My creativity begins with a reflection on the delicate coexistence of the human spirit and our environment. Much like the Symbolist painters who believed that art should reflect an emotion or idea rather than a representation of the natural world, I paint from an emotional point of reference rather than representing the world in an objective way.

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I am primarily interested in process and prefer to let the painting reveal itself.  I have learned to let go from considered outcome and trust the process to keep moving forward. I work predominantly in oil paint, but lately have switched over to acrylics as a personal challenge to master it.

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Like a moth to a flame, I am drawn to color when I paint. It evokes memory and is an intuitive response to my senses. I find a blank canvas intimidating unless I know exactly what I am going to do, and because of this begin a painting by blocking out the canvas with randomly chosen colors.  In this intuitive base layer, I often find shapes and forms that inspire me and initiate an idea for a painting.

 

I will then do a rough outline of an idea or an image, leaving space for it to evolve and trying to keep any interesting elements that emerged from the underpainting. To build depth and texture, I apply several layers until the desired outcome is achieved. When in doubt, I add another layer or flatten areas to bring an element of quietness to my paintings.

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As a citizen of both South Africa and the USA, I take inspiration from living in between countries and continents. I am repeatedly drawn to the same subjects and utilize imagery I have a strong connection to, focusing predominantly on landscapes, as well as incorporating color, pattern and form to reflect my African heritage.

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