Port Alfred artist Cornelia Beer has not allowed her turbulent past to stand in the way of her dreams and now inspires creativity in others.
Beer, 46, grew up in an abusive household, spent time in a homeless halfway house in Gauteng and became a teen mom, but throughout these trials, pencil and paper were her creative and financial lifeline.
A former butchery and debtors assistant who taught herself to draw and paint, Beer now hosts popular sip and paint workshops at a harbour restaurant and aboard a river boat in the seaside town and further afield.
But her path to contentment did not come easy.
Aged just 17 and with her baby boy in tow, she left home before the end of her matric year in search of a better life.
“I grew up poor in a broken home with terrible conditions.
“We moved around lots when I was a child, I was in 10 different schools growing up,” says Beer, who now shares a happy home with husband, mushroom enthusiast Marius, father-in-law and wildlife artist George Beer, pitbull Eva, toy pom rescue Minion and George the cat.
“At one stage, we lived in a halfway house for the homeless.
“I had one friend who taught me the basics of drawing.
“This was when I was 16, just before I fell pregnant with my son.
“Because our home conditions were so poor, and because my abusive stepfather loved to booze it up, I thought it was better for me and my son to leave, even if I was only 17 and still in matric.”
Desperate to earn enough to take care of herself and her child, Beer made use of a booklet her mother had given her about how to make dream catchers.
“I sold them from under the counter at the butchery where I worked.
“I realised I could make things with my hands and sell them.”
In those peaceful moments of creating something so meaningful, I stayed calm in the world of chaos I found myself in
Her short-lived peaceful years were once again shattered when her first marriage crumbled.
“I fell pregnant with my daughter Alexa, but not long after our marriage, he drifted into a very serious drug habit and we had to leave him.”
It was time once again to reach for her art materials to help pay the bills.
“I decided to dig out the old pencil from my teenage days and started practising my drawing skills.
“By this time I was 27, Alexa one and my son 10.
“I did have a debtors assistant job in Johannesburg but I only earned enough money to pay my rent and for my car.
“I needed something extra to put food on the table.
“In those days there were no YouTube tutorials. I had to look at a drawing or painting and try to imagine how it was done.
“My boss, Mr Friedrich, at Elite Chemical Industries where I worked for eight years, was extremely supportive of my art talent, he allowed me to work on my art if my work was up to date and he bought my very first drawing, which was a lion — a sucky drawing, looking back now!”
Beer drew people and their pets as a side hustle, as well as symbolic pieces to express her faith.
“Engaging in the act of creating art kept me sane.
“In those peaceful moments of creating something so meaningful, I stayed calm in the world of chaos I found myself in.
“I felt God speaking to me through my art.”
Now happily married to Marius, her husband of nine years, who she describes as her best friend and inspiration, Beer runs art workshops, an enterprise that once again began as a way to make ends meet.
“I held my first workshop in 2011 and it didn’t go down that well.
“Then I started one-on-one lessons until I realised that takes away from your students rather than helps them grow.
“In 2022, I did my first sip and paint. I started it with no money.
“I used the hard backs of all the art drawing books I had piled up and covered them with canvas I had over from a commission.”
The more lessons she gave, the more her own art improved and she now hosts a variety of workshops.
Daily Dispatch asked her:
How did you land up living in Port Alfred?
We moved to the Eastern Cape in 2018, we felt like we needed to get away from the crazy city life and basically closed our eyes and picked a place.
Had to be close to the ocean. We landed in Bathurst, we moved to Port Alfred in 2023 because of space for my art workshops and gallery.
How does living there inform your art?
I am inspired by the beautiful sunsets, sunrises, and seascapes.
I am inspired by the forested areas in the commonage and the rivers and streams. The birds and flowers inspire me. People inspire me.
I love people and I love showing them that they are all artists and that the act of creating is good for our minds and hearts.
I find inspiration in the Spirit and people and the way they love each other or don’t love each other.
I find inspiration in what is wrong in this world, because it makes me want to paint even more, with even more passion.
I also love to paint the ocean and seascapes, because one cannot live so close to the ocean and not want to paint it. The ocean reminds me of the grace of God.
What was the turning point in your art career?
When I realised that no-one is coming to grab my hand to take me to the next level, that it’s up to me and my God-given talent.
