Artist Database

Kelly Higgs is a contemporary botanical artist with a unique style. Raised on a sugar cane farm in KwaZulu-Natal, she developed a deep connection with nature and began painting flowers from a young age. Higgs studied graphic design and worked in the field for many years. She held her first solo exhibition in Johannesburg in 2003. Higgs is also interested in Chinoiserie and depicts vases of this style in her watercolours, a decorative element unusual to traditional botanical art. Her works are known for their colour and light and have been reproduced on items such as scarves, bags, and sarongs. Additionally, Higgs has collaborated with two well-known European design groups, Zoffany and Pierre Frey. She created a fabric and wallpaper collection for Zoffany called ‘Romey’s Garden’, which features peonies and is filled with her signature style. For Pierre Frey, Higgs laboured for a year to create a beautiful, intricate wallpaper mural (the finished product measures 280 by 300cm) brimming with greenery, flowers, vases, birds, and insects.