Beloved artist dies
"We would often walk in the Kuiseb River, in the Brandberg area and at the Messum crater. She also loved cats, because she said they looked down on you."This according to a long-time friend of the beloved and well-known artist Trudi Dicks (84), who died on Monday.
Trudi decided to study at the age of 40 and chose printmaking because it was easy to roll up, in contrast to oil paintings and sculptures which could not be easily moved between workshops at the university.
She also studied part-time in France and New York.
"She had a wonderful project at Avis Dam. It looked like a beehive, where she sent out a piece of art on a float every month. She then invited people to come and have a picnic," her friend says.
She was diagnosed with cancer at 75 and went into remission after aggressive treatment.
Towards the end of last year, she became tired and after receiving a pacemaker, she suffered from various health complications.
Trudi was also a keen cyclist in her free time and regularly rode to the Otjihase mine about 30 km north-east of Windhoek. She also liked to go windsurfing at Walvis Bay.
Body of art
Trudi's artworks were particularly popular with collectors because of her unconventional and unique style.
Her work mainly consists of linocuts, woodcuts and metal etchings. She developed her own methods with linoleum, wood and collagraphy.
Her first exhibition consisted of enormous black and white linoleum prints with political themes, as well as the dynamics of relationships between men and women.
Trudi would later add artwork from clay, wood, plastic and stone as well as needlework to her methods.
According to her website, the intensity of Trudi's work can be attributed to her hearing impairment, which has led her to a more intimate observation of the visual space.
She signed her artwork with "GSM Dicks". The GSM is her initials, Gertruida Sophia Maria. – [email protected]