werner bronkhorst

The word ‘klein’ means ‘small’ in Afrikaans, my home language. It also refers to the signature colour that artist Yves Klein worked with, called the Klein International Blue. Compared to the scale of the big blue background, the tiny boat sails majestically and yet almost insignificantly. It was my first time placing only one figure on a canvas this large but it’s safe to say I love this piece for its minimal nature. There are few pieces I love from the get-go and even while I made this artwork, I knew I was on the right track with the composition and thickness of the lines. I love it and I can’t wait to see where in the world it ends up hanging. ‘Klein Blue’ Acrylic Gel on canvas 184 x 143 Artworks and printed editions will be released early next year. Feel free to join my mailing list for official updates. #wernerbronkhorst #wet #kleinblue

While I’m finishing up the last few artworks in my WET collection, I thought I’d share a special piece I made late last year. It was based on an idea I had in my sketchbook for ages and finally I had the excuse of using all of the paint I had left over from my Forbidden Grass collection to mix onto this canvas. The idea was to play with the word ‘Masterpiece’ but give it a golfing twist based on @themasters In this artwork you can see the same golfer and his caddy in four different scenes, putting, chipping, driving and walking. This was completely new to me as I usually paint a single scene or moment but this time I wanted the artwork to tell its own story. ‘Masters Piece’ 153 x 183cm Acrylic on canvas This artwork was sold last year. To find out more about my work and when artworks are released, please join my mailing list via my website. ⛳️ #wernerbronkhorst #masterspiece

I started this piece three months ago not really sure about what its title would be. After talking to @bobby_hendry though, she suggested I name it after an early 2000’s Australian teen drama series. I was a baby in South Africa when the series was released so I obviously knew nothing about this show. Having watched a couple episodes now though, I think this artwork totally fits this title. ‘Blue Water High’ 144 x 144cm Acrylic gel on canvas Artworks and printed editions from this collection will be released early next year. Feel free to join my mailing list for official updates 💙 #wernerbronkhorst #wet #bluewaterhigh

Always edging him 🤷🏼‍♂️ Despite making highly family friendly paintings, I like being slightly cheeky with my art. Being left on the edge is a sexual practice of engaging to the point of climax before stopping but in this case, the guy in the painting is quite literally on the edge of the pool float. My favourite part about this artwork is the variety in gradients of blues which makes the pool water look surprisingly realistic. I actually wanted one seamless blue but I didn’t mix the bucket of paint well enough. This artwork is part of my ‘WET’ collection which will be made available to purchase after my solo exhibition in Brisbane early next year. To find out more, please visit my website and join my mailing list. ‘On the edge’ Acrylic polymer on canvas 102 x 102cm #wernerbronkhorst #wet #ontheedge

You may not see it but on the back of this boat there is a couple cuddling and soaking up the sun while simply cruising. I wanted to see what it would look like if I added a stark white line following the curves of the blue background to look like a wake. It kind of worked! ‘Cruising’ Acrylic gel on canvas 51 x 82cm Artworks and limited printed editions for this collection ‘WET’ will be released early next year. Feel free to join my mailing list for official updates 💙 #wet #cruising #wernerbronkhorst

Commissioned by the Lusail International Circuit, this artwork celebrates the three main motorsports that take place here. Drivers of Formula 1, MotoGP and the World Endurance Championship can be seen racing around the iconic track, painted in a bright blue with the circuit’s unique pattern in the background. ‘Speed of Lights’ Acrylic polymer on canvas 183 x 122cm #wernerbronkhorst #lusailcircuit #qatargp

Straight lines aren’t really what I think about first when I think of water. That was enough of a reason to make artworks with purely straight lines in this collection. This artwork has a deep dark blue that feels rather ominous but also peaceful. Zen in the middle of a storm. It’s something I’ve been feeling lately so perhaps that’s why I like this artwork in particular. ‘Sail Away’ Acrylic gel in canvas 82 x 51cm Artworks and printed editions will be released early next year. Feel free to join my mailing list for official updates 💙 #wernerbronkhorst #wet #sailaway

