Kay GalleryGershwynn Kay · Est. 1972

Original acrylics · Strand, Western Cape

Horses, wildlife, the sea and the wide landscapes of South Africa and Mozambique, painted by Gershwynn Kay: draughtsman by trade, painter at heart.

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Acrylic painting of three giraffes, a tall adult in front and a young giraffe in the middle, in golden grassland beneath a blue sky with a line of green trees.Giraffe FamilyAcrylic painting of a chestnut horse with a blue-grey mane lowering its head over a barbed-wire fence, against a soft green background.The Roadside HorseAcrylic painting of a black stallion standing in shallow water beneath grey and white clouds, its reflection stretching towards the viewer.Black BeautyAcrylic painting of baobab trees silhouetted against a pink sunrise sky, with a railway line curving through dry bush and a wooden fence in the foreground.Mozambican Sunrise

The collection

Originals, each one of a kind.

Every painting is acrylic on A3 Amedeo paper, signed by the artist. When one is gone, it's gone. Prices on enquiry.

See all 11 works, including sold pieces

Portrait of the artist Gershwynn Kay, smiling, wearing a black cap and glasses.
Gershwynn Kay, draughtsman & painter

The artist

Draughtsman by trade. Painter at heart.

"When I draw or paint, I go into my own world. It relaxes me and brings me a peace that I just can't explain."

  1. 1972Born on 3 March, the first of four siblings and the only left-hander.
  2. 15+ yearsA draughtsman in construction in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Mozambique, sketching colleagues on the side.
  3. COVID-19Out of work, he picks up the brushes. A friend, Marthie Nel, tells him to stop hiding his talent.
  4. First saleShowing off his work on WhatsApp, he gets an offer to buy. In the buyer's words: "It was worth every Rand."
Read Gershwynn's story

The journey map

Every painting starts somewhere.

The beach he walks in Strand. A misty field near Macassar. Baobabs on the road to Moatize. A single fishing boat in Nacala. Follow the places, and the long roads between them, that ended up on paper.

Explore the map
Map of the places behind Gershwynn Kay's paintingsA map of South Africa and Mozambique with 7 numbered pins:1. Strand & Macassar; 2. The N1; 3. The Karoo; 4. Parys & Vaal Park; 5. Moatize, Tete; 6. Nacala; 7. Matheson's Bay. The N1 highway and the Nacala railway are drawn as routes.South AfricaMozambiqueZimbabweBotswanaNamibiaZambiaMalawiLesothoIndian OceanAtlantic OceanCape TownJohannesburgNew Zealand11 800 km away1Strand & Macassar2The N13The Karoo4Parys & Vaal Park5Moatize, Tete6Nacala7Matheson's Bay
The N1, the long road homeNacala coal railwaySouth Africa & Mozambique

Made for you

Commissions & caricatures.

Commission a painting

Your horse, your favourite beach, the view from your stoep. Send a photo and the story behind it, and Gershwynn will paint it as a one-of-a-kind original.

How commissions work

Hand-drawn caricatures

Long before the paintings, there were the drawings he made of his colleagues on site, just for the fun of it. Now you can commission one: for a birthday, a farewell or the whole team. From R600.

Ask about a caricature

My family and friends always believed in me. It's time I believed in myself too.