It has been years since I looked at these. I painted them a couple of months after I found out I was pregnant, because my husband and I were travelling […]
Category: Stories behind the work
Yo-Yo Ma and the Bach Project at Kirstenbosch
I have three great loves (apart from the human beings in my life): writing, art and music. Art came first, because I could wield a crayon before I learned to […]
Painting again after a dry patch
Two weeks ago, I was in a deep creative slump. I couldn’t imagine painting again. Every now and then, I’d experience a faint urge to express myself, but it would […]
Nisha Learns to Fly
“Thank you to my dad who taught me to fly.” It was a tweet that inspired this series of paintings. Back in January this year, Nisha Varghese asked me to […]
I need your words for these paintings
I’m painting works for an oncologist’s examination room, and I need your help. First, a little bit of background. Cancer terrifies me. The thought that it could happen to me […]
Hospital Paintings
I’ve painted in some interesting places, but this is the first time I’ve turned a hospital bed into an art studio. A preeclampsia scare saw me spend the past week […]
Nine months
Last year, just before we travelled to New York, I painted nine paintings inspired by my pregnancy. My idea was to try and find a gallery, so I had all […]
The Annunciation
One of the most enduring themes in religious art is The Annunciation. A favourite of Gothic and Renaissance painters, it gave them an excuse to contrast the bling of the […]
Please help Charmain earn a living again
UPDATE: Good news! Charmain WhatsApped me to let me know that a man called Roger has very kindly offered to help her with a camera. Charmain Carrol is one of […]
Trigger 3: Selfie Culture
One upon a time, the only people who had their portraits recorded were very rich, or people who posed for artists. Those who posed were never themselves; they were always […]
The #SaartjieSelfie texts
In addition to the #SaartjieSelfie tweets, I decided to add my favourite quotations from the Chubby Vogue Divas. I like to think that if Saartjie were around today, she would […]
Charmain Carrol and the Chubby Vogue Divas
“Growing up, I loved magazines, looking at the pretty girls in beautiful clothes – but I never could relate to images of skinny almost bony women.” Of all the influences […]