I could tell you the usual, predictable things about myself, such as that my husband, eight cats, a dachshund and I, along with assorted other beasties live in a beautiful old house, often overflowing with family and friends, under a Syringa Tree on the lower slopes of Table Mountain in Cape Town. But I would rather that you know something about my journey and how I traveled to get to where I am today.
As a child, I loved to draw, paint, read, write poetry and surround myself with beautiful things. However, as the years passed and the refrain that it was "more important to do something real that could earn one a living" took root in my psyche, I chose to study law and, in fact, over time, obtained three law degrees. There was precious little time to make beautiful things. But law, financially viable though it was, was ultimately unfulfilling. The deep longing to paint and to create was an essential part of myself I could no longer ignore.
In my mid-twenties, I had also miraculously survived a severe car crash which had crushed and snapped a number of my bones, left me hospitalized for months and threatened the amputation of my left leg. But, as I had regained consciousness in the mangled wreck of what remained of my beloved little car, I found myself suffused in golden light and was filled with a deep and peculiar peace. I just knew at that moment that I would not only live but that everything would be all right. This was truly a new beginning in my life's journey. Immobilized, crippled and confined to a hospital bed and, later, throughout the long, painful months and years of my recovery, I turned to the healing powers of art and drew, painted and created beautiful works. To my surprise, these were quickly snapped up by friends and relatives and one day a great-uncle, acquiring a number of pieces, asked why I didn't leave law and paint full time. "No-one would want to buy my work", I said, to which he replied, shaking his head, "You are quite mistaken you know, quite mistaken". And I, unknowingly at the time, took another step on my path.
Some months ago, I finally took the leap of faith, and trusting The Dreamgiver and tightly clutching my Dream Feather 1, I left my legal career to paint my Pots. Like me, they are African and filled with all the colour and creativity of this glorious Continent. Like all women, they are strong and resilient and filled with the glory, the joy and the power of healing, as well as the capacity to revel in living, each day, one day at a time.
Following on from my Women, Coffee Pot Men emerged and so the beginnings of my range were born. Each piece that leaves my studio has a name, a date and a Dream Feather to remind the owner of the importance of following his or her dreams.
I create my work as one would create a magic carpet: one negative thought during the process and the carpet will never fly. So my work is painted with tenderness, often to music or the talk of friends; the painting is infused with happy thoughts, deep concentration and, above all, with love. Each vessel is unique and each comes with her own inspiration and her own story. I hope that the individual, one-of-a-kind piece you purchase will remind you of your own uniqueness, your incredible gifts and the small, irreplaceable, beautiful things in each new day. Because, whilst it is true that 'the things that truly matter can only be seen by the heart', the eyes and the other senses are needed to convey the essence of this to the soul. And so, from there, from strength to strength. I now also enjoy making unique corporate gifts and am developing exciting new ranges, including Angel Pots. Watch this space!
1 See Bruce Wilkinson's book "The Dreamgiver", which has had a great impact on my life.