Exquisite Arts Magazine Vol 3 - Nov/ Dec 2016 | Page 21

My childhood in Africa instilled in me a
lifelong sense of adventure.
Born in
North East England at 5 weeks I was the
youngest passenger to fly on East African
Airways back home to Uganda. Before I
was 5, I had already travelled extensively
through East Africa. In 1977, the family
moved to Botswana, living in the Capital
Gaborone, then a dusty little town on the
edge of the Kalahari Desert. At that time,
Botswana was surrounded by racist
regimes and was an oasis of stability in a
very volatile area. The capital was the
base for many embassies and was home
to a large multicultural community. My
school, Maru-A –Pula, was founded on
principles of education for all and known
for its anti-apartheid stance, with many of
the staff refugees from South Africa. I still
have powerful memories of assemblies
honouring those killed in the Sharpeville
and Soweto massacres and recall
frequently being marched onto the school
playing fields as the school was prone to
bomb threats.

as well as a love of the North. It was,
however, during my recovery from severe
depression the mountains, the struggle to
survive in them and rawness took on a
greater level of importance to me. It was
during one of these trips to Keswick that I
suddenly started painting and drawing
which despite my childhood being
surrounded by great art, I had never done
before.
As this developed to a deeper level I began
to realise art could not just be about
capturing the feel and mood of the
mountains, but also be the vehicle of
remembering my childhood in Africa – the
colours,
textures
evoking
strong
emotions.

Many weekends were spent at the
museum helping my mum, a textile artist
and then Curator of the National Museum
Botswana,
hang
exhibitions.
Being
surrounded by this precious art work has
proved to be a huge influence on my
current work. The ability and power of art
to portray such strong political and social
messages in a way that connects with
people is a very powerful driver and
incentive behind my work.
Arriving in England to study A levels at
Keswick boarding school, I developed a
deep love of the mountains and
discovered the Lakeland poets. Since I
left boarding school I often returned to
the area to go climbing. Much of my work
is influenced by a love of the mountains

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