The birth of youngest of six children, born to Nicholaas and Kitty de Wet on the farm “Erdzak” in the old Transvaal town of Standerton, coincided to the day with the arrival of the British Royal family in South Africa in 1947 – hence the name Royalene.
ter matriculating from Pretoria High School for Girls in 1964, she undertook a career in graphic design, which she followed until her marriage. Commencing in 1969, her early work was in brush and acrylic, covering a wide range of subject matter. Later her professional work developed, using palette-knife and oils, and her flowers took on a bold and distinctive style.
Royalene is known here and abroad for her palette-knife florals in oil. Examples of her work can be seen in galleries in some of the major cities in South Africa. Private collectors in America, Australia, New Zealand, France and England bear testimony of her expertise. She also had the privilege of having one of her florals accepted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Royalene exquisitely captures the very essence of floral beauty and splendour in incredible saturated colour. Her very large pieces portray the strength and vibrance of her unique and authentic style. The latter is a result of her accepting the advice of Lesley Giblett (a custodian of hand-lettering) who cautioned her “never take an art lesson in your life because you have an individuality that you must retain at all costs.”