Mapping the Inner Landscape constitutes the first subset, or rather 'Book 1', in my larger, growing series of work titled Wordstrings — the result of an ongoing fascination with how we use language as building blocks, lenses and symbols in our construction, perception and communication of reality. The 17 works in this book of paintings were exhibited at my first solo exhibition, hosted by 11 On Windsor Studio in Kalk Bay, South Africa, in April 2026.

At the heart of Mapping the Inner Landscape lies the theme of emotional granularity, i.e., the ability to identify and name nuanced feelings. This skill has been proven to help us regulate our emotions by reducing reactivity in the amygdala, which is responsible for our fight-or-flight response. As such, these paintings ask us to notice, when lost within an undefined, nameless feeling, the specific emotional texture of it, its unique grit.

Of particular interest is how words serve as pathfinders in this investigation of the psyche. Do they reveal the true lie of the land, or do they draw borders around areas that were perhaps better left wild?

Chapter 1: Stepping Into Ourselves

Familiar country unexplored

Chapter 2: Exploring the Lay of the Land

[Anger [Indignance [Resentment]]]

[Fear [Apprehension [Vulnerability]]]

[Sadness [Disappointment [Disillusionment]]]

Chapter 3: Discovering New Placenames

Saudade

Sonder

Ataraxia

Chrysalism

Chapter 4: Drawing Borders

Between being and feeling

Breathing space

The constant sky

Chapter 5: Making Mistakes

Well-worn paths often lead nowhere

Broad brushes paint crude pictures

Little misnomers make mighty lenses

Chapter 6: Boxing in the Wild Plains

Undefined, by definition

Awe in the ineffable

Connection in the unspoken