Proudly South African, I live with my husband, Stuart and our two daughters on the east coast in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. It is a magnificent part of the world, lusciously green, where sugarcane fields roll towards the Indian Ocean and the weather is balmy most of the year. Warmed by South Africa, the majesty of the land, her people with strong cultures and traditions, I am intrigued by daily encounters and experiences, drawn to paint the “stories” I am fortunate to witness.
My paintings are my emotional and intuitive response to the natural world, be it landscape, animals or people. Realism and likeness are unimportant; what is important is the authentic and immediate response on that day, at that moment. I use the subject and light as a vehicle to express myself through the use of colour and mark-making.
Mostly self-taught, I “play” with oil paint, continuously experimenting with colour and mark making, preferring to use a limited colour palette. The pleasure comes from finding new, delicious colour combinations.
“Particularly drawn to the play of light, colour and texture, I paint for the moment, letting my brushes and palette do the work. When a painting is going well, it takes me off to another place, I feel on such a high. I work in a frenzy – the feeling is awesome!”
Like a moth to light – the works of South Africa’s great artists, Irma Stern, Maggie Laubscher, Gerald Sekota and many more, ignited a hunger and passion to master the art of oil painting when I was in my thirties. Currently, it is the work of contemporary artists Cian McLoughlin, Paul Wright and Benon Lutaaya that is making me drool. My fellow artists and friends, too many to mention, encourage and inspire me, and for this I am grateful.
Proud to be represented by the following galleries and more:-
The Gallery, Ballito Lifestyle Centre
Zulu Lulu Gallery
InkBoxArt
Artyli Gallery
St Francis Bay Gallery