Emily Fern
Emily Fern was an important figure in the Johannesburg art world for nearly fifty years. While still very young she was taught to paint in oils by a nun at the End Street Convent after her parents settled nearby in 1890. She was one of the first students at the Johannesburg School of Art, and as such became a member of the Johannesburg Sketch Club in 1916. She was an associate of the painter J.H. Amshewitz (1882–1942) at this time. As an energetic and enthusiastic female member of a number of emergent art societies in South Africa, including the Cape-based South African Society of Artists (SASA) founded in 1902, she also engaged herself in craft activities. This included the making of items in leather, pewter and brass repoussé. At the same time she gave art lessons at the Protea Studio in Market Street, Johannesburg. Read More…
