I create art in response to my environment and sense of place – guided and inspired by the natural cycles of our planet, whether it’s the seasons, moon cycles, or my body’s rhythms. My work ranges from detailed ink drawings to performative actions and explorations in urban, gallery, and outdoor spaces. I often create transient installation pieces with sand or mud. Other mediums include watercolours, ink, mixed media, found objects, digital media, and recently textiles, threading and calligraphy. My conceptual explorations have been dominated by landscapes and observation drawings of veld finds, but recently veering towards abstract expressionism interwoven with an interest in deep ecology & spirituality. In some artworks the initial concept often changes and evolves. My creative process is guided by spontaneous responses to the subject matter and materials, and in this sense each artwork is a new exploration and adventure. 

I am interested in the nature and spirit of a place just as much as our inter-relationships with these spaces and other organisms. What unifies my work, is my underlying intention of sharing my connection and respect for the sacredness and interconnectivity of life. I am particularly guided and inspired by ecology, biodiversity, natural cycles, and our place as a species within the web of life and the galactic community. My work is also an expression of my quest to learn more about myself and the world, finding new ways of being, deepening my spiritual experience of what we call ‘reality’, and expressing this in ever-expanding ways.

“Digging my toes deeply into the sand, soil and pebbles. Feeling the wind and the sun.
Stoking the fire of my own creative soul.
And going deeper in the experience of life in all its complexity and its simplicity.
Its stillness as well as its wildness.
Flowing where the waters, and my emotions, take me.”

– Janet Botes