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FINE ARTIST & VISUAL COMMUNICATOR
I create and translate visual concepts into structured, meaningful systems, combining traditional art, digital design, and process-driven thinking to support design, education, and AI workflows.
With a background in Fine Arts and over 9 years of experience in design and education, my work focuses on visual storytelling, composition, and clarity of communication. I specialise in breaking down creative decisions into clear, explainable processes, bridging the gap between artistic intuition and structured application.
My work increasingly focuses on the intersection of visual thinking and AI-assisted creative workflows.
ARTIST'S BIO
Esmeralda Brettenny (1984) is a South African artist and printmaker who lives and works in Cape Town. Brettenny graduated from the Red and Yellow School of Logic and Magic, School of Advertising and Design in 2006, and from the Michaelis School of Fine Art in 2012. She completed an internship at Warren Editions, the leading Fine Art Print and Publishing Studio, under the guidance of Master Printmakers Morne Visagie and Zhane Warren in 2013. Since then, Esmeralda has established her own practice rooted in the tradition of Fine Art Printmaking under the name Intaglio Prints.
Alongside her studio practice, Esmeralda has over nine years of experience as an ESL educator and mentor, including more than five years with Novakid. Her work in education focuses on visual communication, structured learning design, and the translation of language into clear, engaging visual forms. This dual practice informs her approach to both art and design, where she combines creative intuition with process-driven thinking and visual clarity.
Esmeralda's works were exhibited at the Narratives Exhibition at Rust en Vrede Art Gallery in 2015 and Sustainable Engagement at the Hotel Verde Ecological Exhibit in 2013. Her work forms part of The Spier Collection, the Works of Art Collection at the University of Cape Town, and the National Print Gallery in Cape Town.
Intaglio Prints Art and Decor has been represented in various locations in and around Cape Town since 2014, including Presentspace (Lifestyle Centre and Willowbridge), Artist’s Signature Collective at Woodstock Co-op, KIN on Kloof and the V&A Waterfront, Quirky Me at The Biscuit Mill, Superbalist, Kamers Vol Geskenke, CY Market, and Kalk Bay Co-op.
