elcome to the world of Theo Zouves. Vibrant colors imprison bright birds, fantastic fish and brilliant blooms on handmade paper almost two meters (approx. 6 1/2 feet) across. Bold brush strokes capture the essence of the feathered, the finned and the foliated with a minimalist technique that maximizes emotion.

Theo regards South African artist George Boys as her guru and describes her work, a mixture of exotic acrylics and delicate watercolors, as "bursts of joy on paper."

Her debut was in Kimberley's William Humphries Gallery in August 1991. Now in the ninth year of her professional life she has built a remarkable reputation. Her work hangs not only in South Africa, but also in corporate and private collections in Europe, North America and the Far East. Her home gallery in Johannesburg is well known to local art aficionados.

She's been labeled by New York critic Dorothy Roatz Myers as "a rising star to track in the world art community."