My art is a response to my daily life, and the transient landscapes that surround me.
Belinda Ross grew up on a coastal farm in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, which instilled in her a love for and deep connection to the earth. Since then, Ross has travelled widely, calling various African countries home. During these travels, Ross archives the places she sees, relying on that history and connection to place for inspiration.
Primarily working with large canvases featuring seascapes and landscapes, Ross’ bold brushstrokes and vivid colour palettes evoke the sensorily overwhelming environment of Africa.
“I relate far more with scenery that I encounter frequently, while walking on the beach or alongside the road, for example. I believe that overwhelming beauty is often close to us; we overlook it in the pursuit of bigger moments or popular views.
“When I am working with a piece, the reference image is less significant. At a certain point, the emotive presence begins to evolve. I focus on the organic elements that I was drawn to, and love the abstraction process that intuitively commences. I am passionate about the richness, texture and colour achieved with oils, and how brushstrokes and marks can leave a far more reliable impression of how we feel than words.
“Painting landscapes provides me with exhilarating freedom that I cannot experience in any other part of my life. It’s a place of inexplicable joy and abandonment, where I can be in awe of colour, heritage and space. To represent the ordinary as extraordinary is what I strive to express.”
