As far back as I can remember, nature was a place of refuge and renewal for me.
I grew up in South Africa in a family of gardeners and nature lovers. Inevitably I too became a gardener. This was my main creative outlet for four decades and is still something I love doing. Getting my hands dirty, seeing the result of what you do, seeing the way the seasons change the picture, and how small additions complete it. Challenging and rewarding, just like painting.
I studied art history at university (BA Hons) and planned to make a career in art. However, the situation in South Africa was precarious so when the opportunity arose to emigrate to Switzerland, we seized it. Reality hit. I had a family; I needed to learn German and earn some money. While doing the former, I was offered a job teaching English to adults and so my life took this unexpected turn. Twenty-five years later, after an interesting career in the foreign language teaching business, I decided it was time to reorientate my life. At 56, I started a painting course and fell immediately in love. Time flew by, my head switched off. I’d found my thing.
Ten years later, I still love making art. I love the process, the challenge, pretty much everything. I’ve done a lot of self-study and courses both in Switzerland and abroad. These reflect my curiosity, my search and my need to push myself.
I started showing my work in 2017 and since then have exhibited in various galleries in Switzerland. I have permanent representation at the gallery, La Paletta in Flims and was accepted for an artist's residency in Iceland in 2019. Since 2021 my work has been on the juried on-line platform Singulart.
I became a member of SGBK (The Swiss Association of Women Artists) in 2022.