About me

The Summary:

• Architect
• Inspiration:
  • Lush and vibrant East Coast Vegetation.
  • Human figures + Body language.
• Icon: Fashion and Creative tycoon, Iris Apfel.
• “Joyful” by Ingrid Fetell Lee
• Acrylics, watercolour + Spraypaint.
• Anonymous emotional framework for the viewer.
• Abundance and overload!

The Long-Winded Version:

I’m an architect currently on hiatus and co-founder of Cape Town based architecture firm, E+S Architects. I currently reside in East London, South Africa, where most days are spent painting in the studio overlooking the lush Nahoon Valley.

I am primarily a self-taught artist and started dabbling in watercolour and acrylics while studying- I completed my undergrad and post grad studies at Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth and hold a masters degree in architecture.

Inspiration:

‘Joyful” by Ingrid Fetell Lee has been a continuous source of both inspiration and affirmation that we all need bursts of joy throughout the day. We need to materialize this abstract notion of “joy” by means of looking at “the aesthetics of joy”. The skin and bones which lift the spirit for a moment before we continue with the grind. And thus I aim to capture a sense of abundance, freedom, energy and celebration in my work. Richness. Layers. Patterns, colours and the natural world is a continuous source of inspiration.

Creative tycoon, Iris Apfel’s mantra: ‘More is more and less is a bore’, has been a continuous guideline for fearless creative exploration.

The use of silhouettes has been a powerful tool I discovered in architecture school: the flip of a wrist, the tilt of a head or the nuanced proximity of bodies speak volumes about the subject’s state of mind. Emotions are universally identifiable human experiences expressed (partly) through body language… a language highlighted in silhouettes:

I further aim to present a rich, but anonymous framework onto which the viewer can project their own narrative -conjuring up their own emotions / memories of the experience suggested in the painting… which will hopefully provide some reflection and interesting viewing experience.
Or simply joy and excitement!