Size: 600 x 650mm
Medium: Oil on stretched canvas
Year: 2025
Painting on top of Table Mountain was one of the great highlights of my art career. I loved wandering across the summit, searching for interesting fynbos species to paint. Many of the plants growing up there were muted in colour, so I walked far and wide until I finally found a single bright pink Watsonia – standing in solitude near the top of Platteklip Gorge. Its vivid colour felt like a small miracle amid the soft, earthy tones of the mountain. On the canvas, I painted this one bloom several times from different angles, allowing it to appear as if multiple flowers were in bloom. Its presence became the lively heart of the composition.
This painting is part of my Mountain series:
During my seven-week Art on the Mountain initiative during October and November 2025, I spent many hours walking among the rare and delicate fynbos that thrives on top of Table Mountain. The mountain became my living reference – its colours, textures, and quiet resilience stayed with me long after each walk.
I gathered impressions of the plants I encountered: the sculptural forms of the Klaas Louw Bush, the rhythmic lines of the restios, the soft, intricate blooms of the Ericas, and the unexpected brightness of the Blister Bush. Each one carried its own story of survival in the wind and sun, rooted in one of the world’s most unique biomes.
The Mountain Series grew from these encounters. In the studio, I explored the fine details, the gentle movements and the luminous hues that define fynbos. These works are my way of honouring the plants that inspired them—quiet tributes to a landscape that is both fragile and fierce.