Kelly Paterson

I was born in Harare, Zimbabwe. I was schooled there until having to leave in order to gain tertiary education. I did so at Vega School of Brand Leadership in Cape Town, South Africa, and attained a Bachelor of Arts. Although I had always enjoyed art, and succeeded in it at O and A levels, it was only until after I left school that I discovered my passion for painting. By this time, I had already been accepted into my university of choice, and so went on to study copywriting. I kept painting in my spare time, and sold a number of works (mostly commission based) throughout my studies. Since graduating, I have sold my work across Zimbabwe and South Africa until recently relocating to London in order to pursue my dream of becoming a full time artist.

"My aim has always been to capture the intricate beauty of a life lived in Africa; there’s inspiration around every corner there. Whether it be in the landscapes, the wildlife, the plants or the people. Lately I’ve been focusing on botanicals. There’s something so fascinating in the complexity of natural patterns, and I just can’t get enough of the colours. My preferred medium is oil paints. They’re really unpredictable and pretty hard to manipulate but there’s something magical about...

2016 - 2018 Vega School of Brand Leadership: Bachelor of Arts in Creative Branding and Communications (specialised in copywriting).

2014 - 'Royal Harare Golf Course Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Fundraiser' at which one of her works was auctioned at USD1100

2018 - 'Art on Basset', Harare, Zimbabwe. Group exhibition.

2019 - 'Gatherings' exhibition, Harare, Zimbabwe. Her most recent and notable achievement yet. This was an exhibition that showcased the works of two artists; Kelly and her painting mentor; Sheena Povall. Kelly was responsible for the organisation, advertisement and curation of this event that ran over the duration of two days. She sold nine out of the twenty paintings that were on display, as well as obtaining two commission requests. The exhibition on a whole was considered to be a great success considering the abysmal state of the Zimbabwean economy.