, eventually having to. survive on the streets once that facility closed when he was 17. Art was his escape and he is an exceptionally talented young man. 

While exploring websites of other artists in Africa I came across Peter Pharoah's work. What impressed me most was how his faces brought to mind paintings by Moira Villiard, a local artist who befriended Steveboyyi and helped assemble a show to sell his work at the American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO) while he was here. (You can find that story here.)

Peter Pharoah's path was very different, but not entirely absent of challenges. Interestingly, both artists--Steveboyyi and Mr. Pharoah--have been attracted to similar sources for inspiration.

EN: How did you come to take an interest in art as a career and what has been your path from that moment till now?

Masai Memories

Peter Pharoah: I grew up in a family of pilots and pioneering aviators, so flying was in my blood and I dreamed of a career in the aviation industry, but as I wore glasses my parents felt that this wasn’t an option for me particularly since, at that time, there were restrictions around hiring pilots who did not have 20/20 vision without glasses. 

My mother had studied fine art but never pursued it as a career and believed that because I’d shown a natural talent for art from early on, that it would be a good start to focus on forging my path in the advertising arena. In those days chasing the dream of an illustrious fine art career was not considered a viable option, the term ‘struggling artist’ epitomised the general consensus for your chances of success by most at that time.  So once I completed school and compulsory 2 years of military service, I studied graphic design in Johannesburg then went on to work at Young & Rubicam in the ad industry as an art director.

While working at the agency, I met many commercial artists and illustrators and realised that what they did inspired me and I felt that this career path suited me far better. I enjoyed the flexibility of the working hours rather than 9-5 in the same office day in and day out. I also enjoyed the diversity of projects that came my way and another plus was that I could choose the projects I wanted to work on. 

I became fluent in many mediums from acrylics to gouache, watercolour, magic markers, pencil and airbrush and produced artworks for a wide range of subjects from cartoons to exploded views of mechanical systems, realistic representations of people and everyday objects as well as posters for movies and television shows.  I designed logos and painted murals in restaurants and bars and came up with wraparound artworks for vehicles.

It was an exciting and rewarding time for me and I have happy memories of those early days that taught me so much while still giving me the time to pursue other interests such as hang gliding (I never did lose the flying bug) and escaping to the mountains and incredible African bushveld. 

My career was in advertising. How long were you with Young & Rubicam? What did you learn from being inside the advertising scene? 

I spent the first 3 years of my career at Young & Rubicam honing my skills and learning valuable lessons that helped me on my journey as a freelance commercial artist and illustrator and then even later as a fine artist. 

Some of the most important lessons I learned whilst at Y&R was how incredibly important discipline and the willingness to embrace working hard are… especially if you choose to pursue a freelance career. Another huge life lesson was learning to understand and implement the brief, otherwise you just have to go back and do it again. In the days before computer graphics this meant starting over so making sure that you know exactly what the client wants was a golden rule, especially if you want to get paid at the end of the job. 

Going the extra mile and being willing to do whatever it takes to help them realise that vision, sometimes working through the night to meet crazy deadlines was a lesson embedded into my work ethic from early on… although you definitely won’t catch me doing that now! 

EN: You clearly love working with color. Have you always painted with such brilliance?

Sundowners (Fundraiser for Rhino Conservation)

Peter Pharoah: Once again, my love of colour can be traced back to Y&R where one particular art director insisted that everything I produced was infused with a warm, yellow glow. Probably that was where the penny initially dropped and stuck to me ever since. 

When I first started out as a fine artist, I produced a series of paintings inspired by the warm yellows and orange hues that form so much a part of the African landscape, this series of paintings was hugely successful and I received many requests for commissioned pieces in those colours until eventually it no longer felt fresh and exciting for me and I yearned to break out of that genre but was nervous to try something new when this style was popular and a ‘sure thing’. 

By this stage of my career, I had my own gallery and the internet was playing a big role with orders coming from around the world so I didn’t want to jeopardise my earning potential on something new and completely different. 

Soon after I started feeling this way, my gallery was destroyed in a fire, all the paintings, prints and artworks that were there were destroyed and even the building had to be demolished. 

Excerpt from a press article: 

22 June 2010
Excitement was at fever pitch - our home team, 'Bafana Bafana' was playing France in a nail biting game during the World Cup Soccer hosted by South Africa.

The country came to a grinding halt as we cheered our national team... Little did we know how, on a personal level, this moment in our country's history was going to change our lives in ways we could not possibly imagine...

We lost everything that night but we learned a valuable lesson, that we CAN and would endure...

That evening we were alerted by local residents that smoke was seen coming from our Gallery. Peter rushed to the gallery but it was already too late - the historic thatch building was engulfed in flames and nothing could be saved.

"My new direction was perhaps inspired by the fire that tragically destroyed our gallery. Initially it was very difficult to come to terms with the loss of all the artworks, our print collection and computer back-ups. But ultimately it resulted in a rebirth, a renewal of spirit," said Peter.

