I have always felt a deep connection to the ocean, and my paintings aim to capture its endless movement and shifting moods. Through these works, I invite viewers to experience intimate, immersive moments with the sea—where the shore fades from sight.
In my series What Lies Beneath, I delve deeper into the surface of the ocean and its complex, multidimensional nature. I explore its transparency, reflectiveness, continuous motion, and the distortions it creates of the world beneath. Gazing down from above, the ocean remains a mystery. Its surface, shaped by wind, tides, and currents, is sometimes clear and transparent, allowing light to penetrate and reveal hidden depths. At other times, it becomes moody and opaque, with light diffusing slowly, casting shadows in the deep.
I work primarily with transparent oil paints, which share similar qualities to water: they are both translucent and reflective. By layering these paints, I build depth, saving opaque colors for the bright whites of the waves. From the very beginning, I am mindful of how light interacts with the painting, allowing the canvas’s whiteness to shine through and enhance the overall composition.
Mandy Lake was born in Surrey, UK, in 1968 and grew up in Johannesburg. Her passion for painting developed under the mentorship of André Naudé and Simon Stone. She later earned degrees in history and art history from the University of Cape Town and pursued studies in sculpture and illustration at the Foundation School of Art in Cape Town.
Throughout her professional career in design, illustration, and publishing, Mandy continued to explore sculptural ceramics and painting. In 2009, she joined Julia Teale’s Spencer Street Studios in Salt River, where Julia’s inspiration and support deepened Mandy’s love for the ocean. This connection evolved into a profound artistic focus as she sought to capture the ocean’s ever-changing moods, its ceaseless motion, power, light, and tranquility.
Living on the southern African coast, Mandy feels an intimate connection to the sea. Her artistic journey spans two dimensions. One is rooted in the impressionism of ocean moods and color palettes, where a moment can shift from dark, powerful, and threatening to sparkling and radiant, revealing countless shades in between. She draws inspiration from Claude Monet, particularly his portrayal of nature and the transient effects of light, capturing its fleeting beauty.
The other dimension is perspective. Mandy’s paintings are not traditional seascapes—they focus solely on the ocean itself. In this, she finds influence from American contemporary artist Ran Ortner, whose large-scale works of turbulent seas omit horizons, land, or sky. Like Ortner, Mandy concentrates on the ocean’s mood, submerged energy, and the primal connection we have to the water that gave us life.
Mandy is also captivated by the ocean’s translucent qualities. At times, it’s clear and transparent, allowing light to pierce its depths and reveal hidden treasures.
At other times, the ocean becomes moody and dense, with light slowing and casting deep shadows. At sunrise and sunset, light skims the water’s surface, scattering vibrant colors as waves break against the shore.
In April 2016, I held my first solo exhibition, Immersion, at The Cape Gallery. My second solo exhibition, Sheer Water, followed in 2018, also at The Cape Gallery, after I joined Tracey Payne at Victoria Art Studio in Woodstock in early 2017.
“I want viewers of my paintings to feel, even just briefly, a thrill, a resonance, a primeval pull that says, ‘Yes, I want to be there—it feels good.’ I think we all have that deep affinity and longing.”
I work primarily in oil on canvas, continually exploring the unique translucency of oil paints to allow light to radiate from within. I build my compositions through layers of transparent oils, reserving opaque colors for the whites of the waves. From the moment I begin, I am attuned to the shifting light and subtle hues that guide my artistic process.
