my story
I was very fortunate to grow up on a beautiful coastal farm in the Eastern Cape, just outside Port Alfred, South Africa. I have very fond memories of walking in the veld with my Dad to admire the views surrounding us. This instilled my love and deep connection to the earth and our environment, which I am very conscious of, and try to illustrate in my work.
my story
When I began painting I concentrated on Botanical illustrations with watercolours and painted those with infinite detail. I enjoyed that very much at the time.
In 2005 we moved to Durban where I my met my mentor, Dee Donaldson, of Studio 3. She introduced me to oils, which I fell in love with immediately. I am passionate about the richness of colour achieved with oils, how brushstrokes can be so illustrative, and how the layers build up and the physical presence of the oil begins to speak its own language.
I am most comfortable working on large canvases, and particularly enjoy painting Aloes, Mountains, and Seascapes.
I am also the wife of a very supportive husband, Andrew, and proud mother of three gorgeous daughters, Julia, Alyssa and Lindsay. Due to Andrew’s career we have moved several times within South Africa and then to Lusaka, Zambia in 2010. At the time it was tumultuous upheaval but in retrospect it has been the most fantastic experience for all of us.
In 2015 we moved to Ilesia, Nigeria, which was very interesting! I had a lot of time to paint as we were very isolated but it was also very difficult to get my materials to such a remote location. It was impossible to source materials locally.
In 2017 we moved to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which was fantastic. There was a thriving Art scene but unfortunately we were not there for long and we moved to Douala, Cameroon, where we reside currently.
artist statement
Painting affords me the opportunity to illustrate my interpretation and appreciation of landscape. Through the manipulation of paint texture, colour and application I am continually exploring and discovering new techniques. I set out to try and recreate on canvas the rich earthly tones that usually lie seen on the surface of the earth and what I sense from my creative instinct.
Whilst painting I experience a sense of unrestricted freedom that I as a woman am not able to demonstrate in other areas of my life. I am of the belief that exposure to art, and associated creative influences give my life a deeper meaning and a sense of humility.
“What do I want to express with my work? Nothing else but that which every artist seeks: to achieve harmony through the balance of the relationships between lines, colours and places. But only in the cleanest and strongest way” – Piet Mondrian
exhibitions
| 2007 | Annual Arts exhibition Artspace Gallery, Durban |
| 2007 | Kizo Arts Exhibition, Umhlanga |
| 2007 | National Society of the Arts Group Exhibition |
| 2008 | Group artists Exhibition, Signature Art Gallery |
| 2008 | Affordable Arts Exhibition Artspace, Durban |
| 2008 | Nashua Art in the Park, Pietermaritzburg |
| 2008 | Emergence Art Exhibition, Durban North |
| 2008 | National Society of the Arts Group Exhibition |
| 2009 | Affordable Arts Exhibition Artspace, Durban |
| 2009 | Gallery 91, Somerset West |
| 2009 | Permanently exhibiting at Etchings Gallery, Durban |
| 2009 | National Society of the Arts Group Exhibition |
| 2011 | On display at Sugarbush Farm, Lusaka |
| 2011 | SAA artists online |
| 2012 | AIS Gallery, Lusaka |
| 2013 | Under a Zambia sky, solo exhibition P’zazz |