Artists Statement & CV
After many years of working professionally in various aspects and disciplines within the commercial Art World and Industry, I have resurrected my passion and love to create myself, as an artist. I began my Art World journey in the mid-1980s as a gallerist with Natalie Knight Gallery and David Krut. I then moved on to head up the Painting Department with Stephan Welz & Co. in Association with Sotheby's. Additionally, I have worked as a freelance art journalist for the Financial Mail and as a private art dealer. Now I am synthesizing my years of commercial experience into formal academic study at UNISA, while focusing my energy on creating art.
My work is an adventurous exploration of various mediums and techniques, expressing the fragile beauty of the vegetal world and highlighting the perilous threat to multiple plant species and the magnificent gifts they offer humanity. My studies focus on Southern African indigenous trees and plants, their traditional medicinal properties, and their ecological value. I primarily express these themes through encaustic painting on wood panels, as well as on found and split “relic” pieces of wood collected from fire-ravaged areas in the bush- veld of South Africa.
In my performance artwork, I utilise burnt branches, the sounds of burning fire, meditative thought, and repetitive actions reminiscent of shamanic rituals - combined with ancient symbols. This work seeks to reflect a deep connection between personal loss and the act of mourning, while also serving as a protest against climate change, global warming, and the rapid degradation of the Earth’s wilderness and biodiversity.
My encaustic paintings incorporate ancient symbols, leaves, leaf skeletons, and seed pods. This, alongside portraits of beloved deceased family members, I aim to emphasize the devastation and death that our planet's natural environments are facing due to prolonged and negative human impact. Through my “burning” artwork and performances, I aspire to channel grief into ritualistic reflection, potentially offering a path to collective mourning and, hopefully, transformation.
