I don’t paint because I want to.
I paint because I need to.
This natural attraction towards creativity, paints and paintbrushes has permeated my life from as far back as I
can remember and to this day, my mum still has the little painting of a porcupine that won me first prize at an
art competition at the age of three!
The moment I set foot in that Fine Art painting studio at the Technikon Natal (now known as the Durban
University of Technology), I knew I had discovered what I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing. I didn’t
care whether I ended up as simply a pavement painter in Paris, I knew I wanted to become an artist. Thirty
years later I am living that dream.
The inevitable hustle of trying to earn a living after graduating from art college resulted in me finding work in a
variety of commercial roles from being a graphic artist to a textile designer, but my oil paints were never far
from reach and I always found time to paint. Especially when a season of ill-health forced me to abandon my
commercial design career and my paints and paintbrushes became a pivotal part of the process of restoring
both my physical and mental health. The paintings from this particular season resulted in my first solo show at
Art Space Durban in 2010, entitled, “En-route”.
After that sold-out solo show,I felt empowered to work towards the goal of becoming a fulltime painter and in
2019, that dream became a reality, with a follow-up solo exhibition in 2021. I have exhibited in many group
shows, including more recently, Brick Lane Gallery in London, and my work features in private collections
across Southern Africa, England, Germany, Australia, New Zealand and the USA.
My style is best described as loose and expressive, but always grounded in reality, with strong observation
skills and good sound drawing at its base. Whilst oil paints remain my favored medium, I also enjoy exploring charcoal and other mediums such as watercolour and graphite.
Having relocated from KwaZulu-Natal to Cape Town in September 2023, I am finding myself freshly inspired by
an overwhelming plethora of stimulating and exciting visual scenery, but it is the clear, captivating Capetonian
light that has me most smitten. From my light, bright airy studio in Woodstock, my goal is to capture in paint my
emotional response to the world around me, finding beauty in unexpected places and to fulfill what I feel is my
calling to be an architect of hope to the world around me through my brushstrokes and paint.
Do visit my studio, but please call for an appointment first.
Please click on artist’s photo to see more.
Cape Town, South Africa...
Cape Town, South Africa...
226A Lower Main Rd, Observator...
