Vendor Biography
JAN (Jannie Erasmus)
By day, I craft hair—by night, I pour my soul onto canvas. I’m JAN, a South African expressionist
artist born in Springs in 1981. I create to feel, not always to explain. Art has always been my way to
make sense of the world, especially when words fail. My style blends expressionism with touches
of abstract and realism, but at its core, it’s emotional—raw, unapologetic, and deeply personal.
My journey began with curiosity—colour, motion, mood—and has grown into something louder
and braver. I no longer hide behind rules or conventions. I paint what I feel, when I feel it. The
brush leads. The emotions speak. My bold colours aren’t meant to please—they’re meant to be
seen. My once-hidden signature—JAN—is now front and centre, marking my growth from silence
into presence.
Some works tell stories of grief, joy, chaos, or desire. Others resist interpretation altogether. That’s
the point. Not everything needs a reason. Sometimes, feeling is enough.
I never replicate. Each piece is a one-of-a-kind emotional storm, a snapshot of who I was in that
exact moment. I paint faces without features, reflections of the shy version of myself who used to
hide in shadows. But now? I want to be noticed.
My art education started in school, followed by self-teaching and an oil painting course that turned
oil into my favourite medium. In 2021, I sold my first piece—transforming from Jannie the painter
into JAN the artist. Since then, every canvas is a celebration of freedom.