MIKE'S STORY
No one is certain, but it is believed that Mike Ginn was born in or around 1642 prior to the Dutch settling in the Cape. Mike’s love of painting was passed down through the generations and some have suggested that his ancestors’ paintings adorn the walls of caves throughout Southern Africa.
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Mike has no formal education or art training. Despite this, he has almost mastered rudimentary finger painting and his art has been described as quaintly childlike.
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Mike mixes his own paint using tree sap, ochre and dung scavenged from beetles, which gives his work a pungent, gut-churning odour which clears the sinuses.
Nelson Mandela once famously said of Mike, “Who is this man and how did his paintings get in my house?”.
I encourage you to buy this living Methuselah’s art, if only for its anthropological interest. Mike can be contacted by communing with the elements, learning the secret language of trees, or via his email at mikeginn.art@gmail.com.
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Apparently the Bio above is not totally accurate in describing my good friend Mike and his capabilities, so below are some ‘alternative facts’!
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Mike Ginn is a well known Eastern Cape artist whose paintings hang in homes on at least 5 continents.
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Mike was born in 1939 in Grahamstown where he attended both St Andrew's Prep and College and he would like it recorded that his school career started by attending Kindergarten at the Diocesan School for Girls, making him a proud DSG "girl" as well! Mike acquired his love of art from his mother, Joyce, who was also an accomplished artist and a much loved teacher.
Mike studied a BA(Hons) Fine Arts degree at Rhodes University and taught for years at St Andrews Prep making a very positive impact on a generation of Preppies.
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Mike has been painting professionally for decades, and has been commissioned by a large number of clients.
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Among his best-known works are illustrations for the botanical books Illustrated Karoo Plant Wealth (Hobson, Jessop and Ginn, Pearson Publications,1970) and Veld Plants of South Africa (N K Hobson, Macmillan 1975). He has also developed and led a number of traditional leathercraft training programmes for all races throughout South Africa.
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Mike’s favourite medium is watercolour and he has an amazing ability to bring animals, plants and scenes to life and to engender the nostalgia that lurks in all of us.
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Peter Mullins
September 2021