Ilse-Marie grew up in Namibia. She took art at school, making use of oil-paint, water colour, and charcoal as medium.
She met Namibian artist Hendrik Frey, well known for his pyrography leather art, in Swakopmund. Influenced by his work, his love for wildlife, bushmen and nature, she started experimenting with paint on leather.
After matriculating, she studied BSC Agriculture at Tukkies. Later she decided to follow a different direction. Starting with Graphic Design the following year, her main subjects of interest were always wild life and the human form. After completing her studies, she worked in advertising and later joined the Air force as a graphic designer. Her work consisted of illustration, photography, film making, 2D and 3D animation. For her work in animation, she received an award in the 15th International Military Film Festival in Italy.
After a brief encounter with Namibian artist Hendrik Frey in Pretoria, she continued experimenting with oil on leather. At the time, the Air Force held a national art competition to celebrate its 75 Years of Excellence, for which Ilse-Marié designed the Logo and won first prize for her oil painting/pyrography on leather. An exhibition followed at the Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town, presenting her wildlife themes on leather. It was a sold-out success.
“The work of the Old Masters always inspired me. Michael Angelo’s beautiful drawings and paintings of the human figure, the way light falls on a subject. My love for Namibia, the people, its wildlife, and the dessert keep me inspired and once a year I try to make a trip to my homeland to gather references. I work from life and photographs and being a graphic designer, I do my layout on computer before I start painting. Life is full of stories and some stories are heartbreaking and full of pain, but I like to portray an emotion that promises hope. By capturing the essence of the character, I tell a story. My style is definitely influenced by the Old Masters, like Michael Angelo and some of the artists of the 17th century Romanticism and Neo Classism, especially the storytelling. As in my painting: Legacy. It is symbolic of our life on earth but with the promise of eternal life. I worked with brass and metal on canvas. Recently I worked on a series, African Klimt Gold, combining 19th century Gustav Klimt, with contemporary African cultural designs and gold leaf. African women were portrayed at the Hydepark exhibition 2016. Currently for Hydepark 2017, I’m working on a series of adaptations of Alphonse Mucha’s posters, using African woman in the elaborate design.
Her work is realistic, leaning toward impressionism with a strong influence of “neo-classism”.
In an interview she was quoted as saying, “I thank God for the talent that He gave me, as Matthew 6:13 says :”... for Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory, forever, Amen.”