In retrospect, my early work was far darker in terms of tones, and there was less colour and I relied more on drawing from nature than from my own inner perceptions and imagination.  In my early works, I drew from real life, with less unknown elements for the viewer to interpret When I moved to America, my work became brighter and more colourful.  Upon returning to South Africa, my work went into a whole new dimension becoming more direct and bolder.  My work now, leaves more to the viewer’s imagination and individual interpretation.

Would you say that there is a major theme or subject which is carried throughout your work?
Most of my subjects are esoteric, by this I mean my subject matter is meant for the initiated and not the intelligible.  If my audience looks at any given work, they will all see different things in the work or feel a different response as the paintings are primarily indirect.  Regardless of whether or not there is a boldness to the work, all the forms, the colours and the composition in it’s entirety will project different levels of tension and mood.  These different so-called ‘states’ of consciousness will affect viewers differently depending on their own personal experiences and how they respond to things.  In other words I paint different combinations or levels of varying qualities and elements that are broken down and harbour an essence of meaning not a direct theme – this in turn allows the viewer to experience each work in their own way and most of the feelings or responses are created by him or her.  I have my own feeling towards each work and I can assure you it would be different from everyone else. 

The abstraction of elements allows for more imaginative freedom and individualistic interpretation. I do not want to hand an obvious subject or theme to the viewer on a plate, instead, I want them to see what they are ready to see and allow them to see differently in the future as they themselves change.  My subjects in abstraction are primarily based on different moods and realities.  Let me refer to them as different worlds.  At times I tend to be capturing an old world sensibility, and at times it may seem futuristic, depending on the colours and mediums I choose.  This basis, forms the essence within the work and the tension and energy and mood is what in a sense “floats” above this primary reality. 

Sometimes the mere contradiction of old versus new, harmony versus disharmony and warm versus cold and the very specific amounts of each quality make the work vibrate differently and speak of a different story between person to person.  My ultimate combination of different variables is what feeds the entire matrix that in turn creates the final subject matter in a resultant subjective reality.

How do you start a painting?
I just start to paint and the rest flows out of me.  It’s all my past experiences, my awareness of the now and my imagination towards the future that allow the work in a sense to be born out of itself.  I have an idea and I run with it and whatever I create initially when I begin the work in my arrangement of it’s composition or light and dark, forms the basis from which the work is born.  

My early works were completely layered and the tension was created through multiple compositions and arrangements of light until I finally felt the tension and mood I was after. In my more recent works, I have a clearer idea of what I am after when I begin a work and yet I allow for chance and a sort of bold confidence in anything being possible to take precedence over what I see the work to look like.  I want more impact, a clearer message and always strive towards a greater honesty so I try to feel more and think less.  I just in a sense go for it and the rest follows and then I look and realize that it is okay or not okay. I also believe that to create one has to destroy and one cannot be precious and so I often begin a painting several time until I arrive at what I was after. I can not make a work, work if the beginning essence is not right. 

What inspires you to paint?
Sharing something I see and feel with others.  Making myself and people view things differently and think about everything in a new way.  I think I always want to create a better work and this inspires me to paint more.  In addition, I also want to achieve a certain level of expertise where no audience has experienced a certain reaction as they could with what I have gone and done.  In a sense I truly want to affect people and change the way they are used to seeing and feeling about things.  I definitely do not just paint for myself. Even though I obtain an enormous amount of pleasure from the actual act of painting. I still hope to continue to grow as an artist, continue to re-invent myself and eventually stick my neck out and do more controversial, conceptual works that are in your face, that wake you up and make you think.

What medium do you like working with best?
I am primarily a painter, so I mostly use oil,  acrylic and enamel paints.

I really enjoy working with oils as they have a luminosity and depth incomparable to other mediums Choosing oils allows me  to create a depth in my work and I think it heightens the mystery in a work as certain elements and forms in the underlying layers are allowed to show through. This enhances the movement and depth in a work.  There are certain emotional elements that can be heightened through ones use of colour.  Oil paint for me, allows for a broader range of colour and subtle nuances, as some colours are translucent and resonate differently. In addition, the fluidity present in oils allows for a greater tonal subtlety as well as a more smooth finish to a work where need be.

I believe strongly in the exploration and combination of different mediums so I often make use of collage, ink, pastel and pencil.  Combining all mediums as a contrast within the various mediums themselves, often creates a more dynamic work as the artwork has many different qualities to it. More recently, I have begun experimenting in the use of more sculptural materials such as glass and stone and whilst I was studying I explored photography and printmaking.  Combining mediums offers a greater diversity and can project a new language of expression beyond the mere act of painting.

What influences your choice of colour in a work?
I use colour more emotively than symbolically.  I feel my choice of colour is related to the feeling I am trying to create in any given work at a time.  Sometimes my feelings at any given time may influence my use or choice of colour.  

Who is your favourite artist?
I like so many artists’ works or elements within their works, that the list of favourites would be endless. But if pressed for an answer I specifically like the following artists works; Miro, Klee, Kandinsky, David Hockney, Tapies, to name but a few.  Some of these artists have subconsciously influenced my work. This is evident with respect to certain elements, whether compositional, formal, textural, or their use of colour.  I am not an artist that likes to copy other artist’s works. 

