Naturally Inspired

“Anyone can learn to draw,” says Kathryn Harmer Fox matter-of-factly. “It’s a learned skill, like reading. You just have to put your mind to it and practise.” From her home in the coastal village of Kwelera, Kath is at the northern end of the Wild Coast Jikeleza Route, some 30 kilometres away from the trail’s start just outside East London. At Kath’s peaceful studio, surrounded by the Kwelera Mouth Nature Reserve, and with views of dolphins and whales in the waves, the name ‘Jikeleza’ lives up to its isiXhosa meaning of ‘invitation to wander’. The multi-media artist specialises in fibre art, painting with fabric, and drawing with thread. She’s passionate about nature, and her layered works are rich in texture and colour. And while her ‘weapon’ of choice is her sewing machine, it all starts with drawing.

“We have to learn to see and develop our own style – there are too many copyists