A Makhanda-born artist and tattoo researcher also paints interiors, preserving the details that homeowners treasure most.
Nicole Anne Bouwer, 31, who has a master’s degree in contemporary tattooing research from Rhodes University, says her interest in body art was triggered on family holidays when she was a little girl.
“Tattoos have interested me since I was a child. I remember going on family holidays and seeing people with body art. I’d walk past tattoo studios and be absolutely fascinated for so many reasons – the people, the designs, the process, the permanence.
After matric at Kingswood College, Bouwer took the plunge herself and had a late family member’s name inked on her body.
“I acquired a few more tiny ones throughout the years. But I started getting a lot of bold tattoos at one point in my mid-20s when it felt like everything in my life was changing, and I was particularly unhappy and scared.
“The tattoos made me feel better – like they were (and still are) something permanent or stable I could hold on to in a state of flux. I also felt like I could use tattoos to materialise emotional pain that I couldn’t quite express or articulate.”
She chose images that resonated with her and provided a sense of comfort and familiarity – a Delicious Monster, a bee, a teapot, a love letter and a diamond.
After that, Bouwer says it felt like a natural progression to write her honours dissertation on contemporary tattooing in SA.
“The paper looked at the evolution of tattooing and how it pertains to identity and the symbolic — the embodiment of tattoos in SA and how spirituality, pain and experience are involved.
“There are also analyses of two tattoo artists I’ve been to, and my own experience as a tattooed person relating to my research. I wanted to continue with this theme but make it more about my experiences.”
She began her master’s in 2023, further exploring the theme of how tattooing can reduce emotional pain.
“My thesis situated my personal experiences within broader cultural contexts, showing how tattoos connect and communicate on both individual and interpersonal levels. I unpacked how tattooing qualifies as a ritual and a meaningful way to reduce emotional pain with physical pain and symbolism, resulting in a permanent, embodied image or text.”
Now living in Johannesburg, Bouwer continues to develop work relating to this theme, and accommodate requests for commissions and other projects.
One of these is a captivating series of resin sculptures of her own arms embellished with symbolic tattoo designs.
“When I started my practical research on tattooing, I began a visual journal. As I was researching, reading whatever I could find and observing countless artworks from artists in various mediums, I would draw symbolic tattoo designs to represent experiences I’d had that linked to my findings. The tattoo designs became a visual language as my project progressed.”
Bouwer’s initial attempts to immortalise her arms involved plaster of Paris, but it cracked easily, prompting a move to resin.
“Resin is hard and brittle to the touch, but it is a liquid in its unreactive state. It solidifies when exposed to oxygen, transforming its materiality. Tattoos can be perceived as permanent expressions of identity and memory, and using resin can reinforce this idea by preserving the tattoo designs in a tangible form.
“Tattoos and resin also both involve a permanent physical change. I primed the sculptures and began painting designs from my journal onto them. The layers of thinned paint would literally sink into the surface of the sculptures – quite fitting for tattoo research.
“By sharing sculptures of my body embellished with custom-designed tattoos that incorporate symbolic references from my narratives, I invite viewers into an intimate space where each tattoo is indicative of a memory, thought, or experience.”
On a very different note, she also creates heartfelt interiors; sentimental renderings of the warmth and comfort of beautiful rooms, an idea she has expanded upon since painting rooms of her grandparents’ Komani farmhouse a few years ago.
“The very first home interior pieces I painted were for an exhibition called Home Moods at a gallery in Somerset West around 2019.
“They were two 20x20cm oil paintings on wood of my grandparents’ old farmhouse in Komani, a place I spent much time visiting when I was younger.
“The house had two lounges: a lounge with a large stereo, a few couches and an ottoman, magazines, and a coffee table, and it led down two steps into a sunken lounge with plush carpeting and rough, textured walls.
“Walking into the lounge, the first thing you saw was a dark brick wall decorated with brass-like vases and plates, healthy houseplants of all sorts, and a couple of family photos. Old-fashioned yellow and green curtains shaded windows on either side.”
Bouwer’s father had photographed the home in 2007 and she worked off these to recreate the lounges, an exercise in nostalgia.
“I managed to successfully render a lot of detail from those old photographs, and the paintings eventually ended up in my parents’ house.