I think my formal inner language and style are a culmination of all my visual influences and experiences that have been stored in my memory over time, so in a sense, everything I have seen that other artists have created is stored in my mind, whether good or bad and I continue to draw from it.  Without these prototypes, the fear of experimentation and the ability to form my own way of seeing would be so much harder.  In essence, I owe much tribute to those artists that came before me and were able to be honest enough to project their own way of seeing an identity on the world. 

There are certain qualities in an artist that I admire.  The artists I like use their work to entice people to think and question things. I admire an artist that goes against the grain and who creates work that has not been done before. One who’s work breaks rules and questions the viewers personal reality by pushing them to step outside their visual comfort zone. I value and respect an artist that is honest in his or her expression, or true to himself.  I am more drawn to spontaneity and freedom of expression than contrived forms where the individual is more interested in being virtuistic, or concerned with the artwork’s appeal, than the essence of what he or she is trying to project.  I am especially excited to see an artwork where the individualistic style of the artist who painted it is so unique and individual to them that it is easily recognized without seeing the signature at the bottom.

Is your work relevant to the South African community?
Upon my return to South Africa, my work went through another transformation that reinforced who I really was and allowed me to truly come into my own as I felt far more centered in my home of birth.  It’s strange how one is always attached to where you come from and amazing how some of those cultural truths re-surface.  In a sense, America opened me up and upon returning to South Africa, I was allowed to really find 'me' again, with an even deeper understanding and clarity than if I had stayed in South Africa the whole time.  The contrast between the two cultures allowed me to find a clearer understanding of my own cultural identity.   I don’t think one can really be an artist without a cultural identity as this an extension of one's personal expression. In a sense, my art is a reflection of the time I live in and the culture that is embedded in me. 

As far as whether my work is relevant to the South African community is concerned , I believe I am a voice that expresses the way I see the community around me.  As an artist, my work is reflective of the society in which I live.  I feel and experience South Africa and this consciously and subconsciously penetrates my work.  Even though my work is generally abstract, I am still portraying different levels of consciousness that may be obvious in some instances and subconscious in others.  All aspects are a direct reflection or projection of the South African culture and community as they make everyone feel and think about the relevant energies, tensions, moods and realities inherent in South Africa. I am also a woman and have my own identity and I believe I can show other women that they can too have a voice. 

What do you think the future of South African Art will be?
I feel that South Africa has an enormous body of talented individuals that have been held back in terms of international recognition due to political and financial reasons.  I feel that the international market is opening up tremendously and there is a continued rise in increased global exposure to the talent of our country. I only see more growth in this regard in the future. 

I feel we have been isolated at the tip of Africa for a long time. I believe this is changing. With more media attention, people overseas are more and more interested in what comes out of South Africa, so  our artists are more able to become involved on an international level and take a cultural and or political stance and in so doing show their true cultural identity. There is also much more freedom of expression, so more and more artists are beginning to speak out and change the way the world sees South Africa. We are the voice of expression and we have to speak out,  as artists have always revealed more honesty and truth about their environment or society in which they live. It is the truth or the search for truth that drives us and lives on through our art. Our story is usually about real things - it is seldom a lie.

Do you feel that your work has a meaning that carries a message to the world?
I hope to believe that my work has meaning but that depends entirely on the viewer.  I also want to believe that it carries a message into the world.  I hope that it is reflective of the time I live in and that it helps people emotionally understand themselves better and I hope it allows people to confront themselves more easily as they question why they experience certain feelings at times whilst viewing my work.  I want people to not be afraid of confronting themselves if my work brings about an emotional reaction, whether positive or negative, either would be good.  I feel that a reaction is what matters whether good or bad. A strong reaction, I believe makes it a powerful painting, if this is the resultant response in the viewer.  If it opens an individual up and makes them think, whether they feel inhibited or not, then I know that the message I am trying to send is getting through whether it is conscious or subconscious.

Do you think that women artists express their emotions more in their paintings than men do?
I don’t think one can generalize about gender and art in this way, there are sensitive male artists and female artists.  I feel women have often been overlooked in terms of their art and not taken as seriously as men in the past, but I don’t think one is more emotional than the other.  Women are often more emotional in general, but it isn’t always evident in their work, so it’s hard for me to pinpoint exactly.

What happens if you aren't inspired on a particular day?
I try to paint everyday for as long as I can.  Even when it’s difficult to find time to paint, my thoughts and emotions to create are always there. My personal challenge is that the way I am feeling is sometimes blocked or challenged because of my immediate environment.  I think I am lucky because my drive is incredibly strong so I seldom have days where I am uninspired. I constantly want to paint and create and I constantly think and imagine and see and then I have to put it all down before it leaves me.  

My studio is attached to my house, so there are a lot of things that can distract me.  I have learned to work with these distractions.  There are those days, however, where my drive is present, but, everything around me is stopping me from moving forward and focusing on my work. I can become so frustrated that it shows in the art itself. Sometimes this can be a good thing, but often it ends in me being impatient and the work seems confused. 

