Heritage Collection: Synopsis

The Heritage Collection is a collection of unique handcrafted art pieces created from a wide variety of reclaimed farm timber; such as barn beams, wooden sheds, fences, fallen trees, chicken coops, shipping pallets, crates and dated outbuilding doors. Each piece is mainly assembled from salvaged items including: nails, oxidized bolts, farming equipment, old tools, wingnuts, masonite, rusty wire, screws, tractor parts, engine valves, sparkplugs, hinges, keys, mirrors, glass and other found objects.

These bits and pieces are primarily collected from farms in and around the Cradle of Humankind - home to the world-famous ‘Ms Ples’, a 2.1-million-year-old Australopithecus skull, and ‘Little Foot’, an almost complete Australopithecus skeleton that is more than 3-million years old.

Unesco declared the area a world heritage site, in 1999, due to the rich fossil discoveries in the Sterkfontein Caves, believed to have produced more than a third of all early hominid fossils ever found.

I was born and bred on a farm in the Cradle of Humankind…being not only close to nature, but PART of nature. This invoked a deep love and understanding for the great continuation of ever changing existence that we are all participating in. We are as much part of it, as we are one with it. The homo sapien is merely a component of an immense chain of spiraling orchestrated events, that we call ‘life’. It is consequently essential, that we not only obtain from Mother Earth, but also give back to her. She is our greatest and most important resource. Our vicious temperaments are gradually destroying us…and everything around us.

There is no better time than the present moment, to start changing our unnatural destructive behavior towards Nature. We need to nourish her, plant trees, clean our rivers, recycle, reuse, reduce our intake…and tread tenderly on her.

I left my steady career in event management in 2008 and became a full time artist and graphic designer. My acrylic painting series called “Arbor Vitae” (Latin for “Tree of life”) was born the same year - an illustrative character symbolizing the interchangeable play between the female soul and Mother Nature. “Arbor Vitae Evolutief” (Evolutionary) was brought to light in Nov 2010 when I did my first solo exhibition in Melville, Johannesburg.

 Hence evolution and nature have always been an intertwined part of my life. It was therefore inevitable that an eco-friendly range would be born. Creating eco-friendly functional art pieces have been haunting me for quite a number of years now… I finally answered the call of this dream in November last year.

The collection currently consists of mirrors, picture frames and coat / accessory wall mounted hooks. Some of the pieces can be utilised as key holders. Each piece is a unique handcrafted work of art created from salvaged material. Reflecting an old soul in the peeling paint, rustic imperfections in the overall look, weather worn patina of the wood, and rusty mini art sculptures formed with bolt / wire / nails / and found objects.


I believe in conscious living. Living your passion. Following your dreams… 

Let’s be more conscious in our way of life. Be kind to nature. Listen to your soul. Inspire and be inspired. I’m doing my bit.

Join me!

Si-lest’