Art and family: A daughter's tribute to her painter dad in Fish Hoek

Tucked away in a small pink-shuttered Wendy house in Fish Hoek, 85-year-old Andrew Donaldson paints scenes of fishermen, boats, and coastal life - despite having grown up far from the sea.

With a view of False Bay, dogs at his feet, and the occasional tortoise shuffling by, this artist finds peace and purpose in quiet creativity.

Known affectionately as Billy - a nickname given by a midwife at his birth in Springs, Gauteng, in October 1940- Mr Donaldson grew up as the eldest son in a family of five.

“He had an idyllic, happy, free childhood,” says his daughter Andrea Tocknell.

“Always out in the veld, in the sunshine, getting up to a bit of mischief like boys do.”

Mr Donaldson worked as an auto electrician and ran his own business.

“Think Grease-era,” Ms Tocknell explains. “He had the James Dean quiff, the rebel-without-a-cause vibe, just better looking.”

Though his trade kept him busy, he was always drawing or painting, especially as a child when their father would give them crayons and colouring books while they recovered from illness at home.

He first started painting seriously in the late 1960s and 70s, but raising a family meant putting his brushes aside for a few decades. It wasn’t until his 70s that he returned to his art in full.

Despite being landlocked during his upbringing, Mr Donaldson has always been drawn to the sea.

“He often visited the Cape and became very fond of the fisherfolk,” said Ms Tocknell. “He found their energy captivating and loved absorbing their culture.”

Entirely self-taught, he paints from memory, imagination, sketches, and sometimes photos.

“All his works are deeply personal. He’s always been an anonymous observer of life, and painting is a vicarious way for him to express that. He loves the history and people of the Cape, the architecture, the spirit of it all," said Ms Tocknell.

In his own words, Mr Donaldson calls painting his "lifeline"

“I love to sit alone and immerse myself. It’s lovely to be able to produce something that sometimes works out well.”

For almost ten years, he painted from a dark storage room under the family home, modestly named Two Anchors.

About four years ago, he moved into the now-outgrown Wendy house of his granddaughter.

There, with natural light, a view of the sea and the mountain, and a garden full of animals, he paints most days.

“His first painting was Boats at Sunset - red sails and all,” he recalls.

He still paints boats, the ocean, and fishing life, explaining: “It’s the vastness. The anonymity. The never-endingness. The different moods of the sea and sky. The banter of the fisherfolk, the simplicity. It’s a soul-cleansing thing to express myself on canvas.”

His daughter describes him as a gentle, selfless man with a deep spirituality and a profound sense of humour.

“He’s the glue in our family. He’s quiet when he’s angry, but you’ll know when his eyebrows lift at the corners - it’s time to back off,” she said.

Married to his teenage sweetheart Cheryl for nearly 60 years, Mr Donaldson is a father of two, grandfather of four, and a quiet source of strength and wisdom to all of them.

“He taught me that integrity is non-negotiable,” Ms Tocknell said. “He never complains, just quietly fights through whatever life hands him.”

Both of his daughters have followed creative paths - like their father, they are painters themselves.

While he’s never sought attention for his art, Ms Tocknell said the idea of an exhibition is a way of celebrating the man behind the brush.

She’s currently working on arranging one to showcase his collection.

“I just want to let him know he is valuable - even if he never saw it in himself,” she said.

“He’s a quiet presence, but you feel him - like a gentle, calming vibration. I’m so proud of him.”