Gerda Smit | Fish Hoek - Cape Town | Illustrations
Gerda Smit, professionally known as O.Griet, is a fine artist and illustrator whose work brings together storytelling, sculpture, and the quiet beauty of everyday life. Trained in painting and ceramics at the Tshwane University of Technology, Gerda developed a distinctive visual language that combines technical skill with a deep sense of playfulness. Her academic thesis explored the childlike and naïve quality that many artists long for — an intentional unlearning in their process, where the focus shifts from polished outcomes to creating for the sake of expression and discovery. At the heart of her creative practice is a rich process that includes visual diary work, experimental drawings, and hand-built ceramic characters. These sculptural forms often emerge as companions to her illustrations, or as standalone artworks that give her stories a tangible, three-dimensional life. Between...