Hettie Saaiman
- Profile -

Hettie was born in the Free State, South Africa. She matriculated in 1972. She then went on to study Art and Graphic Design at the Pretoria Technicon Art School.


Hettie then worked at the Buro of Heraldry designing family crests for 3 years.


She then decided to return to Art College at the M.L. Sultan in Durban to do her Higher Diploma in Art and Design specialising in illustration. She subsequently became an art lecturer at M.L. Sultan in figure drawing, textile design, illustration and general painting.


Hettie then started travelling. Working at Creative Stationery as a designer, she was sent to England for further training. After a few years, she decided to exhibit overseas. She was invited to show at the N.E.C. in Birmingham, England at the World Trade Show. Her bright vibrant fish and floral works were very well received. She went on to do an additional 22 shows in Birmingham.


George Madina from Intercontinental Greetings, discovered Hettie and immediately became her agent. George sold Hettie’s work, and copy right all over the world. It certainly did not end there, as the demand for her work grew. Hettie was eventually exhibiting in Holland, Dubai, Singapore, Atlanta and France. She then decided to go and live and paint in Hawaii.


She was well accepted there and stayed for 7 hears. By the time she left, she was the 2nd highest selling artist in Hawaii.


Her style has changed, from initially only working in acrylic ink on watercolour paper, to large canvass paintings in acrylic applied with pallet knife.


Hettie is now back in South Africa, living in Hout Bay, Cape Town.