Are you influenced by current events?
I am influenced by current events, whether subconsciously or consciously, as I am continually absorbing the world around me and projecting it through my art.  This is mainly due to the fact that my work is a result of how I feel at any given time and also what I see around me in my immediate environment and not forgetting to draw on the past, with my imagination of what the future is. Certain events, situations and happenings really affect me and I cannot stop them from infiltrating my work.

Would you say that painting is therapeutic for you?
I think painting must be therapeutic for me as I always feel more in touch with myself and better about my life when I am painting.  I think I probably release a lot of emotions when I paint and probably get to better understand myself through the process.  Perhaps I go to another plane through concentration on a higher level that in a sense allows me to escape something in the real world and this is also a release for me.

Is it difficult to part with your creations?
Of course my art is a piece of me.  Would I not give myself away if I was loved?  Yes, in the beginning of my art days, I was definitely more hesitant to part with work that I loved or was proud of.  This changed dramatically as the need for me to express and share my expression grew in time, after I didn’t need to prove myself.  I actually live for giving. Giving to me is greater than receiving.  If I could just give my work away and didn’t need to support myself so I could buy more canvas and keep painting, I would. 

I enjoy the pleasure of making someone happy or affecting someone with my energy. Perhaps I am also a little bit of a perfectionist and always think or dream about still doing that perfect painting, so in a sense I am not precious about anything, I enjoy the act of doing it so much, that giving it and sharing it with others is just a part of it.

Do you use untraditional surfaces to paint on?
I mostly work on canvas but really get excited about untraditional surfaces, like old pieces of wood, sheets of metal, plastic, glass etc.  I tend to put the works that are on untraditional surfaces aside for more major exhibitions, as opposed to sending them out to my galleries. These surfaces are hard to come by and source, requiring far more labour and prep time before they are ready for me to work on.  More importantly, they are really unique. As time goes on, however, I am realizing how  they project a feeling of “one of a kind” work, unlike the manufactured machine-like format of a factory made canvas. In some ways, the surface itself tells it's own story and has a life of it's own.

Why do/did you choose to use these surfaces?
When I was starting out in Los Angeles, I chose to use these surfaces because  I didn’t have any money to buy canvas and I would try to find anything to paint on.  After some time, I realized that the inspiration for a work was greatly influenced by the surface format on which I painted and this indirectly affected the final work. 

Each surface inspired a different quality in my work as I related to it in it’s own individual and unique way.  It soon became apparent that I started looking at everything possible to paint on and discovered the use of shutters and doors and windows and not just off cuts of wood.  The different formats allowed me to project a completely different meaning and message in my work. 

Painting on a window for example, was very difficult at first, as the angular lines created a confined feeling and I found it difficult to work within these parameters.  Through much experimentation, I soon made use of this negative and turned it into a positive as I tried to heighten the tension within the work and create a uniqueness to the piece that one wouldn’t find in an ordinary canvas.  When the work was done you saw that it was a painting not a window. Through my art I  had changed it's role in the world and that’s exciting because traditional canvases can never cross this line. 

If you could pick any gallery in the world for one of your works to be exhibited in, which gallery would it be?
The Tate Modern, in the UK. What a great museum to the weirdest most wonderful modern art in the world.

What is your favourite quote?
“The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do”  This is just one of them, I tend to have favourite ideas and thoughts rather than commonly used quotes that I go by, like; all the bad things that come your way in life are little messages in disguise and one should welcome them. I also believe that what you give out, you will get back.  Anything is possible if you work hard and believe strongly enough.

How do you measure the success of an exhibition?
I measure the success of an exhibition by the audience’s reaction and the response they have towards my work.  If it gets a reaction, it is a successful show.   I do not measure success from a sales point of view. Although it is nice to make sales, I am more interested in waking people up and making them think, feel and experience a different way of seeing the world.  If something I have created affected them, then the exhibition was a success.  If they can’t get the images out of their minds when they go home, even if they don’t like the art itself, then, I feel, that as an artist, I have accomplished what I set out to do, to make an impression.

Having a brilliant review is also nice, but to me, it is not necessarily considered the end all of a successful exhibition. In my opinion most critics have a job to do for their personal audience and that is to criticize or they wouldn’t be critics in the first place.  But if a critic is noticing you whether good or bad in their opinion I believe success is when you are important enough to be written about. At least they noticed you and found you worth using ink on. 

What are some of your personal philosophies about life?
I believe in hard work and through the process of hard work, one becomes more enlightened and closer to the truth.  I believe in giving and that this act gives me more pleasure than receiving.  I believe that honesty is one of the most important things in life and that what you give out you usually get back. In cliché, “What goes around, comes around”.  I am a bit of an extremist in that I work hard, play hard and everything I do is in some ways excessive.  I am also a perfectionist.  I am passionate about life, I don’t worry about bad or negative things like most people.  If I can do something about a situation, I will, otherwise I just continue and deal with it the best I can. 

The End?
It's never the end for me, only new beginnings. 
Thanks for being interested.  

THE ARTIST