For nearly three months we’ve had the privilege of hosting a MIES Art Exhibition in our Tasting Room. On the opening night in October 2022, 120 guests listened to MIES’s inspiring story while pairing selected wines to her art.

Interview by Ed Beukes, Marketing and Export Manager of DTK Wines. Images from the Art Exhibition’s opening night.

E: I’m always fascinated to know the person behind the art, because it gives so much more context and subtext to the works. Tell us about your artist’s name “Mies”.

M: My name is actually Marisa. When I was in kindergarten my best friend couldn’t pronounce that. He called me Miesa and it just stuck. Everyone who really knew me called me Mies or Miesa and when I had to choose a name to paint under, choosing Mies felt transparent - true to who those closest to me. It feels weird to me now when someone calls me Marisa, I immediately assume I’m in trouble.

E: When did you start painting? When did it become a career? You were interested in Paediatrics, Marine Biology and everything in between.

M: I’m quite curious and had a really wide range of interests. I remember when my parents took me for aptitude tests, the guy administering the test ended up giving them a refund and told them that I could do anything - which really didn’t help much. I started studying Art Education, but didn’t feel like I’d found that “sweet spot” where I wanted to invest the rest of my life. Then, one summer vacation in 2014 someone I know suggested that I paint full time. I honestly never thought it was an option.

E: You don’t have any theoretical art background, did you ever struggle with an imposter-syndrome and how did you navigate that?

M: I think it’s really important to continually question whether you are good at what you are doing. It shows that you care. But I honestly think being good enough doesn’t have as much to do with talent as it has with intention. Whenever I feel like I want to ride a wave of inferiority and panic I try to remind myself why I paint - It’s not because I think I’m the best at it - it’s simply because I feel that the choice I make to intentionally spend my life creating things that add hope is the absolute perfect place for me to be, no matter my formal qualification. Perhaps if we allow ourselves the luxury of being ‘qualified’ to a lesser extent, we would be more creative, free to make things that are good in essence.

E: Where are you from, where are you now and how does this affect your work?

M: I’m from all over South Africa. I’ve lived everywhere from the Garden Route to KZN and all these places have formed a small part of who I am. I think my orientation in time affects me more than the actual location of where my feet hit the ground. Being present in studio smelling the paint, feeling the canvas and really enjoying each moment has a more significant impact compared to how beautiful or plain the world is around me. We live in Ceres now, and it is absolutely spectacular, I think the slow pace of the place has done my art even more good than the picturesque views.

E: Who are your biggest artistic influences? Where do you find inspiration?

M: I’ve recently discovered Denby Meyer’s work, and I’m “fan girling”. I also love Makiwa’s work and Paul Senyol. The way light and dark play and dictate how the colours are perceived fascinate me endlessly. I think that’s most often what inspires me to paint a specific portrait or scene.

E: You paint with acrylic, why? Do you use any other mediums?

M: My dad used to accuse me of having ‘NOU-C-D’ as opposed to ‘OCD’. I have a pro-active personality. I love seeing things happen, and acrylic paint allows me to be impatient. Every now and then I work in oils just for some character building, but I love the freedom acrylic paint gives me in its eagerness to dry.

E: What does your studio look like and when do you paint?

M: My studio is an extension of our home. I literally can’t close it or lock it up and that means there are quite often toddlers and dogs strutting about - it’s the most beautiful type of messy - and there’s usually music playing. I try to paint everyday. I don’t wait for some warm and fuzzy feeling before I start on a canvas. Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.

E: How do you define success as an artist?

I’m not sure. I think you have to ask yourself if you’re still painting for the same reasons you started out with - and if not, why? Neither success nor failure is a place to pitch a tent. I think perhaps the more important question to focus on is not whether we’re successful in what we do but rather whether what we do adds meaning or contribute to people’s lives and the future we are hoping to create? If yes, success.

E: What motto do you live by?

M: This is the most daunting question. I feel like it’s so much pressure to pick one sentence to live by. I don’t really have a specific quote, but something that I’ve been aspiring to the last while, is not letting comfort dictate the choices that I make in life. I think we are so prone to steer away from discomfort and often that’s what’s needed to find connection, to find meaning.

The MIES Pairing

Intensity. The beautiful thread that we not only in MIES’s art, but her words is the intensity in which she feels, thinks and paints. The four wines that we pair with our artist are all known for their intensity. Intensity in colour, intensity in aroma and intensity in flavour.