My name is Lily Esterhuizen, and I am an artist based in Cape Town, South Africa. Working across drawing, painting, photography, and mixed media; I explore the expressive possibilities of ink, watercolour, fine-liner and mixed media. My practice is characterised by intricate line work, mark-making, texture, and bold colour contrasts, which I use to create visually engaging and layered compositions.
I’m deeply inspired by my home and its wild landscapes. My work has included themes of interconnection between myself, land, nature, biodiversity and intricate moments between plants and rock. I resonate with fynbos and its unique strength and resilience; my art practise explores how I am unique to the world as fynbos is unique to Southern Africa. Additional investigations have been identity, feelings, femininity and growth. Examining these experiences through relationships with nature, entanglement and cycles of transformation along with femininity, relationship with maternity, how identity and femininity can be expressed and weaving these relationships with indigenous plants and fynbos.
I like to use line work as every mark is intentional and allows me to become meditative with the mark making. In my recent explorations, I’ve created small sticks which I’ve carved into quill tips as the vessel for ink and watercolour. The scratchy nature of the sticks allows me go with the flow and work intuitively and brings me closer to fynbos as the scratchiness is dry against the paper.
I’d like to create artworks as spaces for people to feel connected with nature. I like to think my artworks are windows into moments in time found in wild landscapes which are personal to the plants and ecology living there. To connect with people, I like to think my artworks are safe and quiet moments of pause for anyone viewing.