Marleen Visser (also known as Paddy) grew up in Pretoria, matriculating at the Pro Arte High School for Art, Ballet and Music. On completion of matric she ventured into music, the graphic arts and advertising.

As a freelance artist she was commissioned to do a number of artworks for corporate clients and hotels. Marleen’s first solo exhibition of paintings was held in 1987. A further three solo exhibitions followed as well as participation in  numerous group exhibitions alongside other acclaimed artists.

After lecturing art to adults for three years at the Hatfield Christian Training Centre, she ventured into the commercial art field in 1995 and established Blue Note Art Studio CC specialising in graphic design, illustration, paintings and music. Clients include ad agencies, lodges/hotels across Africa, corporate companies, publishers and the SA National Parks Board.

“I started illustrating educational books for various publishers in 2002. It was through the SCBWI Showcase CD in 2006, that an Australian writer contacted me to illustrate and design her fascinating children’s storybook. This was an incredible inspiration and a wonderful journey for me. It has now been published and is available in Australia and on the web. I have recently created many book covers and illustrations for literature readers and poetry. I believe that all the art forms are integrated in some way or another.”

Marleen (Paddy) is also an accomplished professional musician, her instruments being saxophone, flute, guitar and vocals.

Her passion for the Ultimate Creator, his creation and life in general, inspires her to express her experiences and impressions in a myriad of ways. Scuba diving and sailing have become integral parts of her life, adding a great dimension to her art and music. Together with her husband, a professional photographer, they often travel and explore the beauty of nature and occasionally work together on projects.

“The diversity we see around us, is motivation for me to constantly improve as an individual and as an artist. The innocence and childlike wisdom of my three daughters has captured my heart. This stirs me to do everything I do with sincere conviction and passion.”