Avril Hattingh matriculated at the Johannesburg School for Art Ballet and Music and later completed the Diploma in Ceramics at Wits Technikon.  She is a Book Illustrator by trade, which she did freelance at home for about fifteen years while rearing her two children.  Her artistic first-love is portraits and figures.

The subject of her most recent work is the Musician, resulting from a number of paintings done for the new art gallery of the North West Musicon at the Klerksdorp Technical High School.  Since doing this small series of paintings she has become increasingly captivated by the musician as subject – being fascinated by the uplifting, simple visual drama created by the musician in action.  Apart from enjoying the dynamic compositions created by faces, hands and limbs interacting with elegantly shaped musical instruments, she delights in the challenge of visually describing the attitude and poise of the concentrating musician at work.  She sees in the dedicated absorption of the musician, an aspect of unassuming gracefulness and dignity, which could not easily escape a keen illustrator’s eye.

Much of Avrils enjoyment of the musician as her subject matter lies in the way it so naturally reflects a kind of harmony and peace found in godliness. Her desire in her art is to uplift the human spirit, and in any small way to reflect – and honour Almighty God who created all things on earth and in heaven, who made us what we are and gave us all we have.