Thomas Kohler

Thomas was born in Cape Town in 1964 and lived there until the turbulent 1970s, when his family decided to leave South Africa for Germany.

Thomas was educated in Cologne to become a Graphic Designer and returned to South Africa in 1988.

After working in advertising for 17 years, he decided in 2004 to change this rather hectic lifestyle, scale down and venture into pursuing what he really wanted to do – paint.

Ships have been in his family’s blood for generations. “My Great-Grandfather built them, my father sailed in them and our family used them as transport in 1939, when my Grandparents emigrated from Prussia to South West Africa, now Namibia. My parents and I travelled on the famous Union Castle Liners to Europe and back and my dad introduced me to sailing from a very young age.”

“People” are another keen subject. I enjoy to paint ‘interaction’ amongst them and am trying to capture their ‘moods’ and ‘feelings’ in the moment.

As far as my style is concerned, I consider myself a “Traditionalist with a quirky edge”.

Thomas’s painting career has been a very ‘private affair’. He has attended group exhibitions in Germany and in South Africa but mainly sells to a private audience. These include paintings of children, grandchildren, parents and special places… also the odd yacht or boat race and ships, which hold special memories.