Potomac Artist Contributes to Local Art Scene

An artist from South Africa is making her mark in Potomac after contributing her artwork to the Art Gallery of Potomac and helping form a local art group.

Yolanda Prinsloo — an artist from Stellenbosch, South Africa who moved to Potomac in 1998 — has an impressive résumé that includes painting Nelson Mandela, showing her art at various galleries in the Washington, D.C., metro-area and creating a mural for the Walter Reed Naval Medical Center in Bethesda.

"Through art I have been lucky to meet wonderful people, and nothing fulfills my day more than being in my studio with a paintbrush in my hand," Prinsloo said.

Prinsloo said she first became interested in art in her tenth grade biology class, where she did a lot of drawings. Prinsloo studied art at Stellenbosch University.

"I had excellent teachers, including Paul Emsley, winner of the BP Portrait competition at the National Gallery of Art in London," she said.

Prinsloo now shows her work regularly with Potomac Artists in Touch (PAinT). Prinsloo and seven other local artists formed the group about ten years ago. PAinT has had shows in different venues over the years, such as Behnke Nurseries and the Potomac branch of PNC Bank. PAinT shows their work at The Art Gallery of Potomac, located in the Potomac Village Shopping Center.

Public TV executive and art patron Dalton Delan said he has known Yolanda Prinsloo for several years since admiring her still-life of flowers in a PAinT show.

Delan said he not only bought several paintings as Christmas presents for business associates, but he also commissioned Prinsloo to paint a large field of tulips (his wife's favorite flower) as a surprise present, which hangs in his wife's study.

"We were and are very pleased with the resulting painting," said Delan. "Yolanda is a lovely and special artist and person, with a depth of intelligence and talent."

While most of Prinsloo's work has been for private collectors, she has participated in a few projects for the public, including a mural for the Walter Reed Naval Medical Center. She and painting partner Ginger Browning are currently creating a mural in a building where wounded soldiers spend time with their children.

Another highlight in Prinsloo's artistic career came in 1998 when she was commissioned by the South African Embassy to paint a portrait of Nelson Mandela, who was serving as the first democratically elected president of South Africa. The painting hangs in the African Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Prinsloo said it was an honor to meet Mandela, who she described as "down to earth."

"It felt as though I was with my grandfather, and yet in the scope of reality; who he is and what he has done is bigger than life," she said.

 Along with heads of state, Prinsloo's work has also garnered interest from the art community of Potomac.

Potomac residents and art collectors Norman and Liz Gerstein met Prinsloo about five years ago at a PAinT exhibition.

"We recognized immediately that her work is professional and eclectic," Gerstein said. "We have admired Yolanda's work in many exhibitions since then."

The Gersteins, who collect art from 19th and 20th century American artists, have high hopes for Prinsloo.

"I hope that I live long enough to see Yolanda Prinsloo emerge as one of the In-Artists," said Gerstein. "It couldn't happen to a nicer person."

Prinsloo said she is pleased to be able to support herself by creating and teaching art. She did admit she would like to be considered a chronicler of her times and a relevant artist in her society. However, she doesn't paint for glory's sake.

"You do it because you can't dream of doing anything else," she said. "Art makes you happy."

For more information on Prinsloo and her work, visit her website or call The Art Gallery of Potomac at 240-447-9417.