Art and the A.C.T.
Artist Statement
I am a South African artist working in various media: ceramic art, textile art and making jewellery.
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Art is how I communicate; how I express myself. Art is a favourite language.
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My first introduction to making art was when I discovered the delight of working with clay. Clay has its own language. Clay is a powerful teacher. I fell in love with ceramic art in my twenties. As a ceramic artist I make sculptural vessels. In my practice I strive toward holding the tension between discipline and flow in creating forms which express contemporary stories, concepts, concerns and emotions. I also explore decorating my vessels in the same manner, finding harmony between texture and colour, mark making and raw surfaces. With my ceramic art I attempt to capture a dialogue between elements of human nature and the nature of the complexities of our human lives.
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As a textile artist I use needle, thread and cloth to tell stories. Slow stitching as an artform in textile art becomes a container to explore aspects of my internal landscape and emotions. It has a calming and reassuring effect and is both reflective and meditative. My art pieces often become explorations of the transient nature of natural cycles in life and death and rebirth. My work also places a focus on more subversive themes in human relationships such as power dynamics, estrangement and questioning the value of heirlooms and domestic objects such as previously treasured napkins and teacloths. I am allowing myself to be influenced by the desire to write new stories from previously restrictive cultural and generational influences; creating more liberating and contemporary storylines and bringing new life to used, stained, distressed and broken heirlooms.
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Slow Stitch
Jewellery
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Re-using previously discarded pieces of cloth has a powerful message of creating and containing purpose, meaning and personal significance. I also add a voice to a growing global consciousness of preserving what is useful, protecting what is meaningful and re-considering the footprint of what is left behind, once we are done. My stitching art invites a close-up gaze and deeper conversations around what is significant, what is beautiful and what is worthy of our time and exploration.
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Subversive Stitching as applied in my artworks is an expression of my personal viewpoint in challenging societal norms and belief-systems pertaining to more traditional perspectives of what may be seen as “women’s work”.
Making jewellery is my way of exploring states of Being, emotions, imagination, symbolism and even metaphor. I strive towards an understanding of how art and psychology form a dialogue. When I make jewellery in the form of creating necklaces I reflect on how art can become medicine and how self-adornment (wearing these pieces) pay homage to wisdom, grace and beauty.
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I use materials that are natural, found, gifted and collected over many years from various places and countries from around the world. All pieces are unique and individual, never repeated or reproduced. All my pieces are meticulously handcrafted and as such imperfect.
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I am a practicing and exhibiting artist and have sold many works of art to collectors in Europe, The United Kingdom and the USA and South Africa.
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Current works are on show and available at Relevant Art Gallery, Paarl, South Africa.
Conscious Creativity
When we are creatively engaged, something magical happens. Often adults think and say that they are not creative. This is simply impossible. All children create their world since babies and toddlers. By using our senses we discover that we can make our world come alive. Children make marks on surfaces. This is not being naughty, this is exploring an innate sense of being able to create.
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Consciously creating anything tangible, visible, audible, edible, or something that looks beautiful, taste wonderful and so on leaves us with a feeling of accomplishment. A sense of wonder and joy ensues when we see results from our efforts.
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The Academy of Conscious Transformation provides you with options where you are able to engage with that part of yourself that allows you to grow, to develop a sense of your authenticity and self-mastery. Creativity allows for experiencing Agency, Sovereignty and Autonomy. Here is you invitation to deepen your inner work. This is also an invitation to explore and expand your consciousness. Being creatively engaged contributes to and is enhanced by being mindful.
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Mindfulness is essential to the process of having insight into your inner world. Being mindful requires your full presence, stillness, a time for reflection and also to think about your thoughts (metacognition). Conscious creativity is a pathway to becoming more mindful.
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How does this work in The Academy of Conscious Transformation?
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ART THERAPY ONLINE
Online Art Therapy is best undertaken in collaboration with the facilitation of Dr. Marleen. The guidance and support that you will receive in 1:1 online consultations ensures a safe space. Art Therapy is a very effective form of processing and inner work and allows for a deep exploration of the healing work that you want to undertake. Regular Consultations are recommended.
The Academy offers Art Therapy for Trauma Processing, Inner Child Work, Making Sense Of Life Changes And Major Life Events, Understanding Transitional Experiences, Dealing With Bereavement And Loss and so much more.
For enquiries or to book on online appointment:
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ART MENTORING:
Online courses available:
- My Creative Mind: Explore, Experience, Express
- Mindfulness And Creativity
- Daily Creative Practice Short Course
- Story Collages With Mixed Media
- Conscious Manifestation
- Making Vision Boards and Mastering Mind Mapping
- Making Artist Books
- Creative Journalling
- Slow Stitching (See also Workshops and events)
For enquiries or to book on online appointment: