Carl Jeppe was born in Krugersdorp, South Africa in 1949. He attended school at St. John’s College in Johannesburg and studied Fine Art at Technikon Pretoria, (now Tshwane University of Pretoria). After working as a prop maker at P.A.C.T. for three years, Carl, his wife Lynn and two friends (all Technikon Alumni) opened their own art school: Art Studios Pretoria, where he developed a love for teaching and increased his passion for drawing.
In 1976 he held his first solo exhibition at the Arts Association, Pretoria, and started teaching part – time at Technikon Petoria. In 1981 Carl was appointed as a full-time staff member of Technikon Pretoria and has remained with the institution ever since. He obtained his Higher Diploma in 1984 and on a part-time basis he presented weekly life drawing lectures at the University of Pretoria (Tuks) from 1988 until 2002. In 2000 he was invited to present lectures and drawing workshops at Michigan State University, and while in America, visited the Art Institute of Chicago and Detroit Institute of Arts.
Carl has had Solo exhibitions in Johannesburg, Pretoria and White River, and has taken part in over 90 group exhibitions. In 2012 he was a guest artist at the Rotary Hyde Park Art Fair. His work is represented in collections worldwide.
Carl has made opening speeches at many exhibitions, both for individual artists and at group shows, and has been on judging panels for several competitions, including New Signatures; Absa Atelier; Art Alive; Art lovers 1932 Gallery; Centurion Arts Association; The Pretoria Eisteddfod; The National Eisteddfod; Webber Wentzel Young Artists Awards and the Watercolour Society of South Africa.
His biggest solo exhibition to date (119 works) was called "Nothing Cast in Stone" and was held at the University of Johannesburg Art (UJ) Gallery in June/July 2016. This show also featured a young sculptor, Lwandiso Njara. In 2017 he had a solo show at Art Lovers 1932, His drawing group had an exhibition at Tina Skukan Gallery and his work was represented at the Turbine Art Fair by the Millennium Gallery.
Carl Retired from TUT so that he could pursue his art career, although he was retained to lecture a few classes, and gave a drawing workshop to the second year Fine Arts students at Tuks in 2013 and in 2016. This year, (2017) he’s back at Tuks presenting drawing courses to the first and second year Fine Arts students.
Carl loves the challenge of presenting drawing workshops wherever possible, and has done so at Phokeng near Rustenburg, Thapong in Botswana, Bethal and Nelspruit in Mpumalanga, and at Clarens in the Free State. He holds regular figure drawing workshops, both tutored and untutored, in Pretoria at the Arcadia Scout hall, Beckett Street, Arcadia.
Carl has completed several portrait commissions, including Adelaide Tambo, Errol Tyobeka, Carol-Anne Benn; Leigh Bennie; Enver Surty; Naledi Pandor and Heyneke Meyer. He has painted portraits of two headmistresses of Pretoria High School for girls: Mrs Kitto and Mrs Mcnair. Carl has been instrumental in the designs of a series of coins for the S.A. Mint and is a member of the advisory committee for the design department of the S.A. Mint.
Carl was one of the three judges at the 2017 Sanlam Portrait Awards competition in Cape Town in August.
