Jonel Scholtz obtained a Baccalaureus Scientiae degree in Chemistry and Biochemistry from the University of Johannesburg in South Africa, in 1994.
She started painting in 1988, while in high school, with  Louise Goudemond, an American born artist, specializing in figurative work and oil portraits.

She has shown in South Africa at Alice Art Gallery (Johannesburg and Hartbeespoort Dam), Lizamore and Associates (Johannesburg), Marzé Botha Art Gallery (Stellenbosch),  Swellendam (Die Kunstehuijs), Showroom Art Gallery (Pretoria), Winelands Art Gallery (Stellenbosch), Woodstock Art Gallery (Cape Town), Benguela Cove  Art Gallery (Hermanus), Winelands Art (Stellenbosch) and Mama Mia Art Gallery (Blouberg).

Internationally Jonel Scholtz has exhibited at the Agora Gallery, New York; Art Fusion Gallery in Miami, at the Castello Estense in Ferrara in Italy, NY at the International Art Expo in 2010 and the United Nations as part of International Women’s Day. She was selected in 2015 by Monteoliveto Gallery (Naples and Nice), as part of the search for new talent. She was picked as one of  3 artists world-wide, who was then represented in Monaco and internationally, by Monteoliveto Gallery Nice-Naples under the curatorship of Chantal Lora. In 2015 she showed extensively in Europe at Art Fairs like Monaco, Amsterdam Affordable Art Fair, Art3F in Nice as well as in Paris at a Christmas exhibition. Since 2016 her work has been shown in Mauritius’ Didus Art Gallery, curated by Asmita Chomroo.

In 2018 she was awarded an artist residency at Tamarin Art Centre in Mauritius. She went there for one month and expanded her artistic horizons and is now included as one of the exhibiting artists at the Tamarin Art Gallery curated by Leanda Brass, well-known UK sculptor.

In 2019 she was awarded a solo exhibition at the Northwest University Art Gallery under the curatorship of Amohelang Mohajane. The exhibition was titled “This LoVe” and was inspired by her divorce after a marriage of 24 years. One of her works was included in their collection.

In 2020 she was included in a collective art exhibition in London for the “Sentiment” project hosted by The Bickertongrace Art Gallery. This exhibition was organized to unite art lovers all over the world during the Covid pandemic. 100 Artist from all over the world was included in this project. The exhibition will continue into 2021.

In 2020 and 2021 she took part in a collective art exhibition of the Lizamore and Associates Art Gallery under curatorship of Teresa Lizamore. The title of the 2020 online exhibition was “Phantasmogoria” and the 2021 online exhibition was “Imitation of Life”.

In 2021 she also took part in the “Fourth Industrial Revolution” Exhibition hosted by NWU for International Museum Day.

In 2022 and 2023 she showedcontinuously at Alice Art Gallery and Showroom Art Gallery. In 2022 she did an interview with DFO on Instagram talking about her journey as an artist.

In 2023 she was awarded a third prize in the International Still Life Competition hosted by the LA based gallery Teravarna, with the painting “Wash Day”. She also received a merit award by Teravarna Gallery for her portrait “Fire, Bikes and Jesus” in their annual International Portrait Contest.

She has had an successful art school in Potchefstroom since 2019. She showed her student’s works at an exhibition titled “Come Together” in 2023 at the “Loop Straat” venue also in Potchefstroom.

She took part in the international NAMPO Agriculture Exhibition, the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere, with her art works under the curatorship of Hester Carstens and Miemie Louw ( in2023, 2024, 2025).

In 2025 she took part in the “Routines” exhibition in London at the Firepit Art Gallery in collaboration with Bickerton Gallery. This was a group exhibition in which she was one of two artists not based in England. Her work “Asphyxia” was shown there. Sheshowedthere again with her work “The Gatekeeper” as part of the he “Unveiled” exhibition, which will run from 6–27 November.

At the Artists Gallery in Cape Town she was chosen to show at the “Connect with Colour” exhibition from 16 Nov to 8 Dec 2025.JaretLogrenberg curated this exhibit.