Loki says hi 🙋🏼‍♂️

This collection features mostly water but I wanted to have at least one artwork with the beach in it. It wasn’t meant to be this one though! Originally this artwork was made to look like a pool but for many reasons that idea ended up not working out. For months I left the canvas unfinished until I finally realised what I could do instead. Without trying to overcomplicate the process, I stuck to a simple, central composition with a single figure of a little boy bravely taking his surfboard into the water. ‘Coast Is Clear’ 31 x 41cm Acrylic gel on canvas Artworks and printed editions will be released early next month. Feel free to join my mailing list for official updates 🌊 #wet #wernerbronkhorst #coastisclear

Been working profusely on the second part of my current collection ‘WET’ to ensure I am ready for my first exhibition of 2025. The studio has been packed with boxes from my ‘12 Days’ release which hasn’t made it easy to work but the team has smashed all the work leaving me with more time and space next week to work on a couple of pieces. In these photographs taken by @eugenedavidgrey you can see me working on a big boy titled ‘Klein Blue’ and ‘Walk On Water’. Can’t wait to show you what else I’ve made.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Abbey Road sequel for this WET collection! ‘Walk On Water’ Acrylic Gel on canvas 42 x 31cm Artworks and printed editions will be released early this year. Feel free to join my mailing list for official updates 💙 #walkonwater #wernerbronkhorst #wet

Although painting is pretty much just muscle memory for me now, I still get anxious every time I start a new artwork. This feeling is exacerbated when I go for weeks without making a single painting and that happens more often than I’d like to admit. After a month spent in London and then another two weeks in Germany earlier this year, I was afraid of getting back to my studio to start ‘WET’. The dry winter heat in Sydney meant my paint was drying quicker than I could apply it and that made the entire process very challenging. Ironically I had to end up using water to thin the paint down slightly just so I can make these swimmers look realistic. Additionally it was my first time painting people in water. This meant I had to learn how to warp figures’ bodies without making them look bad or like they’re simply floating in air. Splashes of white and deeper blue shadows help but it’s not the easiest thing to pull off. Either way, I was happy to know I didn’t lose my ability to paint once this piece was finished. I love the colours, the composition and most importantly; the result.

I think what I love most about these artworks is that the process plays just as big of a role as the result itself. To artists like Magritte, the painting process was tedious and repetitive but to me it’s about finding ways to make it new and exciting. I always seek out to try working with new colours and compositions. This means I often end up making artworks that I have no clue how to complete. This artwork is a peak example of how my initial Rothko- inspired composition ended up failing to look like anything I wanted it to. I started this piece in September and only last week did I finally complete it by painting tiny boats docked along this centrally floating wharf. The result is cool but the process of spending countless moments deciphering what the artwork could and should be intrigues me more. ‘Sea You Soon’ Acrylic Gel on canvas 42 x 31cm Artworks and printed editions will be released early next year. Feel free to join my mailing list for official updates 📩 #wernerbronkhorst #wet #seayousoon

Artist ASMR!! This is what good paint sounds like 🎨

Now that I’ve completed all 38 artworks for my WET collection, I can start working on my retrospective exhibition in Korea. These Forbidden Grass artworks have been stored in these art cases for six months and today I’m finally unpacking them. I was slightly nervous to open these cases I made but I guess my carpentry apprenticeship paid off. More information about the retrospective exhibition will be posted after the release of WET in three weeks.

This was only the experiment for a much larger artwork I named ‘Big Blue’. So I named this one ‘Small Blue’. There’s something about the juxtaposition of colour, the gentle horizontal curve and the off centre position of the sailboat that intrigues me. There’s movement but slow and zen-like. It’s calming but also vibrant. Seeing this small canvas hung on a large wall is simply amazing and I’ve really enjoyed having it in my lab the past few months. ‘Small Blue’ 31 x 41cm Acrylic gel on canvas Artworks and printed editions will be released early next month. Feel free to join my mailing list for official updates 💙 #wernerbronkhorst #wet #smallblue

Monkey see, monkey do 👩🏽‍🎨 I was organising my paint and brushes when Florence walked in and asked if she could ‘help’. And so it began. A new masterpiece in the making.

A warmup before I make ‘Big Blue’ ‘Baby Blue’ 41 x 31cm Acrylic gel on canvas Artworks and printed editions will be released early next month. Feel free to join my mailing list for official updates 💙 #wernerbronkhorst #wet #babyblue