Size: 800 x 900mm
Medium: Oil on stretched canvas
Year: 2025
Painting on top of Table Mountain was one of the highlights of my art career.
This was the very first piece I completed on the mountain. I had actually begun it in my studio at sea level, imagining the kinds of fynbos I might encounter at the summit. As it turned out, I was completely wrong – I found an entirely different variety of plants once I got up there. Still, I loved finishing this artwork with its soft, pastel-coloured blooms. It felt grounding to continue working on an existing painting during that overwhelming first week, when so many people were around me and everything was new.
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.