“To this day, family and friends often comment on those paintings, asking questions and pointing out little details. I almost feel transported back to my childhood when I look at them. I’d love to visit that house again, but I think I’d rather remember it exactly the way it was.”
Because the paintings were so evocative, commissions for home portraits began to flow in. Others sought to immortalise the safety and comfort of their favourite rooms in oils. The rooms are clearly sanctuaries, spaces decorated maximise inhabitants’ personalities and styles. Fires crackle in grates, cats snooze upon blankets, deep armchairs beckon.
“I started getting commissioned to paint from photos of people’s homes, sometimes visiting with my camera, sometimes getting images sent to me. I think people are interested in these paintings because homes contain lives.
“They contain memories and history. They’re a soft place to land. Commissioning a painting transforms a familiar space into a meaningful artwork that preserves a part of one’s life. I think my home portraits offer clients a way to commemorate an important chapter. In this way, the paintings become both keepsakes and visual storytellers.
“Even ordinary details like a dog on the couch, the glow of a lamp, or the shape of a window can carry deep sentimental value because they’re tied to personal experience.
“The paintings have a painterly feel to them but also offer a somewhat realistic atmosphere so that the setting feels familiar to the client. Each painting is unique and is created with considerable care and attention to detail. I try to render basic shapes into the canvas with a pencil crayon using the grid method. Then, I add a couple of basic, watered-down layers of acrylic so I have a roadmap that I can follow.
“From there, I go in with the oil paints to achieve the level of detail I want. It’s incredibly rewarding to hear clients’ feedback.
“I love that I can give people something that preserves a meaningful part of their lives.”
Also supremely sentimental are her paintings of beloved South African grocery products like Mrs Balls chutney and Five Roses tea, the packaging signifying everyday pantry staples that have graced everyone’s childhood kitchens and still do.
“I love SA products like that! They have such nostalgic feelings attached to them.
“I’m someone who likes to find happiness in small, ordinary things, so those items are perfect examples. Sometimes ordinary things and actions can carry surprisingly rich meaning.
“Objects can act as self-portraits in our homes that say a lot about us as people with complex and intricate lives. Also, rendering detail like that encourages people to take a moment to see the thing. Painting a tea box — and making it public — can make the box an object worthy of contemplation.
“Life often feels rushed, and it can be difficult to slow down and pay attention. I enjoy capturing details that make something look like itself.”
Tracing her love of art back to her Makhanda childhood, Bouwer recalls being naturally drawn to creative pursuits, and last year her life as an artist turned full circle when she exhibited at the National Arts Festival in her hometown.
“I had quite an imagination growing up. When I was very little, I wanted to be Britney Spears! I think I always knew that I wanted to be someone with a creative job — maybe in the arts, or language, or design — or something similar.
“I’ve enjoyed art since the beginning of time but started to take it seriously around grades 9 or 10. We had to paint a still-life piece of a single bowl. I thoroughly enjoyed trying to capture how the light fell on the object. Once the painting was completed, I felt like I’d completed a jigsaw puzzle.
“I think that’s what I love about creating — you see a big picture, break complexity down into bite-sized pieces, understand relationships, and problem-solve. Watching something visibly come together in front of you is incredible.”
Ruminating about life as an artist, Bouwer says self-doubt can be difficult to deal with.
“The world is not always structured in a way that supports the time, focus, and uncertainty that creative practice requires. I do know that I’m producing work with thought and authenticity.
“A lot of my artistic practice honestly reflects my ideas, experiences and values. If my work resonates with viewers, I think that’s something to be proud of. But I’ll tell you this — 12-year-old me would think I’m the coolest person ever.”
She launched a website and online shop last year where she sells original paintings, prints and custom commissions and has a busy exhibition schedule, but Bouwer is also making time to further her academic pursuits.
“I’ve begun preparing for a practice-based PhD, which will further my research on how tattoos relate to identity, symbolism, and personal change.
And, not content to adorn resin arms with her designs, Bouwer has started training as a tattoo artist.
“It’s like a natural extension of both my studio practice and academic research.
“Learning to tattoo has given me a deeper understanding of the medium from a practical perspective and has enriched the themes I explore in my artwork. I’m excited to see what happens next!”
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