Inge Manders was born in Holland in 1966. She lived in Kuwait, Ethiopia, Lebanon, New Zealand, Brazil and Switzerland before moving to South Africa, where she established a horse farm in the Natal Midlands. There, she breeds Arabs, Warmbloods, Crossbreds and children’s ponies. In addition, for a short time Inge operated a holiday destination for the discerning equestrian.

Living around the world greatly influenced Inge’s art. Although she never had formal art training, her “scribblings” caught the eye of an instructor in New Zealand who taught her to look within for inspiration - a difficult thing as a youngster, especially when everyone else was allowed to trace and copy.

“To this day I am thankful to that teacher, as she taught me more the mental skills of art rather than the technique behind it,” Inge says. “I have produced various things for the schools where I have studied, from cards to yearbooks and paintings. I have never really been settled enough to specialize in one area and have tried my hand at many fields. This includes studying industrial design, advertising, illustration and interior design.”

Today, Inge prefers the flexibility of working in oil paints, but also enjoys diverse media -- from wood carving, copper hammering and leather painting to sculpture, jewelry making, glass work and plaster of Paris. She is currently working to combine her newfound passion for digital photography with other art forms. Although she is hard-pressed to classify her style, she says she allows the subject to dictate the approach she’ll take, as well as the outcome.