My technique of glazing and layering of soft, muted colours coupled with bold composition captures the peace and tranquillity of these most beautiful and isolated areas of our country and in so doing effortlessly transforms the mood of the viewer.
South Africa’s wondrous environment is the inspiration for my evocative and sensitively rendered canvasses. I am especially drawn to the horizontal waterscapes of Churchhaven on the Cape West Coast’s Langebaan lagoon, the solitary expanses of the arid Karoo and the deserted beaches of the Eastern Cape’s Wild Coast where Nguni cattle appear the only inhabitants as they lazily soak up the sun on the sea shore.
I’m constantly inspired by the beauty of nature and especially love the play of light in the early morning and late afternoons when the world becomes saturated in colour. This is when I do most of my small preparatory oil sketches for my paintings. It is a magical time, and always calming, quiet and peaceful. It’s where I find my inspiration and it is what I am always striving to convey in my work.
I grew up with the sea and mountains of Cape Town while childhood holidays near Beaufort West in the Karoo sparked my passion for rural South Africa. I spent 12 years surrounded by the vineyards and soaring peaks of Franschhoek, Stellenbosch and Paarl and my outdoor passions for mountain biking, hiking and horse trailing have taken me to some of the country’s most unexplored areas whether on the coast or inland.
And art has always been part of my world. I studied art as a subject for matric and qualified as a graphic designer at the Cape Technicon. After a number of years working in Cape Town and Johannesburg I decided to satisfy a life-long ambition to study Fine Art and pursue a career as a full time artist.
Courses with various artists, among them Sheri Hornsey, Ryno Swart and Marcelle Lyons plus painting workshops in South Africa, Greece and Venice (where again I was inspired by light and water) helped map the way forward. My first successful solo exhibition was held in Franschhoek in 1995.
I have since had 6 solo exhibitions and regularly participate in group exhibitions. My work is held in private collections throughout South Africa, in the United States and Europe.