As a professional artist, I was lacking a place – after I moved from Witbank to Pretoria – where I could truly be creative, have space and solitude. For a while I tried to make things work in the new house, but it felt too restricted, and I had to put everything away at the end of the day to not make the house look like a bomb went off. I always had a dream of having a big open space where I can create, as well as display my art on the walls and maybe even give classes.

After many nights of planning and moving finances around, calling in the help of my dad, partner and best friend, we all put our skills together and suddenly that dream became a wonderful reality! The studio was built onto the house, so it is very convenient for an insomniac! The building process was not without its obstacles, of course, but those are the stories we laugh about afterwards.

So, on a cold winter’s morning in mid-July 2023, we finally broke ground. My dad drew up the plans and inspected all the engineering work. My friend and I did the buying, supervising, sticking to deadlines and budgets, and all four of us jumped in to do the finishes (putting up the loft, building the stairs, moving in and breaking the first bottle of champagne open!).

I was in construction before I became a full-time artist, so it was really nice to get a taste of it again. From planning and building to seeing the final product is also a very creative and rewarding process. I am now surrounded by beauty and art daily, and it inspires me to do even greater things. I love the look of surprise and big smiles when people walk into my studio for the first time. It makes living in dust and noise for five months absolutely worthwhile. A testament to something built with passion, love and companionship.

This double-volume gorgeous building is now my studio, gallery, workshop and, most of all, my sanctuary where I can give wings and full rein to my ideas and creativity. It still feels unreal at times, but I couldn’t be happier. I am truly blessed.