Medium: Oil paint on stretched canvas
Size: 800x800mm
Year: 2023-2026
I started this painting in 2023 and recently reworked it. I combined bright pink Malva flowers (Pelargonium) with tall blue Aristea capitata bulbous plants, together with tiny yellow Helichrysums. By adding fresh layers of oil paint, I was able to give the work renewed depth, richness, and energy, transforming it with a vibrant new look and atmosphere.
The blue Aristea flowers bloom spectacularly in springtime on Table Mountain, where I often hike. I am continually drawn to their elegant vertical lines, sculptural shapes, and the rare, vivid purple-blue colour that stands out so strikingly within the fynbos landscape.
This artwork forms part of my Perception series.
Perception
The way in which sensory information is identified, organized, experienced, and interpreted shapes my perception of the world around me. Through my senses, I become aware of both the physical and spiritual worlds, allowing me to make meaning of what happens within and around me.
When I perceive fynbos plants, I absorb and understand their shapes, colours, textures, and rhythms. I observe them so often that they become embedded in my memory and imagination. When I translate fynbos into painting, I create something entirely new. It is not merely a reproduction of the physical world, but an intuitive and deeply personal interpretation. It is my way of understanding and reimagining what I see.
I do not create alone. I perceive the presence and guidance of a higher power within my creative process. I believe that the Creator works through me, using my perceptions and experiences as a means to create art that reflects beauty, wonder, and life. Through this process, I aim to magnify both the richness of nature and the goodness of its Creator.
My hope is that those who encounter my work – whether viewing it briefly or living with it daily – may experience a sense of joy, peace, beauty, and connection.
This is my art.
This is my perception.