Born in Durban, South Africa, the artist’s creative journey began as a quiet, lifelong passion.

Dalene trained and qualified as a Telecommunications Technician and spent 40 years in the field, balancing a technical career with a growing creative spirit. During this time, she discovered mosaics as a personal creative outlet and fell in love with the luminous quality and tactile nature of stained glass. Over 18 years, she patiently refined her mosaic techniques, continually experimenting with materials and methods to develop her own distinctive approach. When the COVID-19 lockdown began, Dalene took early retirement and turned fully toward painting. A few introductory lessons ignited a deep passion for oil painting, and art soon became a central part of her daily life. Today, she moves effortlessly between mosaics and painting—sometimes working on both in a single day—embracing experimentation and creative freedom as essential parts of her artistic journey.

Her painting Man of the Soil was selected in the Top 39 of the Vuleka Competition in 2025, marking a significant milestone in her growing recognition within the contemporary art world. Equally remarkable are her mosaic works, particularly Ice Tiger, which reveal meticulous technical precision and patience, with some pieces taking months to complete. Dalene’s body of work has been featured on The Online Art Cottage, including notable pieces such as Poppies, In the Vineyard, Fetching Water, Man of the Soil, Ice Tiger, and Together, each reflecting her versatility across mediums and her commitment to exploring both narrative and abstract forms.

Dalene works primarily in oil painting and stained-glass mosaics, while continually exploring mixed media and acrylics.

Oil painting and Stained-glass mosaics.