My wife, Juanita and I bought a property on the outskirts of Johannesburg where we built a colonial farm style house, facing indigenous trees (paper bark, rhus and fever trees). It's an idyllic setting where I can work in the company of nature to create my art.

Every plant on our property is indigenous because our philosophy is that you plant plants that attract the local fauna and flora, e.g., butterfly bushes, berry bushes, etc, by using plants that will grow in all seasons. The great thing is that they are used to South African conditions and as a result do not require a lot of water. A third of the property is covered in indigenous grasses that attract waxbills and seed eaters, also locusts and various other insects.

We created a medicine wheel in our garden from 22 tons of local rock. We built a pond and stocked it with indigenous fish, which in turn attracts kingfishers and herons onto the property. My studio overlooks the pond and grass and serves as a natural indigenous inspiration.