It was a winter afternoon, and I was wandering aimlessly, indulging in life's simple pleasures. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafted from a cozy café, drawing me in, but it was the bookshop next door that truly captured my heart. As I browsed the shelves, a vibrant cover caught my eye – Anne of Green Gables.
I remembered a classic film about her from my childhood, watched on TV one Sunday afternoon. I never got to finish it and always wondered what happened to this mischievous girl with red hair that turned green. My inner child was overjoyed as I claimed the book, eager to dive in. And oh, the joy it brought! I felt a deep connection to Anne – her curiosity, kindness, honesty, and zest for life resonated deeply. Her creative thinking, innocence, and longing to belong spoke to me on a profound level. Reading this book was incredibly healing, and I felt like I reclaimed a part of my own inner Anne.
...And with a twinkle in her eyes, she looks up with wonder at her Swallow friends...”I think I will call you Pilgrims of my Heart...Let's go on an adventure!”
​

Some inspiring quotes by Anne:
“ Because when you are imagining, you might as well imagine something worthwhile”
“ Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It's splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world.”
“Oh, it's delightful to have ambitions. I'm so glad I have such a lot. And there never seem to be an end to them – that's the best of it!”
“ Dear old world... You are very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you.”

Apparently, my heartstrings was first strung by beauty at just 1 year old.
As a baby, I needed my mother in sight, and she'd always play classical music, the Beatles, and Bee Gees as she went about her day.
One day, while she cleaned to the rhythm of a classical piece, I watched her from the couch, transfixed. Suddenly, I started crying. She rushed to me, asking 'What's wrong, little one?' I looked up at her and whispered, 'Dis mooi...' ((In Afrikaans. “It's Beautiful” when translated in Engish or “C'est Magnifique” in French.)

From that moment on, Beauty, Music, and Grace have been my constant companions – shaping how I move, how I approach life, and how I see the world.
I believe the world needs more of these qualities, and through my art, I hope to make them visible, leaving you feeling Blessed and inspired too.

​With butterflies of anxiety in my stomach and looping thoughts of a mountain ahead, I stood stood in front of that blank canvas in my art studio.
How many times have I been here before...? Slowing down my own progress through procrastination... Sounds familiar?
"Ok", I said to myself, " just get started, break the ice..."
So I put on some beautiful soothing music, picked up my brush and the paint started to flow. Soon after that I could feel myself getting into it, and before I knew it, I was painting with my hands...quite a nice feeling, because it felt like I was blessing the canvas with love as I drew hearts and butterflies.
But the next day back in studio, I felt that artist block again. "Now what?! I broke the ice, the canvas is not white anymore, why I am I feeling like this again? Could it be because I know it is going to take a thousand+ brushstrokes to create two people and butterflies out of thin air?!" I sighed. And then the looping thought of self-doubt slowly crept in. How weird...I have been painting for 30 years and 22 years of being a professional artist, and I still do this to myself? Is this what self-sabotage looks like? Or imposters-syndrome?
Luckily that sweet little voice that always pulls me through started to sing in my ears..."You can do this, I believe in you!!!" (fortunately I am quite self-aware to know to listen deeply when it speaks.)
I started to mix the right skin-tone colors and put my brush to the canvas.
I breathed into the process and realized... Rome was not built in one day. Nothing great was done in an instant. We have created such an impatient-instant-everything culture, we lost our quality of connection to what is at hand in in front of us. This creates so much anxiety and frustration. NOW is where everything is, where we are, and all we have, and only from this perspective we can see it unfold...Moment by moment...breath by breath...brushstroke by brushstroke...
And throughout the creative process, every time I have to remind myself of this...

About 10 days into the journey spending time with the two beautiful ladies in front of me and so many brushstrokes, I felt that golden shift in myself. 
It was. liberating. I was. free. in flow.
I could feel them, with their wise presence in my studio. I had forgotten the essence of what I do and why I do it. I had to go through my own created suffering to... remember again... I love art deeply and I especially love painting people and animals, to capture their character and essence and make poetry of it through my brushstrokes.

So the butterflies of anxiety that were in my stomach, now left me at peace and made their way onto the painting to whisper words of love and transformation.
And I stood back, took a breath, hands on my heart, tears in my eyes. 
How grateful I am for my time and conversations with these inspiring women and their butterfly kisses. We shared an Eternal moment.
Every time, I am healed through Art and the Creative Process.