• Q: The birds that you depict are hummingbirds, and according to you that represents the artist. Can you please explain this?
     
    A: Hummingbirds have this unique ability to hover in mid air, and it creates an illusion that they seem to be frozen in space, caught in a moment. My paintings not only represent moments captured in time, it deepens and becomes a metaphor for my experience as [and being] a woman, a mother, a wife, a sister, a daughter, a friend and an artist. Everything, all at once, all the time, a chaotic beauty. I have found a deeper depth to me, my identity, to my perspective, my view of the world. Sometimes this chaos is overwhelming, but it is mostly what gives my life meaning.
     
    Q: The central theme of your work is the fragility of time explored through the contrast of permanence versus  impermanence. Why have you chosen to foreground these themes? 
     
    A: As a mother raising three little ones,  time just flies by. As a parent you hope you teach them enough, raise them well enough, so that one day when they “leave the nest”, they will fly. There is constant scattering, chaos and multi-tasking, like layer upon layer of fragile moments all at once. Being everywhere all at once. Thinking of a hundred things at the same time. Being so many versions of myself simultaneously as I already mentioned before - a mother, a wife, an artist, a friend, a daughter, a sister and an individual.  
  • Q: Your childhood was characterized by a host of moves to many small towns and that is the reason that the concept of movement migration and flight plays a strong role in your work. Can you please elaborate on this?
     
    A: I think my experience growing up in different places and being exposed to different people and influences, developed a strong need to translate my feelings and experiences. I always felt secure and content while drawing and painting. My visual escape into my artworks was exactly that process and practice that gave me a sense of acceptance and adapting to my surroundings, but also a comfort when things seemed unsure.

     

    Q: You draw inspiration from nature, and the mystery of creation. Can you explain why nature is a source of inspiration in your work?
     
    A: “If you could say it in words, there would be no reason to paint.” - Edward Hopper
     I grew up very close to nature, enjoying camping trips all over the country with my family, both in the bush and at the coast. It is the intricate detail and delicate harmony of these places that inspires me to celebrate this beauty and our Creator.
     
  • Q: Your most notable works are of birds, particularly birds caught in the midst of flight. I read that to...
    Q: Your most notable works are of birds, particularly birds caught in the midst of flight. I read that to you, this represents a moment captured? 
     
    A: In China they have a saying, “women hold up half the sky, if the sky is falling, ask yourself why.” My constant theme of ‘fragile time’, ‘fleeting moments’, and impermanence developed into this new concept of beauty in chaos. Delving deeper and exploring more intensely, the absolute wonder of a single moment, this intriguing and fascinating dimension was revealed. In a very overwhelming time, a new depth was brought to light. Aiming to capture this, I started to explore this visual interpretation of translucent layers and new surfaces. Every layer changes the one beneath, creating more depth, not so much hiding what’s beneath, but rather making it come to life.