ZAAN CLAASSENS was born in South Africa and has lived and practiced art in five different countries. As a student of Textile Design at Miami University, with a B.A. in Graphic Art and Honours in Photography from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, Zaan brings with her a diverse background. Her works hang in a host of private collections around the world and publicly in collections in South Africa, Canada, Ireland and the Northern Mariana Islands. Zaan has participated in group exhibitions since 1988. She has exhibited in Canada, England, Ireland, Germany, the Pacific Islands, the USA and South Africa. *********** My work is diverse because I am an exploratory, experimental and adventurous individual. I find it thrilling to discover the unique possibilities of different media. Oil paint, bronze, wax, gypsum are all grist for my mill. My art is catagorised into Oil Painting, Sculpture & Photography, however I have also explored collage, pastel, charcoal, ink, pencil, mixed media and textiles. Each medium, in turn, lends itself to different subject matter. No matter what the subject, quality is of the utmost importance to me. I typically work in a realistic style, but I am not interested in mere replication. I want to infuse it with a soul. My art is a celebration of life: every slice is monumentalized and immortalized. It is my desire is to reflect the essence of life, be it through portraits, landscapes, abstracts or sculptures. I am totally in love with the detail and beauty of the natural world. I am passionately involved in the creative process. The art flows out of my creative Soul. It never stops. It flows as it must.