Labuschagne, Simone

Simone’s art education started with her Aunt’s painting studio in an attic in Mill Hill, London, England when she was a child. At this time her goal became clear - to create art. She continued to study as a teenager at the Des Moines Art Centre, in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. There she was exposed to the great of American Art like Edward Hopper and Richard Diebenkorn. She went on to study drawing, painting, and art history at the University of Iowa and graduated in 1984. She has exhibited at many public galleries in Halifax. 

Artist Statement


I make art to express joy and curiosity in the world around. My inspiration comes from the absolute joy of taking nothing - or a blank canvas - and creating something - a unique and complete thought in oil paint. My recent subject matter is related to flora and shrubbery and is semi-abstract in nature. The flowers and shrubs are interpreted in my oil paintings and this enhances the semi-abstract nature of the work. My pieces are not careful renderings but painterly interpretations of the subject with scrapes, layers, splatters, drips and passages of paint that are drawn. By manipulating the concept and the materials, the initial idea is developed and the painting reveals itself.