Jacques H Botes was born on 10 August 1970 in Welkom in the Free State, South Africa into a family where both grandfathers were musicians that could play different musical instruments. Jacques' grandfather on his father's side recorded music albums and his grandfather on his mother's side was also a sculptor. His cousins inherit musical talent and he was the only one in the family who inherit the visual art talent. Although his parents encouraged him to pursue his talent, it was only in Grade-7 that one of his teachers saw his talent and took him under his wing, and taught him how to appreciate art. In Grade-10 he decided to pursue a career in Graphic Design.

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After Grade-12 he enrolled at the Free State University of Technology for his 3-year National Diploma in Graphic Design. While still studying in 1991 he received a national award from PACSA (Packaging Institute of South Africa), for best Package Design Student in South Africa. During his studies, he was introduced to Charcoal and did not enjoy it at all. It would only be 12 years later, after finishing his South African National Service and spending 4-years in the Defence force and working for Media-24 as a Full-Page Layout Artist, that he would re-discover Charcoal, but only in pencil form and that opened a whole new world for him. Jacques' biggest dream is to one day have a solo exhibition, but for now, there are not enough pieces of art for that Exhibition because most of his work is sold out by word of mouth or is commissioned by various clients. Jacques prefers to be commissioned for a specific piece of art because that narrows down the field. 

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Jacques does not only do illustrations of wildlife but also do portrait studies and figure drawings on a commission base. Jacques is currently based in Centurion, Gauteng, South Africa. 

So, come and invest in an original Jacques H Botes piece of art and see how it comes to life.