"I was more courageous in my approach and set to work with a sense of freedom and abandon that was both liberating and invigorating. I now see my career as an artist in a new light, embracing colour even more than before – using it to draw attention to the patterns and textures that are a hallmark of my style. Emphasising the manner in which these interact within the artwork and with the subject - revitalising my approach to enhance and reawaken the spirit that drives the creative force within..." he added.

"So this collection of works will forever have their place in the timeline of my career, a point of rediscovery, a rebirth and a new direction..."

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Nisha

It was at this point that I realised that evolving as an artist is imperative, otherwise you just end up ‘copying’ yourself – reproducing a formula and you lose the passion and richness that comes with experimentation. 

Colour alone is not enough. You have to use it as a vehicle to tell the story, to enhance the image, to provide contrast or to complement what is there. There has to be balance…

Excerpt from a 2020 update on the 10^th anniversary of the fire:

- 22 June 2020

No one could have predicted that 10 years later, the entire world would just STOP due to Covid-19 and the lessons learned a decade earlier would help sustain us through the dark and uncertain days that lay ahead.

Since then, we have survived another fire that threatened our home and destroyed all our neighbours' homes but we also experienced new places and embarked on adventures, encountering people and moments that have been stored to be brought to life later in the studio.

Perhaps our 'post-Covid' life will inspire another new direction. Being older and hopefully wiser, I have come to accept that with adversity we are not given the choice to ignore the opportunity to grow in a new direction.

"Being courageous in my approach and going into my studio each day gives me a renewed sense of purpose that is both liberating and invigorating. I am honoured to share my passion for Africa, its wildlife, people and even the magical colours and subtle nuances of the sunset, the textures in the rocks and trees.

Each memory encourages me to embrace originality in my subject, my brushstrokes, composition and colour choices... a reawakening of the spirit that drives the creative force within..."

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EN: My art blog is titled The Many Faces of Ennyman. I find faces endlessly fascinating and have been drawing them since pre-school. When did your fascination with faces begin and why do you enjoy painting them today?

Thamani (A young Masai girl in traditional dress)

Peter Pharoah: For as long as I can remember, I have been intrigued by faces and loved to draw and paint them as I explored different mediums. I think it initially began as a challenge to paint a face that was recognisable as a particular individual. During my time studying graphic design, one of our assignments was to paint a realistic portrait from a photograph, which taught me to really look for the subtle nuances that make each person unique as well as how the light plays on the face drawing out certain features and concealing others. 

I think the fire allowed me to become more carefree in my approach to my work; I became less concerned about controlling everything. The fire made me realise that anything can happen and if you are to survive, your only choice is to pick up the pieces and move forward. Wallowing in misery will not change what happened and by accepting this and focussing on the path ahead brings closure and a sense of liberation. Key to that transformation process was casting aside the safety of the ‘known’ and venture into the unknown with a boldness that encouraged a more experimental approach and a willingness to go places that I would not have gone before…

Nowadays, I love painting portraits in rich vibrant colours that help to define the character and essence of the person, humans are programmed to recognise the features of a face so you’re able to play with abstraction more than with any other subject and hint at the features that don’t need to be defined in order to be recognisable as a human face. 

EN: The natural beauty of the African wilderness also appears in much of your work.
Do people there take it for granted after a while or is it something that always produces awe?

The Fifth Element (115 x 115 cm)

Peter Pharoah: My passion for Africa will always compel me to experiment with new methods to convey the intensity of the African experience. Africa speaks to me on a deeper level and I travel to many remote corners in search of inspiration and the earthy ‘oneness’ I feel for the land. 

The artworks that result are more a memory of that experience than just a representation of a specific photograph or scene. Immersing yourself in the African experience is life changing – walking amongst the rhino, lion and elephant or wild dogs. Watching them, smelling them and experiencing their lives up close is awe inspiring and I have found that, as an artist, it is vital to constantly challenge oneself in life and in art – introducing elements in the form of texture, colour or subject that I have never done before… this keeps my works fresh and my approach new each time… 

Simply put… I love what I do and am honoured to share my African visions with the world.

EN: Where can people purchase your work? 

Peter Pharoah: I have a gallery in Wilderness, where I live on the southern cape coast of South Africa as well as at Kunjani, a wine farm in Stellenbosch.

EN: Do you sell through Jumia? 

Peter Pharoah: Not at the moment, it is difficult to manage stock of the originals as there is quite a demand for my work so I find it simpler to just work through our gallery in Wilderness or online through my website at www.peterpharoah.com 

EN: Do you have transcontinental outlets?

Peter Pharoah: There are galleries and agents in the UK and USA that occasionally have my artworks in their collection but most people visit my website and buy direct from our online offerings or alternatively commission pieces for their collection. 

The website is called An African Canvas, the fine art of Peter Pharoah.

To learn more visit: https://www.peterpharoah.com/

FOR MORE INFORMATION 

Contact Tracey @ Paroah Art Gallery

Phone numbers are on the website.

Or to contact by email: pharoah.art@gmail.com