I was born and raised on tobacco farms in Zimbabwe. As a child I would use whatever I could find on the farm to make ‘stuff’. I would make jewellery and ‘things’ out of discarded wire, tin, sticks and seed pods . I made artifacts out of ‘Trinepon’ (a two part moulding putty used to repair buckets) or out of clay dug from the ant hills. I sketched all the time on any paper I could find. I made my own clothes from an early age, transforming those sketches into my idea of fashion. I even held the odd fashion show at the country club. I pursued this by going to Natal Art College in neighbouring South Africa where, after 3 years graduated in Art and Dress Design.
I worked in South Africa, Europe and Zimbabwe in the rag trade, advertising and feature film industries.

Doug and I left Zimbabwe in 1983 and moved to South Africa.

My rural and fairly isolated African upbringing totally affected and influenced my creativity. I was forced to think laterally and create something out of nothing. I am still very much like that in that I look around my house and surrounds for objects and unusual things to use in my art.
I stumbled upon stamping being demonstrated......