Karin Daymond

Karin Daymond's work is strongly rooted in the South African landscape.  

“Although a work starts from a geographical point, it quickly becomes my inner space. I live within this space even during more mundane activities. I become involved with the possibilities of paint and design; how they can be used to describe an environment, but also how the marks, textures, patterns can capture the energy and rhythm of both the external and internal landscapes that I associate with a place".

She speaks of landscapes as having an emotional identity, for instance the vegetation in the Karoo is restrained and cautious, while the natural growth in the Lowveld of Mpumalanga is flamboyant. Intensive mark-making, patterning and colour create a world within a world. “Sometimes a landscape enhances my sense of self and how I belong, and sometimes it's the other way around". The exploration of belonging is central to much of her work, most recently explored in the context of migrancy and refugeedom.

Daymond works from her studio in Mpumalanga, a province known for its sub-tropical beauty. She committed to her full–time art practice in 2008, following many years of teaching. Her primary medium is large-scale oil painting. Drawing and printmaking, particularly lithography, form an integral part of her work.

Daymond was born in 1967 in Durban, South Africa and has a BA Fine Art from The University of KwaZulu-Natal. She lives in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga. Her work is included in many public and private collections, both in South Africa and internationally. Amongst these are the UNISA collection and the University of the North-West.