Vanessa told the Herald that she entered the international competition presented by Circle Foundation for the Arts after she saw it in Spotlight magazine. “I only submitted Gypsy Queen, so naturally when I received the Artistic Excellence Certificate from them it was a pleasant surprise. To receive this means that I was selected from many submissions from all over the world,” Vanessa said. “It validates all the hard work through the years.” Vanessa is inspired by nature and conservation.

“My studio at home has an awesome view of the mountain and leads through large sliding doors into our bush garden. I also have a second studio in my glass gallery in the middle of the beautiful garden in the Rock Fig Lifestyle Centre in the middle of the town. This means that while painting I am constantly aware of and surrounded by nature. Vanessa says she was exposed to art from a very young age through the influence of her mother who was very creative. “In 2013, I took the plunge and became a professional, full-time artist. I am the fourth-generation artist in our family but the first to turn my hobby into a profession.

Today I am a published artist, and my art is well-represented all over the world. She says that she and her husband love travelling and spend a lot of time in nature reserves when the opportunity presents itself. “Geoffrey is an avid photographer and we spend hours at waterholes waiting for wildlife. Me with a sketch pad and him with a camera at the ready. We love to take the back roads soaking up the scenery to our destinations and often find that we spend a lot of time photographing people, places, and nature.” Vanessa says she is still on a journey of discovery.

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“Of late I have been exposed to all sorts of new mediums that I am experimenting with. I have developed a unique styling of soft abstract art, fusion art (people and nature together), and resin art. My Indian ink works are quite unique and fall more in the fine art bracket,” she said. She said living and working from Hoedspruit, her most popular subject matter is drawn from nature and wildlife. “Using the highest quality oil paints and paint on 100% cotton duck canvas, results in a high-quality artwork.” “I produce a combination of fine art and soft abstract art.

“Having said that I am an artist at my core which means that I explore a variety of mediums including acrylic and Indian Ink and these days my works include a much wider spectrum of subject matter.” She says she enjoys spontaneous art and finds inspiration from the brush of South African artists Solly Smook and Emily Lamb from the UK,” she added. Her challenge is not in her art but rather in time. “As the popularity of my art grows, I have found that I have to actually make a conscious effort to give time to friends and family. I can easily get wrapped up in my orders and production for the shop, which ends up taking all my time every day.”

Her motto has always been that hard work pays in dividends of success. “Dedication, determination, and passion drive success. Innovative marketing and staying ahead in technique ensure longevity in the art world,” she concludes. You can find her work on her website www.vanessalomasartist.co.za, her gallery is situated at the Rock Fig Lifestyle Centre, Hoedspruit. You can also find her on Facebook: Vanessa Lomas Artist, Instagram: @ vanessaartist, and Twitter: @lomas_art.