Suikerbossie and Sunbird – Fynbos Protea Repens

Created: 2004
Medium: Linen sealed to board with pigments, resins and oil topcoat

Set high on Chapman’s Peak above Long Beach, Noordhoek, this artwork looks across the coastline toward Kommetjie and the Cape Peninsula. The landscape is rich with fynbos vegetation, the unique plant kingdom that defines this region of South Africa.
At the centre of the painting stands a symbolic figure inspired by the suikerbossie protea (Protea repens), personified as a young woman whose flowing hair and form echo the shapes and colours of the surrounding flora. Nearby, a delicate sunbird hovers among the flowers, reflecting the natural relationship between these nectar-feeding birds and the proteas that sustain them.
The figure represents the spirit of the landscape and pays tribute to the earth-conscious community of young mothers and families who lived in the area at the time — people who felt deeply connected to the rhythms and beauty of the fynbos environment.
Blending observed nature with symbolic storytelling, the artwork celebrates the intimate relationship between people, place and the living landscape of the Cape.