“Nana korobi, ya oki” - “Fall down seven times, stand up eight.” Japanese Proverb
I was born and grew up in Africa and art first showed up in my life in the form of creative play. Living on this magical continent was the perfect amphitheatre and backdrop for nourishing and expanding my already creative mind. Later "doodling" became my thing as I turned my thoughts to playing in my sketchbooks. As a young adult, travelling the world further enriched my growing catalogue of ideas.
I trained in printmaking which lead to a career in Advertising and Design and I was lucky to work for key Agencies based in Cape Town and London. I left this all behind and moved to New Zealand where I currently reside with my husband, two daughters, and our cat.
Realising that I loved drawing and creating patterns, I proceeded to study and understand surface pattern design and took a number of courses developing these skills.
I am always learning and love what I do especially the diversity of experimenting with different techniques and enjoy how one medium informs another.
My work normally begins in either my sketchbook or on my iPad, after which it is refined in Photoshop or Illustrator. I find inspiration everywhere and love heading out into the Botanical Gardens, the beach or doing bush walks so that I can sketch and forage.
Showing up everyday is key to my practice.