Behind the Canvas

Walgaard Portrait: A Remarkable Commission

Posted 2026-09-13 by Martjie Carter

Despite the hard work that went into the 2-meter-high, life-size oil portrait of the Walgaards, it was a great joy to create and remains one of those portrait commissions where everything just fell into place. The client who commissioned this work trusted me completely from start to finish, including delivering the framed final product to their house in Sandton, Johannesburg.

Life-Size

When doing portrait commissions, whether charcoal portraits, pastel portraits or oil portraits, I don’t normally work smaller than life-size because it makes the subject look small and puny. For example, when a client wants a single head-and-shoulders portrait, life-size canvas dimensions usually work out to roughly 60 x 75 cm. If they want torso and hands included, it works out roughly about 80 x 110 cm. In the case of this portrait, the client initially wanted a full-figure, life-size oil portrait of her husband alone. Yet, as discussions continued, we concluded that the visual impact would be much more pleasing if they appeared on the painting as a couple. Needless to say, at life size, this resulted in a 2-meter-high painting. Added to that was a wide double frame in white and silver.

Walgaard Portrait - Close-up Shawl — Walgaard Portrait – Close-up Shawl

Walgaard Portrait - Close-up Hands — Walgaard Portrait – Close-up Shawl

Framing of the Walgaard Portrait

I am still amazed, that when this large work had to be safely transported, my friend the photographer just “happened” to have a roof rack on his 4 x 4 that also “happened” to have a flat wooden box that could be attached to it which just “happened” to be big enough to transport the framed painting in! Amazingly there everything just worked out perfectly!!

Walgaard Entrance — The 2-meter-high portrait hanging at the client’s front door entrance.

Sammy Nestico Commissions: 2 Remarkable Portraits of A National Treasure

Posted 2026-09-13 by Martjie Carter

Sammy Nestico

Sammy Nestico, the unassuming gentle giant in the fabric of the music of America, specifically that of big band, blues, jazz, popular and film music. Sammy has composed and arranged some of the greatest American music of all time. He has arranged and conducted albums for people such as Frank Sinatra, Barbara Streisand, Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Liza Minelli and numerous others on the world stage. He also recorded 10 albums of original music that received four Grammy Award nominations as well as arranged music for film studios like Warner Bros, 20^th Century Fox, Columbia and MGM.

Big Band Orchestra

After her university years, Martjie Carter spent 5 years playing saxophone in a Big Band orchestra in Pretoria SA, resulting in her becoming very familiar with many of Sammy Nestico’s music and arrangements. Little did she know that, years later, while playing tenor saxophone for the Coastal Communities Band in San Diego California, she would meet Sammy and have the honour of being commissioned twice to do oil portraits of him.

Portraits

The first portrait was done in oil and was a combination of Sammy and Don Ganeva (conductor of the Coastal Communities Band) on one canvas.

The second painting, done in oil but in a loose impressionistic style, is depicting Sammy conducting the Band in Black. This is now used on the homepage of sammynesticomusic.com.

Unveiling

The unveiling of this artwork was hosted by the Big Band & Jazz Hall of Fame in the Star theater Oceanside California 2003.

Boys High Commissions: 2 Inspiring Portraits of Honour

Posted 2026-09-12 by Martjie Carter

Bill Schroder
43″ x 34″ Oil on canvas Former Headmaster of Pretoria Boys High School

Martjie Carter had the honour of being commissioned twice by Boys High School to paint oil portraits of their former headmasters. The first was Mr Bill Schroder, and the second was Mr Tony Reeler.

Boys High Alumni

Boys High School, in the heart of Pretoria near Pretoria University, is rated as one of the top schools in South Africa. It has produced top alumni such as;

Elon Musk
Max Theiler – Nobel Prize Laureate for physiology and medicine
Michael Levitt – Nobel Prize Laureate for Chemistry
John Smit – former springbok rugby captain

The list goes on and on with the many Boys High boys who became highly successful in their respective fields. It goes without saying that Boys High must have done something very right. Nobody can achieve what the names above have achieved without strong character and strong fibre. And since they all have Boys High in common, it is logical to conclude that this school played an important part in character-building during their early years. Quoting the statement of John Smit on the cover of Mr Schroder’s Memoirs:

“There will only be one boss to my Pretoria Boys High memory – wise, calm and a mentor to us all.”

Mr Bill Schroder

Boys High Headmaster, Mr Schroder, and Martjie — Click on the image for more.

The first headmaster that Martjie was commissioned to paint was Mr Bill Schroder. After the unveiling, this painting is now gracing the wall of the headmaster’s study, alongside the portraits of previous headmasters done by the great Irmin Henkel.

Martjie’s portrait of Mr Bill Schroder was also used by Jonathan Ball Publishers on the cover of Mr Schroder’s memoirs “A Headmaster’s Story”.

A few years later, this very company commissioned Martjie to paint a portrait of its founder and owner, Mr Jonathan Ball, who subsequently commissioned Martjie to paint a portrait of his beautiful late wife, Pam Ball.

Mr Tony Reeler

Mr Schroder’s Memoirs is a testimony to the quality. The subsequent headmaster, Mr Tony Reeler, whose portrait Martjie was also commissioned to paint, was equally formidable and under his leadership the decision was taken to restore the famous “Reeler Room”. Once completed it was also here where the portrait of Mr Reeler was unveiled.

Unveiling of Boys High Headmaster, Tony Reeler, Portrait