The art of storytelling told through the lens of women, all of whom have a flair for turning the ordinary into visual masterpieces.
Peni Petersen
Multidisciplinary artist
“Art exists in the every day,” believes artist Peni Petersen, owner of Studio Pen based in Cape Town. Since 2019, she has been transforming ordinary items such as tablecloths, paper fans and umbrellas, candles and even fruit and veg into her canvas. These items go on to enhance the myriad tablescapes they grace, from weddings to intimate dinners. Her fine brushstrokes draw inspiration from her surroundings, utilising mother nature and turning the familiar into exceptional art. Recently, she’s used tomatoes as name placements, exquisitely painting the guests’ names onto these gorgeous veggies. It’s a unique twist to conventional methods, and yet it delivers a fun and pretty addition to an event.
From tablescaping to live painting, Peni’s creative and expertly done hand-painted art is a skill that has produced stellar collaborations, with brands such as Le Creuset and Poetry, thus illustrating that art can transcend boundaries. She embraces an attitude of “less is definitely more” by focusing on the fluidity of the brushstrokes, keeping it simple, sticking to monotones and injecting colour where needed.
A master at achieving memorable table settings, Peni advises curating your guests’ experience with various unique items to add a fun element to it — making the occasion even more special. “Personalised and hand-painted touches just give you that feeling of craft and consideration,” she adds. She appreciates subtleties, such as twisting a tablecloth in the centre of the table to create pleats and then adding a marble tray on top with a few flowers.
And with spring peeping from around the corner, Peni highlights some inspiring trends that will add character and charm to your table setting. “I think we’ll see a lot more draping, butter yellow and painting on tablecloths, which is always in because it is bespoke. Veggies will still stand in for flowers, with breads as a centerpiece,” she predicts.
Becoming an artist may feel like a daunting path. Peni’s advice to other artists looking to achieve longevity is to “move past the naysayers. Your ‘yes’ will definitely come.”
Lady Skollie
Feminist artist and activist
Art has a way of drawing you in, eliciting emotions and adding charisma to any space. With over a decade of experience, the works by artist Lady Skollie (also known as Laura Windvogel) achieve this in every way. They meticulously highlight significant themes that challenge conventions such as gender, sexuality and many more. Her visual work has an almost enigmatic quality, but look closely and you’ll unveil the deeper meanings behind them, as they reflect themes of abuse, trauma and inequality.
“The work can also be jarring,” she says. “I do a lot of very large works, but because my work often looks beautiful and bold, vibrant and easy, it can hide a lot of ugly things sometimes, which you only see when you get closer,” she explains. Colour is pivotal in her work, with much of it being warm yet dark with the use of French navy, sunflower yellow and baccarat orange. Lady Skollie envisions her paintings in spaces that have minimal glass and paired with modern furniture, wood accents and bright colours.
“… because my work often looks beautiful and bold … it can hide a lot of ugly things sometimes, which you only see when you get closer”
Her art piques the interest of specific art collectors, she says, who prefer that the paintings command the attention of a room instead of seamlessly blending with other elements in a space. Lady Skollie’s works inspired by cave paintings, in particular, are an ideal choice as a centrepiece. “The cave drawings, which are very scratchy and have lots of bushmen reaching towards the centre, like a sun, work especially well as centrepieces”.
She wants art-lovers to realise that original fine art pieces are not beyond their reach: many art galleries offer lay-by options. It’s a perfect alternative for people who are eager to support local artists doing exceptional work. Everyone can become an art collector in their own right.
Viveka and Rucita Vassen
Multidisciplinary designers
Sisters Viveka and Rucita Vassen have combined their eye for detail and design to found Ananta Design Studio, an award-winning design powerhouse. With Viveka’s foundation in fashion design and Rucita’s flair for graphic design, together the duo brings a multidisciplinary edge to their creative work.
The studio’s name Ananta‘, which translates to ‘infinite’ in Sanskrit, reveals their mission to deliver innovation that can withstand the test of time. “For us, it’s about the circular concept of creation,” they say. “We want to create timeless pieces that would eventually pass down from generation to generation.”
Their decor and furniture pieces work well in eclectic and playful spaces, while also being the perfect addition to a minimalistic design aesthetic. The sisters also share an appreciation for how light impacts the ambience of a space, explaining that it is “the ultimate mood-maker” that delivers a touch of charisma and vibrancy to a space.
They noticed that although African craftmanship is modernising, it was still being underutilised. “We saw the opportunity to support and empower local communities and crafters. We wanted to create an impact business, one that supports women artisans as well,” they explain.
“Indian cultures, which are all about abundance and maximalism, are completely reflected in our work”
They combined this passion with their creative abilities and Indian heritage to conceptualise décor and furniture that are truly iconic. “Indian cultures, which are all about abundance and maximalism, are completely reflected in our work,” they share. “That really came naturally.”
The sister-duo highlights the importance of networking between women in design to establish support as well as encouragement. They also believe that women are in the unique position to translate their natural instincts of sensitivity and empathy into art and design. “Embrace your femininity. We have a completely different perspective and bringing that through in pieces is one of our strengths.”
Sandi Mazibuko
Fashion designer & entrepreneur
“We are all queens and princesses, even kings in our own way. I would like people to feel like royalty when they are wearing our clothes;’ says fashion designer and entrepreneur Sandi Mazibuko. Hence the name of her label: House of Fabrosanz, which is a mixture of the words fabulous (Fab’) and royalty (‘ro’), plus her name (‘sanz). This is the essence of her brand.
Fashion-forward with a style Sandi describes as “modern classic”, House of FabroSanz stays true to its roots. To this end, it designs its own textiles to introduce a personal and unique element while exploring an endless vault of creativity -something that Sandi encourages fashion designers to do more of.
The Nguni print collection, in particular, is momentous for her. “The original one has South African colours, and we introduced it during a showcase in Paris and Milan. It will always be a special print to me because I did it to represent my country,” she says. “It speaks to me as well as a Zulu woman because it’s inspired by the Nguni tribe. When it comes to our prints, that is my first love.”
Her advice for anyone pursuing a career in fashion is to focus on what you want to achieve as a brand. “You need to understand your aesthetic and then you stick to it,” she explains. “It’s fine to look at trends but decide what your brand is about.”
Sandi is the epitome of living in her purpose and encouraging others to do the same. And when asked what completes an outfit, she highlights the art of confidence: “Some people can wear the look, but if the confidence is there then you not only wear the look but then you own it. It starts with you.”
By: Kauthar Booley
Photography: Supplied
Text courtesy of Livingspace magazine
