Sossussvlei, 2022

First, a little context: The name "Sossusvlei" is of mixed origin and roughly means "dead-end marsh". It owes its name to the fact that it is a basin without any outflows for the ephemeral Tsauchab River resulting from the growth of two of the highest dunes, nicknamed “Big Daddy” and “Big Mama". As a result of not receving any water, the local trees died. What I found fascinating was the individualism of each tree; each one had its own separate character. I also loved the simplicity of the colour palette: vibrant blue sky, earth red dunes and a sand-coloured ground.   I wanted to extend that simplicity into the painting by invoking a more abstract quality through the hard-edged lines of the dunes and textures in the colour scheme.