Art safari of colours

The African series of paintings are a therapy to me. Having explored mark making in the study of art many years ago, I have revisited these techniques, capturing the tiny details of the banksia and protea flowers in a repetitive pattern of brush strokes over the canvas, creating a veneer over the layers below, and a visual dance between the marks, spaces and background.

African Safari - framed in Tasmanian Oak

The colours evoke memories of the Western Cape

My Native flower still life works are indeed the antithesis of these detailed brush strokes, yet they are connected through colour and shape. A nod to my beloved South Africa and Australia, both countries have strong ties to these beautiful native flowers.

The Proteas mythological association with past, present and future, fits so well with me, as the protea has featured so much in my life and career. It symbolizes diversity and courage, qualities that we all need in these difficult times, therefore the obsession of zooming in on only the tiny detail seems an appropriate outcome at this time.

These works take time, they evolve and as much as I feel I have control over the colours I use, the outcome is never as expected, each time the resolved work is different to that which I expected. The colours are influenced by my time in South Africa, especially the Swartland.