I was delighted when I sat at a coffee shop in town and overheard a couple commenting about a local artist whose work they were exceptionally interested in. They praised his brushstroke, his techniques, use of space and above all the luminous colour.

I must admit I forced my steaming capuchino down and the second I paid the bill decided to investigate this local talent. What can I say my curiosity got the best of me! It was not hard to track down the infamous painter call Petrus, who says his profession is to fill the world with colour. Growing up in Hoedspruit, Petrus Viljoen attended school in Caledon. He now resides in Hermanus where his work can be viewed at the Art thirst gallery. Asking him about his future plans, he comments smiling “I plan on making more art than Picasso”. He modestly deflects my question asking him if he was always an artist at heart, by saying he believes we all are.

Interested about how he discovered his talents I probed into his history, he eagerly obliged and filled me in. “I visited a girl at Artthirst gallery in Hermanus where I made three small paintings in their studio while I was waiting for her. The owner came back the following day asking if I could make some more of these painting for everyone loves it and would like to purchase them. This was the start of my career as an artist and I have never looked back. Much of my work is all over the world and I feel that I am colouring the world one painting at a time, leaving my mark on this world.”

Although Petrus is very diverse his much prefer medium of paint remains oil. If he could paint anything in any country in the world, he truly wishes that it could be Paris, where he would love to capture the essence of a live street scene as the day progresses. Petrus passionately lives by his motto in life: It is hard to score without a goal!