All the Friday feels… I had to check in with some gallery spaces yesterday, dropping new work, collecting sold work. Since the errands took me the other side of our mountains, I figured I might grab the opportunity to see if I could take a cheeky detour to check in on my biggest canvas yet… …so grateful to the team at @ricketybridgewines for letting me sneak in before their guests arrived. They had no idea I was coming and yet I was met with such warmth and affection. Big shout out to Gugulethu at the gate, Owami, Yolandi, Theo, Leoni and the rest of the team who made me - and my painting - feel right at home. A question for you all: what would you name this wistful lady of the valley? …

🌱Creativity grows the way a garden does. 🌱 Come and join me in my studio to see how I nurture my creativity just as you’d nurture a garden 🪴 My Open Studio sessions are a part of this year’s Garden Town programme here in my home town of Stellenbosch. It’s a GREAT time to visit our town as there is so much to do and explore. And the whole neighbourhood gets together to spruce up the town thanks to the team at @visitstellenboschnow. Many private homes open up their gardens to the public. And there are workshops, tours, talks and lots of other events that bring us all together to celebrate Nature in all its forms. Check out my stories for the full programme (I’ll save them to my highlights too). And click on the link in my bio to book. 📷 @mariekennyphotography I rarely open my studio to the public so, if you’ve not been before, now is your chance! I’ll pop the kettle on and we can have a nice cuppa together. Step into my studio and see where the ideas take root. Space is limited and, with just a small group of guests, I can give you more of a personal tour of my studio Come and nosey around, find out what mediums I use and what tools I keep You can even have an exclusive peep at what I’m working on right now This is for anyone who loves art. You don’t have to be an artist yourself. My studio cat might even grace us with his presence If you want to hear more about my inspiration - or just snoop through my books - go wild! All I want to do is inspire you too. Join me for my only open studio of the year! On either Friday 23 October (10am@or 3pm) or Thursday 29 October (10am) Spaces are limited, so book your ticket via the link in bio. Hope to see you there!

The more you look, the more you find Thank you SO much to all the visitors who popped in to look at our group show. It was lovely to see so many new faces as well as old friends and long-standing collectors. And, being a group show, it was lovely to meet new people through my co-exhibitors @lilymaas.art and @sjqwatercolour WELCOME to you here if you’ve just started to follow me on the ‘Gram. I highly recommend that you take a stroll - and scroll - through my pinned posts and highlights, so you can catch up on all my latest news. If you’d like to be sure of staying in touch, scootch up to my profile and you’ll see a link to all sorts of useful things like my subscriber button and shortcut to my Available Art catalogue. But be advised: everything in the catalogue is original work, so once it’s sold, it is sold. Like our pop up show, blink and it’s gone.

And so that’s a wrap! The Herbert Smith Freehills, Kramer Portrait Award finally closed at the National Portrait Gallery today. This whole experience has been amazing. To have my artwork hang in this iconic space for the last three months has been a career highlight, for sure. And, to be honest, it still feels a little surreal It felt unreal for a while because when we were first told that our artwork been selected, we weren’t allowed to tell anybody for three months When the news finally broke, it was quite a relief. And I was really proud and humbled by how much support I got from my local community.. The fact that the National Portrait Gallery in London is so far away from South Africa also added to the sense of disbelief It has always been such a treat to go to the national portrait Gallery, even when I was young To be invited to go there as an artist and to a private opening of an exhibition featuring my own work was so much more than a treat. It felt like what it must feel like to go to the Oscars! it was also lovely to be reunited with my little girl and to be quite honest, I was at a loss for words. (Not that many of you would believe that’s possible!) Somehow the newspapers managed to extract some sense from my squeals of excitement And my local papers back home were so generous in their praise. I’ve never been on a front page of anything before! It was so wonderful to see so many people interact with my work, and listen to the feelings that it evoked within them. That’s just magic for an artist to hear first hand. It’s like giving someone a present they really like and watching their faces as they get to unwrap it. And an extra cherry on the cake was to have my guest of honour being not only a good friend and my host, but also the very first person who had trusted me with my first commission for a portrait Then I got to experience my very first Press morning, which was also quite a learning curve. (I wish I had been clever enough to arrange my own ‘PA’ or friend to play the role of personal photographer to record all the excitement!) Luckily, there were artists more prepared than I, and who took some wonderful photos which they kindly s

