REFLECTIONS: of Homes
For the most part of my life I have lived in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa where I have been creating art since 2000. My work shifts between the traditional medium of oil on canvas, mixed-media and assembly. I am deeply inspired by the vastness of landscapes and the magic found in forests. A key theme typically in my work is of the pilgrim walking along urban roads or rural paths, sometimes in the company of a loyal dog or two. In moving from South Africa to Ireland, and now moving back ‘n forth between both, my attention has shifted to ‘the home’ as a place where we seek shelter and rest from all sorts of storms; and where these can exist amidst the laughter of loved ones or within the solitary quite of a lone space. My recent works are from our last long road trip where we slowly wound our way on dusty rutted roads through parts of the Natal Midlands; meandering along Lions River, Kamberg and the Maloti Mountains. Seeing villages and homes on the horizons in rural settings of open fields and long stretching valleys, I reflect on all that brings me joy; wide unending often-unfenced spaces; simplicity; community, and the delight of course of dogs and chickens, goats and cattle and lots of bare-footed feet beneath empty and clouded skies of free-flying birds, perhaps who like me, are migrating between this and that home.
