"My name is Clea and I am a South African artist based in Cape Town. I was born in Pretoria in 1969 and spent most of my childhood with my family in the United States, Germany, Belgium and South Africa. I studied Graphic Design at the Ruth Prowse School of Art and Design and received my diploma in 1995. After many years in the corporate world as graphic designer and illustrator I started painting in 2010 and by 2011 opened my small business the Trotting Trestle Studio.
I’ve been truly blessed to be able to combine my love for animals and art. I never follow a ‘recipe’, each project follows its own path, seldom being a mirror image of what I had in mind. That’s part of the excitement, who knows how my painting will end up? I absolutely love studying art, attending workshops and of course playing around in my studio with my own ideas. I used to specialise in Equine art but of late I find myself intrigued by the many facets of wild life, the beautiful patterns found on zebra’s, the textures on the rhino, there’s just so much inspiration out there.
Enjoy your visit to my website, pop over to my facebook or instagram pages on news regarding my latest works."

- Clea Witte