Catching the Light Painting

As a self- taught artist my memories take to me back to childhood, with colour and brush in hand, loving the flow of paint on paper. Having traveled extensively in southern Africa as a child, I grew to love the wide open spaces and flora of our land, its skies, colours and vastness. All full of colour, light and beauty. Having studied art with distinction at school and attending oil painting art classes I returned to painting and creativity after my children had grown. I knew then that art and teaching remained my passion. Running two bustling studios in the Johannesburg area of South Africa, time is limited, so when not teaching I’m in the studio creating at my easel, at peace with my world and life. I am so grateful to be a full time artist and to work at what I love each day. Art transports me to a place of peace and creativity. It’s an inner journey. After attending lessons with many prominent South African artists, my techniques vary, and I believe this has given me the diverse skills in the execution of different medium and genre. From my macro realistic florals where the petals overlap and cluster and seem to hold their fragrance, to the mixed media abstracts where lights and colours mix and blend in a continuous swirl of movement, to small empty landscapes with bold colourful cloudy skies, perhaps skyscapes? Possibly my frame of mind necessitates the variances in the style of my paintings and often there are a few paintings in the studio waiting to be completed. In this way I create unique and individualized pieces without focusing on one particular genre. Although large macro florals are my greatest passion. Color, texture, technique, and style are individually chosen for each work to convey mood and meaning. I love the diversity in the resulting artwork and hope that my collectors will too! I admire the works and have been inspired by artists such as John Singer Sargent, JMW Turner, Richard Schmid, Nicole Pletts and Sorolla Joaquin. Driven by soul and to find the elusive quality of light, I believe the viewer is invited to feel the emotions of the piece. To feel connected, to be part of the painting, to not want to let go. Unlike many artists, I did not grow up in a creative household. Art as a career was not taken very seriously nor especially encouraged. But I could not resist the call to be an artist.