The Making of “The Age of Adolescence” Coming soon to a cinema near you soon! 🎬🎥 To mark this day, the last day of the Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award 2026 being at the @nationalportraitgallery in London, I thought I’d celebrate the occasion - and the last three months - by looking back at the journey that got me (and my portrait) where it is today. So, I’ve put together a little teaser / trailer for a video that I’ve been wanting to do for ages. (I was hoping someone at the NPG might use my footage and do it for me …but no such luck!🤪) Over the past few months, many of you have seen my portrait - both in person and online - and have asked me all sorts of things about my painting. You’ve asked me about the story behind the portrait. About the process and various painting techniques. About the format and the framing. And the story of how I came to enter this piece in the competition …and how it finally ended up at the National Portrait Gallery in London. So, consider this a heads up. The movie in the making. Comment / pop me a DM if you don’t want to miss out … or want to order a bag of popcorn 🍿 whilst you watch 😉

My final group exhibition of the year: Rhythms of Nature alongside the work of @sjqwatercolour and @lilymaas.art Doors opened officially yesterday and we had SUCH a great turn out. Thank you to everyone who came along to meet us, share a glass of wine and connect. It is always truly humbling how my work can open doors to meeting so many different people from so many places and so many walks of life. I love that we can all connect through art and that we are all connected by Nature. This exhibition - of both representational, impressionistic and abstract art - reminds us that, as humans, are part of Nature not separate to it. We have a stack of events tied into the exhibition this week - all part of the @woordfees @woordfeesvisuelekuns - so please do come along and see us and our work. More details and news in my stories See you soon!

Time for the BIG REVEAL… … if you came along Dorp street last night, we had a special treat for you. Our group exhibition - Rhythms of Nature - was wrapped and ready to go… …quite literally! For those who came to visit they got to see a sneaky peek of some of the artworks on show. If you too want to see the big reveal, please come this Saturday 12 noon at Voorgelegen Museum on Dorp Street Stellenbosch for our official opening of the group exhibition. It is part of the Toyota Woordfees festival that runs from 3 - 11 October and we’d love to see you there. With thanks to my fellow exhibitors @lilymaas.art and @sjqwatercolour and Lucky for the help in setting up. And thanks @nicolaspuglia07 and @mia_.kyriacou for being such enthusiastic and willing fans😎 @woordfeesvisuelekuns @woordfees Kezia at @rupertmuseum

TEN DAYS … …until the HSFK Portrait Award exhibition closes at the @nationalportraitgallery in London before it goes on tour around the UK… …for you to go and see my portrait “The Age of Adolescence” in person (thank you to each and every one of you who have been to see it in person, and shared these fab photos with me) whilst it hangs in this iconic gallery Also, it is the last 48hours for you to VOTE for your favourite portrait. Please head to the link in my bio where you can see ALL the artworks that have been selected and choose your favourite. You don’t have to get there in person. You can just vote online. WARNING: There are so many good ones. It’s super hard to choose just one favourite!

H A P P Y H E R I T A G E D A Y This is a special day here in South Africa where we celebrate our heritage, where we come from, the people who made us and places that shape us. I want to thank all of you up here on the Gram who follow me (and read my captions!) for connecting with me and supporting me along the way. Most important are those of you who support me and engage with me. And to you, all my subscribers, I want to thank you! For a whole week from today, you can get 24% off all my available art. Go on. You deserve it! (Check your emails for my latest newsletter. If you didn’t get it / can’t find it, pop me a message!) Link to sign up in my bio. Because subscribers always get the best deals 🤗❤️