Winter of 2014 I found myself weighed down by Canadian gray skies, wanting to throw things at it. I needed colour in my life. I bought cheap paint and canvases at the dollar store and did a Bob Ross marathon. With Bob’s instructions and my dollar store supplies I created one of my favourite paintings.  I kept going and produced one colourful painting after another, filling my life with colour and the gray skies were forgotten.

I grew up in sunny South Africa, with a creative mother who loved to share her skills and knowledge, motivating her children to be creative in various ways. Creativity remained a big part of my life and I attended various workshops and did two years of fine arts in University for extra credits. But even though creativity followed me through my life and my travels, it never became a prominent part of my life until I watched Bob paint his happy trees.

I eagerly found more artists on YouTube and I felt like a kid again, playing and getting messy, finding my own voice in mixed media and acrylics.

In 2021 I was diagnosed with stage IV cancer and it brought my life to an abrupt halt.  Brain surgery impeded my speech and motor functions, but I was determined colour would fill my life again. I had to fight a battle I wasn’t ready for and art was my weapon, my therapy which kept me alive and going. Art motivated me to stand, write and paint again. The battle isn’t over yet, but it has changed my life and my art language and it is ever evolving. Who knows what tomorrow might bring or inspire. All I know is, art is one of the reasons I’m here.

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