How many sessions do you run; what kind of feedback have you had?
I do multiple sip and paint or workshops in a week, whenever I have a booking. I have a set art workshop every Saturday at 10am.
I also do corporate sip and paints. I did a sip and paint for Rhodes University’s staff in January at the Royal St Andrews Hotel for 65 people.
How do you help artists develop their ability to capture likeness in portrait workshops?
Although I believe portrait painting is my super-power when it comes to art, I don’t focus on portrait workshops unless requested.
We do random, commercial and beginner-friendly paintings at the sip and paint sessions and more complicated paintings at the workshops.
I pick themes and references, I have a box of reference pictures my guests pick from.
How do you use this super-power to capture a subject’s spirit?
I study more than one reference of that person, then I start by doing the underpainting and when that is dry a few days later, I will do the top layers which consist of details, shadows and glazes. I fiddle with the painting until it looks like the person.
What other workshops do you run? And which ones are the most popular?
I have oil painting workshops, acrylic workshops and sip and paints. I also sip and paint for kids between six and 16. They get a milkshake, which is great for birthday parties.
I also offer a “river cruise and create” in collaboration with The Dock restaurant in the small boat harbour in the marina and The River Whisperer — a local boat.
Sip and paints are more for holidaymakers looking for a fancy holiday experience. They are very popular with Stenden students, tourists and local holidaymakers.
The workshops are more supported by locals in and around Port Alfred who would like to be more serious about art. I have some who come back over and over again.
The nice thing about my workshops is that even though I advertise certain themes or designs, you can bring whatever you would like to paint. We will give it a bash and you will love it.
Have you ever discovered standout talent in a novice attending your workshops?
Yes I have! Most people catch on really quickly, but you sometimes get people who really stand out from the word go. I see it not only in their work but in their body language and the way they hold their brush.
And have any of them decided to pursue art more seriously after attending?
Yes, more than once. Some of my students even entered local competitions and got first and second place.
I have also had professionals like doctors and lawyers come for painting sessions just for therapy.
I believe with my entire heart that art is therapy and that I don’t need to be an art therapist for you to come for an art session and feel better.
The act of engaging in creating art is the therapy, and it’s got nothing to do with me. I’m only there to show you that you are capable once you have been shown some techniques.
Where do you work on commissions? Do you have a home studio and what does a typical day look like?
I work on my own pieces and commission pieces from home. I will faf around the garden and house in the morning before I sit down in front of my painting and then I will paint until late at night in a corner in my living room, while my husband and pets laze around me.
I love creating beautiful meaningful art with my loved ones around me. I am an atmosphere shaper, because I bring joy and inspiration. It’s in my nature and what I love about me the most.
Are there themes or messages you find yourself returning to in your art?
I always come back to painting portraits of beautiful women with flowers or some kind of animal that usually represents something in my own life — either a symbolic message or something beautiful I experienced in nature that inspired me.
You describe yourself as a visionary artist — what do you mean by this?
To me this means my paintings are not just beautiful pictures, they represent a story or deeper meaning.
For example, the painting of my daughter blowing out a piece of the universe is a symbol of the power that lies in our words and perceptions.
Has your art won any awards?
I have only entered two art competitions in my life. The first one was the Arti Gallery Art Competition in 2024 and I made it into the top 100.
I won the best on show at the Bathurst Agricultural Show art competition in 2022.
Are you working on any exciting projects?
I am currently working on a distinct style I would like to develop. I love the idea of painting immortal jellyfish in the ocean and adding some divers.
I would like to focus on our immortality as spiritual beings and the realm of grace that we could all access if we dare to believe in its existence.
Also, a bunch of other artists and I are in discussions to turn Ndlambe into the art hub of SA by hosting an art festival in the last week of September called “Uncaged”.
The idea is to reach out to all the creatives in our surrounding areas and pairing them with venues in our area to showcase our outstanding local talent, from Port Alfred, Station Hill and Kleinemonde. Everything, from poetry, dance, drama, art and music.
If you are a talented florist or garden scraper, we want you involved.
This year will be a pilot festival, because we are all learning as we go. Very exciting.
I would also love to rekindle my love for writing music and songs this year. I have one song on YouTube called Father Time.
- For more, see Cornelia Beer Art on Facebook.
