As an acrylic and mixed media artist based in Barrydale, South Africa, I live what I paint—and paint what I live. I create work that explores our deep, often forgotten, connection to the natural world. My art is a reflection of the belief that beauty exists not just in what we see, but in how we see it. Living at the foot of the Tradouw Pass, surrounded by mountains, streams, and rich biodiversity, I am continually inspired by nature’s quiet wonders—delicate poppies, bees, dragonflies, birds, majestic trees and more. These recurring subjects are not just visual elements in my work; they are symbolic of a deeper spiritual relationship between humans and the Earth.
My creative process often includes subtle incorporations of upcycled materials such as foil and paper. These elements serve as a quiet commentary on transformation—on how beauty can emerge from the discarded, and how even “waste” can find new purpose. It is a reflection of both environmental mindfulness and the alchemy of art.
Through my paintings, I aim to evoke a reconnection in my audience—a call to return to nature with open eyes and open hearts, inviting viewers to pause, notice, and remember their innate connection to the natural kingdom. I want my art to inspire a return to the senses—to the experience of watching a sunset, walking through a forest, sitting beside a stream, smelling the hint of jasmine in the air or listening to birdsong. These moments of presence are, I believe, essential acts of reverence in a world that too often forgets its roots.
My practice extends beyond the canvas. As an avid gardener and steward of my land, I live my love for nature through daily acts of care—tending vegetables, feeding birds, and observing the cycles of life around me. My art is a continuation of this practice: a quiet offering, simply being present in my surroundings and an open invitation to reconnect.
A More In-Depth Look at the Inspiration Behind My Solo Exhibitions
My seemingly unobtainable desire was always for creating abstract art when all I ever seemed to produce was realism. I began my art career trying a bit of everything: I explored pastels (chalk and oil), drawing, oil paints and finally settled on my favourite medium: acrylic. I tried a vast array of subject matter from portraits to landscapes and everything in between.
I really enjoy painting poppies with intricate spiral backgrounds (which is what I’m most ‘known’ for) but, as I mentioned before, my real passion is for abstract art. I could never quite figure out how to express myself in this way until I embarked on my ‘Rocking Art’ series (2012 – 2016) which explored intuitive painting to music (my favourite rock bands). I’m the bass guitarist for a South African indie rock band called Templeton Universe (you can check out our facebook page HERE), so music is a big part of who I am and what keeps me going. With this series I wanted to subliminally tap into why we like and are drawn to certain types of music — why some people love or hate different genres and musicians/bands. My findings were quite incredible and I not only took start-to-finish photographs of the process but also captured the emotions of what I was feeling (here is the link to my series: https://cherieroedirksen.com/the-rock-art-series/). This series became my first solo exhibition which was held at the Karoo Art Hotel, Barrydale in December 2016.
This started the ball rolling for me as I took my first steps into the world of contemporary art.
I probed the subconscious and the void of existence. Pretty heavy, right? It was a real voyage of discovery for me. My painting called ‘Panspermia’ (origins of life) saw me stumble into a realm that I’m not quite sure about. Every person who has seen this piece brings a different interpretation of what it means to them or what they see in it (which is what art is about, I know) – but this piece tends to take the average person deeper (either into fear, fascination or deep contemplation). This intrigues me because I believe everyone has their own Truth and brings their own meaning to life itself. I want to explore this ‘quantum soup’ type of art more and tap into this unseen realm of all possibility. I am also a self-empowerment author, with several published works. I was a columnist and radio presenter for many years (for USA based Conscious Life News, South African conscious lifestyle digimag, Odyssey and Big Indie Giant Radio), so conscious awareness is a field that I’m greatly committed to.
All of this new self-exploratory art led me to my second solo exhibition called ’42’ (you can download the free catalogue here) which was held at the magnificent Magpie Art Collective 6th October (opening night) – 9th November 2018. The Magpie Art Collective are close to my heart as I love and am inspired by how they turn trash into treasure — something I try to teach at my tri-weekly art and craft classes at local youth upliftment center, Net vir Pret.
This new body of work saw me step way out of my comfort zone and also tantalize the viewer to explore their own limitations and/or expansion. In a nutshell: I want every soul who sees the representations — of what I’m literally plucking out of the ether/matrix (or whatever else you want to call it) — to glean some sort of remembrance of who they really are; what their soul imprint is — a looking glass to the soul. I think we’re a species with amnesia (meaning we come into this life oblivious as to our past incarnations) and I want to ignite a sense of inner self exploration with my work — I want people to dig deep into their own psyche or akash and remember who they really are (which is, in my opinion, an immortal spirit with infinite capabilities stuck for a brief period of time in a corporeal body). I believe if we (humanity) are given a chance, we can unlock all our inherent capabilities and the mysteries of our own existence beyond this earthly realm. The scope is broad but the passion is lit!
To see my available art and art print collections, please click HERE.
Cherie Roe Dirksen 