Sandy Esau was born in 1968 and raised in Darling. He came from a creative family and studied art at Ruth Prowse School of Art, under Eric Loubser and Ryno Swartz for two and a half years. He was guided by Judith Mason at Dal Josafat Missionary Station where he also studied. After his studies he worked as a fisherman and also at Koeberg Nuclear Power Station while continuing to paint. His first solo exhibition was in Darling during June 2001.

In 2007 one of his works was auctioned for R 55 000 at the Greef 'Road of Hope' Gallery, where Mr.Trevor Manual was the host. Esau’s work hangs in the boardroom of Mercedes Benz in Gauteng, and in 2002 he won a national art contest at the World Summit on Sustainable Development held n Johannesburg. The works were enlarged to billboard sizes and put onto buildings during the Summit.

In 2009 Esau was devastated by a fire which destroyed his paintings, materials, studio and home. Although this was an overwhelming loss for the artist and his family, Sandy Esau continues to paint. He still lives in his home town of Darling with his wife Natasha, three girls and a boy.

He recently took part in an ANC fundraiser, where the piece “After School” raised R90 000.
Esau paints the community around him. He is inspired by Monet and Van Gogh and everyday life as he sees it. He works in mediums such as oil on canvas, oil on superwood, pastels and mixed media on paper.

"I paint my community around me, the houses, the dorp with it's 'Stoepsitters', the shop fronts, the bar, the darcers, Nguni Cows, Cape Coons, Children, my family and friends and the every day life around me."
- Sandy Esau

HISTORY OF EXHIBITIONS

2001
- His first Solo Exhibition he sold 16 out of 21 works
- Exhibited 15 works in Germany
- Solo exhibition at Evita se Perron
- Solo Exhibition at Vygevalley Padstal

2003 & 2004
- Solo exhibition at Evita se Perron
- Solo exhibition at Vygevalley Padstal

Many group exhibitions in/at:
Germany
West Coast Art Guild
Club Mykanos
Daljosafat
Pierneef Gallery
Jean Weltz Gallery
Hout Street Gallery
Evita se Perron
Greef 'Road of Hope' Gallery
Huis Gallery in Johannesburg
Articles and Frames in Pretoria
The Gallery in Melkbosstrand
Bay Hotel in Camps Bay