Introduction to artist, Helen Martins, and the Owl House
Helen Elizabeth Martins in a South African artist who worked with concrete and glass. She installed her elderly and ailing father, who was believed to have been emotionally abusive to his family during her younger years, in an outside room which she painted black. She ended her life at the age of 78 by drinking caustic soda.
«Helen Martins’ Owl House, often cited as South Africa’s finest example of outside art, is an extraordinary, other-worldly home of concrete and ground glass sculptures. Her creativity conjures up an array of emotions: from wonder to excitement, curiosity and sadness.»
You can read more about Helen Martins and the Owl House here: https://www.graaffreinet.co.za/listing/owl_house_nieu_bethesda
In this post I’m featuring pictures of the concrete and glass structures in the garden of the Owl House. These structures were all created by Helen Martins.
Helen Martins’ garden
The garden of Helen Martins’ house is packed with over 300 life-sized cement statues. This sculpture garden is famously called the Camel Yard.
- The «Fake» East: Almost all of her statues which include camels, wise men, and pilgrims face the East. They are travelling toward a mystical Mecca. To ensure they always faced her version of the holy east, she painted the word «East/Oos» on her boundary wall.
- Made-up animals: Helen loved creating hybrid creatures. Among the statues of owls and camels, you can find a unique creature comprising of a camel with wings and an owl’s head which she invented to amuse the local postman.
- Dresses made of bottles: She created many statues of women whose long, full skirts are built entirely out of tiers of upside-down, colourful glass bottles. These bottles sparkle in the morning sunshine.
If you’d like to learn more about Helen Martins, you can watch this 7 minute video about her life:
About Robbie Cheadle
South African author, photographer, and artist, Robbie Cheadle, has written and illustrated seventeen children’s books, illustrated a further three children’s books, written and illustrated four poetry books and written and illustrated one celebration of cake and fondant art book with recipes. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.
Robbie also has two novels and a collection of short stories published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.
You can find Robbie Cheadle’s artwork, fondant and cake artwork, and all her books on her website here: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/
Social Media Links
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/robbiecheadle.bsky.social
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVyFo_OJLPqFa9ZhHnCfHUA
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15584446.Robbie_Cheadle
TSL Publications: https://tslbooks.uk/product-tag/robbie-cheadle/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Robbie-Cheadle/author/B01N9J62GQ
Unsplash profile: https://unsplash.com/@r_cheadle
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