Humble Beginnings
Why Li'l Feya?
What's in a name? Li''l - Little. Feya - Russian word for Pixie
There is another reason for the "Li'l" - my favourite flower happens to be the arum lily and it is scattered throughout my various phases as an artist. I am aware that it is a funeral flower but I love its simplicity and elegance.
Why a Russian word? - The architecture in Russia is magical and the stoicism of her people engenders great respect.
We had a tea tree outside my bedroom window as a little girl. My mother would tell me about the fairies who lived in that tea tree as she put me to bed. The Stories were short and about their goings on in their little flowery kingdom but they were the highlight of my day and so my love of the little people was born.
There was a place in Jo-burg called Santarama Miniland. It no longer exists but it was a world in miniature and our parents used to take us there. It was a wonderworld to me, Everything was there from pirate ships to airports all tiny and perfect and I could just imagine the tiny people and creatures who must walk those streets and sail in those ships. That really cemented my love for these magical miniature and secretive people.
Why cement? I love the strength and versatility of cement and its ability to withstand the elements for decades.
We bought a little house in 2001. It is in a neighbourhood where all the little houses look identical. Well that just wasnt going to do for the artist in me. I took a hammer to the house and chipped away at the plaster and soon had added my own cement pebbles to strategic places. We added a wall to our front garden and I had to match that to the house and put our street number on it. So as you can see my experimentation with cement started a long time ago.
So as an artist with an insatiable need to create I have discovered that concrete offers the best of all creative worlds for me.
Versatility, strength and of course the price. What better medium could an artist ask for? And of course its durability means that these little creations will have a long lifespan indeed!>
