Beauty has many distinct forms, from the smile of a loved one, to the serenade of a favourite song. It is the malleable glue of society; the artwork of the natural world. An adrenaline junky will launch themselves into the darkest abyss for that one infinite moment of pure bliss. School teachers find it in the rising marks of that kid who always gave her trouble in class. Well a Scarborough local found his version of beauty embedded in the sand outside his front door. Chris Brehem's paintings are a physical representation of his state of mind; free flowing, natural and vibrant. Masterpieces layered on hunks of washed up drift wood, proving that the most beautiful things can come from nothing more than a sodden plank and your imagination. Every piece feels different, every line and texture displays the raw emotion behind it. If you truly were to look at one of his pieces, you'd learn as much about Chris as you would over a cup of coffee or two. We are all artists in our own crafts. Everybody has their own version of beauty, but to be able to appreciate another's version is more beautiful than anything else. At the end of the day, when the statues erode and the fire turns to embers, one thing is for certain , and that is the people around you. People who don't need flames to feel real warmth, those who don't need a white canvas when there's a perfectly good piece of driftwood right outside. People like Chris remind us at our lowest moments, that its good to be human.
Photos: magnified pictures of selected Art works from Chris Brehem's permanent Exposition at the Kommetjie Surf Shop