Within The Spirit: The White Owl Calls

By Felicity-Ann McInnes

How do I describe my fascination for the soul called Helen Martins and her (like mine) loneliness of a love gone and a life alone and the reclusiveness that blossomed into a work of art? I can but only write in words of art how I see her adventure of life.

Helen's first assistant Jonas Adams did the first owls and mermaids in the Camel yard with the second assistant, Piet van der Merwe, helping Helen build churches, tables, statues and together they perfected the technique of coating walls, ceilings, even furniture with ground glass. Koos Malgas also an assistant worked with Helen for 12 years until her death; he was one of the people that that loved listening to her as she described to him as what to do and just had the knack of doing it right. After many years alone Johannes Hattingh came into her lfe. He was her lover, friend and confident for over 20 years and had a huge influence on the structural changes in the Owl house, for instance the big colourful windows.

She was influenced by the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, William Blake, and the Bible.

Such is the inspiration her journey instilled in me from a very early age (I was about 6 years of age at the time 1949); when visiting my ‘Ouma and Papa’s farm house, I would just sit at her feet listening to her talk to my Late Mother and Father; and for this I can only thank her for she too saw in me something that I kept hidden.

Hellen Martins Born 23 December 1897 - Died 8 August 1976

• Language: English
• Publisher: Felicity-Ann McInnes
• Release date: Feb 11, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311360991

Felicity-Ann McInnes

A compassionate, gentle spirit, born far too early in an era overcoming WWII.Born 6th April 1943 in the then Union of South Africa, she found it difficult to relate to the conformity of the society of her up-bringing, coming from what was then termed 'old money' and brought up as an upper class individual with decorum, dignity and integrity. And having to converse to the family in four different languages, (English, Afrikaans, High Dutch and French); as well as a stern Nanny who only spoke Zulu, possibly gave her the gift and love of languages.At the early age of three years it was discovered that she possessed natural talents and gifts; able to draw, write and make crafts, with a wisdom far beyond that of a normal child of her age.The local Africans of the then Provinces of the Orange Free State; Zululand and Natal would ask if they could ‘borrow’ this Child of The Universe, in order to help them hunt for the tubers and plants needed for the making of Natural Herbal Medicines.They loved this strange auburn titianed haired 'fairy' child with her huge dark red-mahogany eyes ringed with a grey halo. Who seemed to know exactly what was needed even before it was asked for.Starting school at the very tender age of Four Years, her first illustrated poem for English Literature, was called “Snow” depicting a Mountain and the Sea with snowflakes drifting gently down. Unfortunately the original art work has long gone, but the words still linger.What made this more remarkable is the fact that as a child she had never seen snow nor a Mountain with the Sea in the foreground.Still actively involved in creating and writing and still nutures the adventurous spirit of travel.

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