About Vic

Vic was born and raised on the Rhodesian Copperbelt (now Zambia) in darkest Africa. It was there he grew to appreciate nature by the then largely untamed, unspoiled African bush, wildlife and the great Victoria Falls. Pets of antelopes, chameleons, tortoises and such no doubt also contributed! Vic went on regular extended fishing expeditions on the major Zambezi, Kafue and Congo Rivers, then too visited the famous game reserves, Kafue, Luangwa, Wankie, Kruger and Addo at every opportunity and also spent considerable time “out bush ” whilst in the defense forces.

His move to Australia in 1981 introduced him to mineral collecting. It was however African animal memories that motivated his art. Vic used to draw from an early age and did technical illustration in his work but had only a latent interest in painting. However, following his retirement in 2000, from a busy life in engineering with the mining industry, he got serious about it. During the first few years he attended a weekly art group with tuition. Vic has enthusiastically taken to painting his African wildlife and a growing number of Australian critters, as well as landscapes and mineral crystals (in rocks!), a pet subject tackled by few artists, since many of the species are only of microscopic size! He travels widely in Australia, and has visited New Zealand, Africa and the USA in search of these. He paints through both an artist’s and naturalist’s eye by stating “One cannot fail to be impressed with nature’s creation of uniqueness and aesthetics in every animal, bird and mineral specimen” Vic works mainly in oils, he says that his art involves no shortage of challenges to compose and realistically represent the subject

Vic exhibits locally and has received commendations for some of his work. His mineral renditions are to be featured in a US minerals magazine in early 2007 and his digital mineral macro photos are on the web

Email Vic at: viccloete@aanet.com.au