Cecile Murray-Louw

Commissioning Artist, Art Teacher, Art Counsellor-in-Training I believe art has the power both to heal and harm, and it is my mandate to generate socially responsible reactions and facilitations through my art and counselling. Responses that challenge to rebuild, reconcile, regenerate, restore, revive. Passionate about reconciliation post-apartheid, language and culture learning, healing the wounded, responsible parenting, marriage, fostering, adoption, social justice, bridging the gap between income groups, consistently living greener, simpler and more basic I am seeking raw, messy Christianity. No salvation formulas/sugary Bibleverse answers. Like the get-your-hands-dirty kind. Like having a meal with prostitutes and tax collectors and boldly challenging the accepted "normal" and "church". I believe the church has no walls, but is out on the streets, in my workplace, amongst outcasts and delinquents, in my family and home. And is not reliant on a structure or paid pastor to be Jesus to a hurting world... When time allows I enjoy messing with paint and texture, teaching drama, baking and decorating cakes, doing bridal and function make-up, experimenting with photography, singing opera, making jewellery, making cards from bits of scrap, trying to garden, going for walks before sunset, enjoying a cup of spiced chai tea while the hadidas and Egyptian geese make their beautiful racket. I live in Johannesburg, South Africa with my husband and 3 girls, and share the plot with Ebony the Labrador and Fudgie the Jack Russel.