Piece Of Us

Devon is a far cry from the wilds of my African childhood; I spent my early life in the Kalahari semi-desert, Botswana. My grandmother painted the sparse expanses of the Namib dunes and my mother still paints in the arid Botswana. Perhaps it was inevitable that wherever I settled I would be drawn to the untamed landscapes surrounding me – the Jurassic coastline with crumbling cliffs, the vastness of Dartmoor and the exquisite Devon countryside. I am inspired by the textures, changing tones and light of the seasons and colours of the landscape and sea.

I went on to have a career in graphic design in South Africa and London. My studies in graphic design, psychotherapy and world travels all influences my art as well.

I settled in Devon thirteen years ago with my wonderful husband, two inspiring children and three funny cats. I now pursue my career as an artist full-time from my home studio in Ottery St Mary.

 

My approach starts intuitively – layers and textures are built up using a variety of water-based mediums including acrylic, ink, charcoal, pastels, collage, and graphite. I subtract through drawing, scraping, washing, and sanding back into the layers which creates a rich surface history.

 

I collect interesting objects which I keep in my studio for inspiration and mark-making including tide-line objects, dried seedheads, seaweed, flowers and fossils.

 

During the pandemic, my art practise became more process-driven and abstract where fragments of nature and everyday life were reworked through the creative process. My passion for exploration, experimentation and play allows my artistic voice to evolve and keeps me enthralled.

Layers upon layers create a wonderfully rich surface in this painting and I love the hints of colour peeking through where I have sanded. A figure emerges and it seems symbolic to me about what we as women carry and hold in this lifetime, the pieces of us and the beauty in the scars of time. The roles we embody as daughters, sisters, mothers, friends, wives, grandmothers etc and the messages we’re told by others including the media on what it is to be a woman and how we rework this in being our true selves.

 

The painting is signed on the front and the surface is protected with UV safe varnish.

Mixed Media | Acrylic, Ink, Transfer, Collage, Pastel, Charcoal and China Marker on Canvas Board.

54.5x44.5cm

Image Size 40.5x30.5cm

Presented in an Elegant Off White Frame