Meet the artist

I am a large format oil on canvas artist.

I was born in Cape Town, South Africa, where I trained as a Clinical Psychologist. In 2001 I moved to the UK, retraining as a Pediatric Neuropsychologist. I spent years in the NHS, where I established and managed a brain cancer survivorship service in London, before returning to Cape Town to run two private practices focused on neurodevelopmental disorders and early cognitive decline.

I moved to Lake Forest in December 2019, just six weeks before the COVID-19 epidemic. That abrupt stillness, arriving in a new country with no home, no professional identity, and no established community created an unexpected pause where I was able to return to painting. What began as a personal response to loss, change, and uncertainty evolved into a full-time artistic practice, marked by the success of my sold-out debut solo show, In Full Bloom (2023) at The Gallery in Lake Forest, Illinois. When I picked up that paint brush during COVID, I had not painted for 20 years. I realized I had spent my life helping others find their voices, while silencing my own. Art gave that voice back to me — along with a renewed sense of life force. My path from psychologist to artist is a lived example of the transformative power of creative practice, a perspective I now bring to both my studio work and my teaching.

I currently live and work in Lake Forest, Illinois, with a dedicated studio at the Gorton Center. My paintings explore botanical forms and nature-based imagery — primarily large-scale florals and forest scenes. Through this lens, I explore themes of femininity, sensuality, aging, and the passage of time — themes that speak to impermanence and transformation. Alongside my studio practice, I lead art classes, mentorships, and immersive creative experiences that weave together painting with meditation, yoga, sound, and guided visualization — tools that help us reconnect, slow down, and access our creativity.

I’ve always loved fashion. My mother was a fashion designer, and I grew up in her studio watching fabric turned into magical creations. I have a small collection of fashion-inspired art — shoes and corsets in a maximalist setting — a private indulgence and a tribute to the remarkable woman who shaped me in so many ways.