Paperposy (Rhythm series) 600x650mm

This painting features the delicate flowers of Anaxeton arborescens, commonly known as Northern Paperposy, a small fynbos shrub endemic to the Western Cape. I was drawn to its subtle light pink flowers and the way they rise upwards through the follaige. In this work, I deliberately shifted my approach, priming the canvas with deep Burnt Umber oil paint and working directly onto the dark ground. A limited palette of varied light pinks and muted greens creates a moody, atmospheric feeling, while green plant forms hang down from the top of the painting and the flowers reach upwards from below. Energetic, fast brushstrokes give the work a sense of immediacy and movement, allowing the painting to feel almost as though the fynbos is growing and unfolding before us.

This painting is part of my Rhythm series:

There is a rhythm in the fynbos that I have come to recognise through years of walking, observing and painting it. It is found in the repetition of forms, the clustering of flowers and the movement of stems in the wind. Nothing exists in isolation; each element contributes to a greater rhythm.

My Rhythm series grew from this awareness.

I am drawn less to depicting fynbos as a botanical study and more to capturing its energy – the movement, repetition and presence that I experience when I spend time among it. I simplify shapes and colours, allowing the plants to become expressive marks and gestures. Through this process, the paintings begin to develop their own rhythm: layers of colour, recurring forms and textured brushstrokes moving across the surface.

There is also a rhythm in my practice. I walk, I observe, I gather impressions, I paint, and then I step away. I allow the work to settle before returning to it. Sometimes a painting unfolds quickly; other times it asks me to wait. I have learned to trust this process rather than force an outcome.

Fynbos itself follows an ancient rhythm of growth, flowering, drying, fire and renewal. Its resilience is a constant reminder that change and transformation are not interruptions to life, but part of its natural cycle.

In these paintings, I am exploring that sense of rhythm – in nature, in the creative process, and in life itself. A rhythm of movement and stillness, abundance and restraint, letting go and beginning again.

Ultimately, Rhythm is an invitation to pause, observe and become aware of the patterns that surround us – and to trust that, even when we cannot see the whole picture, there is a higher rhythm carrying us forward – bringing restoration and new life.