ARTIST BIO

I was born and raised in rural South Africa, in the pretty town of White River. At the tender age of five, I discovered my love of art in an ageing farmhouse kitchen on an old melamine table. I would wake up an hour earlier than my siblings and put on a pot of percolated coffee. With the dawn's chorus and the gentle filter of sun for company, I would sketch, draw and colour until I had to hop on the old yellow bus and make my way to school. 

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Art was not a subject offered in the formal school curriculum, but I was driven by a passion for creating.

I saw life differently - through a kaleidoscope of colours. This has never left me.

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I studied art and textile design at Pretoria Technicon in South Africa, majoring in design and print. I was offered a teaching post in my third year but declined. In search of something that would fulfil my desire to create, I worked as a designer for a major fashion and interior fabric house, winning contracts for large hotels. 

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I left this industry to pursue a career in fashion, which lasted nearly 20 years and during which I began my own fashion

label T.E.A. in Johannesburg. I moved to the UK in 2008 and returned to my love of the pencil and paintbrush. Since then, I have exhibited my works, taken on commissions and share my love of art through teaching. 

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Inspired by texture, vibrant colours and the smell that reminds me of my childhood, my favourite medium is oil on canvas.

I am moved by a variety of subjects - from landscapes to portraits. I am not politically or religiously motivated to paint, but driven to capture the simple beauty that is all around us. I challenge myself to find the beauty in every day subjects I once found ugly or boring. I do not apply a methodical approach to painting, but follow an overwhelming gut-push to capture images that speak to me. My works are direct expressions of a mood, a moment, a dream or a thought that churns within me until I express it on canvas.

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I am passionate about colour, simplicity, complexity and expression and bringing these together on the canvas. 

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"I want to paint the way a bird sings". - Claude Monet